The Connecticut Senate passed a micro version of the DREAM Act on Tuesday, paving the way for undocumented immigrant students in the state to attend public colleges and universities and pay in-state rates of tuition. The Connecticut House previously passed the bill and Gov. Dan Malloy said he would sign it.
“I believe that any child carried over our borders as an infant (who) graduates from one of our high schools should have a future in Connecticut,” said Malloy.
Connecticut will join 12 other states – including New York – that have passed “tuition equity” bills. In Connecticut’s case students will have to prove they attended four years of high school in the state and sign an affidavit promising they will seek citizenship if they become eligible.
“I think this is a compassionate law, trying to give people a leg up,” said Sen. Beth Bye, co-chair of the legislature’s higher education committee. “We can make a difference in the lives of these students.”
Many Republican state legislatures spoke against the bill–and debate lasted almost nine hours. But in the end it was passed by the Democrat controlled General Assembly, to the cheers of undocumented immigrant youth activists in the state.