NY BOARD OF REGENTS COMES OUT IN SUPPORT OF STATE TUITION ASSISTANT TO ALL IMMIGRANT STUDENTS REGARDLESS OF IMMIGRATION STATUS

 

 

TUESDAY. NOV,16TH 2011

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

Merryl H. Tisch, Chancellor of the New York State Board of Regents, and John B. King, Jr, State Education Department Commissioner, joined by immigrant groups and allies, declared their support to expand the State TuitionAssistance Program (TAP) to all immigrant students regardless of immigration status. Recently the NYS Board of Regents also announced their support  for the federal DREAM Act, a legislation that has been sitting in US Congress for over 10 years.

 

This is a big step for undocumented youth in our state that confront huge challenges when attending college, due to their lack of financial aid and status. New York State is one of 13 states that provide in-state tuition to undocumented students who meet certain requirements. With this new bill, undocumented youth will benefit from state financial aid. Undocumented students will then have more opportunities to achieve their careers and our state will be having greatcontributions as results. NewYork has approximately 200,000 undocumented students, these are students that were brought to this country by their parents or relatives and now face a reality that they did not ask for, to be undocumented.

 

We are grateful and applaud the NYS Board of Regents for this initiative and for recognizing the great talents and potential that undocumented students in NY possess, talent that shouldn't be wasted and contribution that our state needs. The tuition rates for students are extremely high and for an undocumented student who can't receive any help is almost impossible to afford college.

 

This will open an opportunity for the state to have more professional people and it will enormously decrease the drop outs of immigrant students in high schools as well in colleges. In the next weeks a state proposal legislation will be introduce. We hope that our legislators support this legislation and vote in favor of it. If this legislation passes we will be one step closer to allow undocumented immigrant students to fully contribute to our communities and economy. This will lighten the path for undocumented students to follow their dreams.

 

 

 

 -LIISA