[The Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act (DREAM Act), S.1291 and The Student Adjustment Act H.R. 1918.]
Resolution urging the Mayor and the Board of Supervisors to support the passage of and to urge the California Congressional delegation to vote for the Student Adjustment Act (H.R. 1918) and the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act - the DREAM Act - (S. 1291) which authorize the cancellation of removal and the adjustment of status for certain immigrant youths who are college bound and are long term United States residents and permit States to determine State residency for purposes of higher education without regard to immigration status.
WHEREAS, Each year 65,000 undocumented students, who have lived in the United States for over five years, graduate from American high schools; and
WHEREAS, These students face overwhelming obstacles in accessing higher education due to their immigration status, which makes them ineligible for federal financial aid and requires them to pay out-of-state tuition for those attending state universities despite their long-term residency within our country; and,
WHEREAS, These children came to the United States due to their parents' actions and did not take part in any decision to circumvent the immigration laws of this country; and,
WHEREAS, Most of these children, having been raised and educated in the United States, view themselves as "Americans" and have the same dreams, goals and aspirations as other American children; and,
WHEREAS, Undocumented immigrants make vital contributions to the economic stability and cultural richness of the United States, yet remain vulnerable to exploitation, victimization and stigmatization as long as they are denied legal immigration status and meaningful access to higher education; and,
WHEREAS, The United States Supreme Court has determined that every state has a constitutional obligation to provide free public primary and secondary education to all children residing within their borders regardless of their immigration status; and,
WHEREAS, federal standards and accountability requirements imposed on elementary and secondary education institutions necessarily entail a federal commitment to education, including the assurance of meaningful access to higher education; and,
WHEREAS, California, on average, invests upward of $7,000 each year for each of its public school students; and,
WHEREAS, A high school diploma and the lack of legal immigration status condemn undocumented students to a life of underemployment, instability and unfulfilled potential; and,
WHEREAS, Access to higher education will allow these students to break the bonds of poverty, to raise the level of esteem in which they are held by our society and to make full contribution to our country's civic, political and economic well-being; and,
WHEREAS, The Student Adjustment Act (H.R. 1918) and Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minor - DREAM Act - (S. 1291) would remedy this situation by allowing undocumented students who have lived in the United States for at least five years and have graduated high school or received a graduate equivalency diploma (GED) to legalize their immigration status, thereby making them eligible for Federal financial aid, and allow states to consider these students as state residents for tuition purposes at state universities; and,
WHEREAS, The City and County of San Francisco has declared and reaffirmed itself as a "City of Refuge" for peoples from all nations regardless of their race, religion or immigration status; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the Immigrant Rights Commission fully supports the passage of the Student Adjustment Act and the DREAM Act; and, be it
FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Immigrant Rights Commission urges the Mayor and the Board of Supervisors to support the passage of the Student Adjustment Act and the DREAM Act; and, be it
FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Immigrant Rights Commission urges the Mayor and the Board of Supervisors to urge the California Congressional delegation to vote for the passage of the Student Adjustment Act and the DREAM Act.
