Undocumented Immigrants In California Will Soon Receive Financial Aid

Under a new law signed on Saturday by California Governor Jerry Brown undocumented immigrants will be able to start receiving state-funded financial aid beginning in 2013.

The law is meant to give undocumented students a chance at aid if they are already on the path to become U.S. citizens and according to projections 2,500 students will receive the Cal Grants which are worth $14.5 million.

When everything is considered the undocumented aid accounts for just 1% of the states $1.4 billion Cal Grant program.

Law AB 131 is just one of two pieces of legislation found in the California Dream Act and the legislation won’t go into effect until January 1, 2013.

In a statement regarding his decision to sign the law into effect Brown said:

“Going to college is a dream that promises intellectual excitement and creative thinking,” while adding, “The Dream Act benefits us all by giving top students a chance to improve their lives and the lives of all of us.”

Law AB 130 was considered necessary after the University of California and California State University systems avoided providing scholarships to undocumented students because of the “vagueness in laws” surrounding those type of situations.

Do you believe that California should be providing state funded scholarships to immigrants who are not yet considered U.S. Citizens or could those funds be used for more pressing matters throughout the nearly bankrupt state?