Pennsylvania DREAM Act Endorsement Letter

Dear Legislator, We, the undersigned organizations, would like to express our support for the Pennsylvania DREAM Act (H.B. 1695). We hope the general assembly of the Commonwealth will see it a priority to pass this very important piece of legislation. The in-state tuition bill is an urgent piece of legislation that would benefit the state socially and fiscally. It would provide much needed financial relief to undocumented youth in Pennsylvania, given they meet certain requirements. The federal DREAM Act, a bill that would provide a pathway to legalization for undocumented youth who were brought to the United States as children and now face insurmountable barriers due to their immigration status, has been stalled in Congress for nearly a decade. The bill passed the House of Representatives during the December 2010 lame-duck session vote but fell five votes short of passage in the Senate. Due to the bills failure, undocumented youth who consider the United States their home are not able to fix their immigration status. According to the 2010 Migration Policy Institute study, there are 11,000 to 20,000 undocumented youth in the state of Pennsylvania who are potential beneficiaries of the federal DREAM Act. Approximately 850 undocumented youth graduate from Pennsylvanias high schools every year without the same opportunity as their classmates.The Pennsylvania DREAM Act is a step in the right direction and would provide these remarkable students who have excelled academically, access to equal education. Undocumented youth who meet certain requirements would qualify for the in-state tuition bill. These requirements include attendance at a public or nonpublic secondary school for at least 3 years during which the student or parent must have filed Pennsylvania income taxes annually; graduation from a Pennsylvania public or nonpublic secondary school; registering with an institution of higher education within 4 years after graduating from a nonpublic or public school; and payment of taxes annually while attending a public institution of higher education. It is only fair these bright students receive the same opportunities to higher education. We urge your support for this important piece of legislation. Sincerely, Pennsylvania Immigration and Citizenship Coalition Nationalities Service Center New Sanctuary Movement Democracia USA The Welcoming Center for New Pennsylvanians

ACLU of Pennsylvania Education Law Center