D.R.E.A.M Act Faces Opposition

April 27, 2011

         After students and activists celebrated the passage of SB 167, also known as the DREAM Act (a reference to the federal Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act of 2010), Republican delegates instantly began efforts to oppose and overturn the legislation. Maryland State Senate passed a bill on late Monday April 11, 2011 that would allow “undocumented students” to pay in-state tuition, increasing their chances of receiving a college education and degree. The bill will enable undocumented students who have attended Maryland high schools for at least three years, and whose families pay state taxes, to pay cheaper in-state tuition rates at community colleges. And after completing 60 credit hours at the community college, students could transfer to a four-year state college at the in-state rate.

            So far, eleven states, including Maryland, have approved in-state college-tuition for undocumented immigrants.

             Cheers of “Si Se Puede, Si Se Puede!” (Spanish for yes we can) exploded outside the Senate from hundreds of students who showed up to rally in support of the bill.

Struggle for Bill's Success

However, House Minority Leader Anthony O'Donnell (R-Calvert and St. Mary's County), Del. Neil Parrott (R-Washington), Del. Patrick McDonough (R-Baltimore and Harford) and Del. Justin Ready (R-Carroll) held a press conference in Annapolis on Tuesday April 26, 2011 to inform residents about the petition. The petition needs roughly 18,500 signatures by the end of May and about 56,000 by the end of June in order to sway the legislation, which has not yet been signed by Gov. Martin O'Malley. If delegates receive all of the needed signatures, the bill cannot be signed into law before the fall of 2012. During the conference, Ready argued the bill conflicts with federal immigration laws and takes away educational opportunities from state residents who are already struggling to afford higher education.

“Students are asking for an opportunity to make life better for themselves,” said Senator Victor Ramirez, the bill’s sponsor and a Salvadorian immigrant himself.  Ramirez, who is also the state’s first Latino state senator. “Voting against this bill won’t solve any issue you have with immigration,” he continued reported staff blogger on popular Latin American news blog site Latinovations.com. “I’m very proud of them because they haven’t given up. They’re very resilient, and I know they’re gonna do great things — that’s what the American dream is about.” Ramirez said, the tuition bill is expected to cost the state about $750,000 by 2014, and some have predicted the cost will run up to about $3.5 million by 2016. Ramirez also added undocumented students will be considered out-of-state students for the purposes of admission to state institutions so they will not take away spots from in-state residents.

"The question is why? Why do they want to overturn it?" Ramirez said.

Jose Centeno-Melendez, a senior American studies major at the University of Maryland College Park, who is also a member of the Latino Student Union and worked with CASA de Maryland, said "that's really disappointing news to hear, especially after celebrating what we thought was a pretty big victory; I'm a little overwhelmed," he said. "I think if Republican delegates are going to decide to make this move, they can definitely expect retaliation from student groups... A lot of people who will sign the petition to get rid of the bill probably haven't read the bill itself."