LearnmoreMN Blog

Dreams coming true

By Juventino Meza, May guest blogger

Gov. Mark Dayton will sign the Higher Education Omnibus bill that included the Minnesota Dream Act. This is a historic day for Minnesota. It took more than a decade to pass this legislation; we are the 15th state to do so and only the 4th one to provide state financial aid.

The Minnesota Dream Act will:

• Allow students to pay in-state tuition rates at public colleges and universities if they meet certain requirements, regardless of their immigration status
• Make state higher education aid available to all students who meet residency requirements, regardless of immigration status
• Allow public institutions (MnSCU and the University of Minnesota) to use private funding as financial aid for all students, regardless of immigration status
• Create a Minnesota financial aid application specifically for these students that delinks federal and state financial aid.

The Minnesota Dream Act has broad support. The Citizens League supported it based on its 2009 study of immigrant students' access to higher education in Minnesota. The bill was also backed by community groups (Mesa Latina, Centro Campesino, Chicano Latino Affairs Council), all major higher education institutions (U of MN, Minnesota Private College Council, MnSCU), business and labor groups (Education Minnesota, Chamber of Commerce, SEIU Local 26, Agri-Growth Council), superintendents around the state, Republicans and Democrats, rural and urban. And obviously, Gov. Dayton and Larry Pogemiller, director of the Minnesota Office of Higher Education, supported it as well. This truly was a collaborative victory for Minnesota!

I went to ask the authors what they thought. “I am thrilled that after a decade of effort by immigrant students and their allies, their ‘dream of a college education’ became law when Gov. Dayton signs it, said Sen. Sandy Pappas. “I look forward to the talents and energies of these bright young people serving the economic future of our great state.”

It’s estimated that if 500 students benefit, it will “bring $1 billion in new earnings to the Minnesota economy over their lifetime. ($1.8 million is the lifetime earnings of an associate degree; $2.4 million for a bachelor’s degree).”

This legislation is about equity, but it also is about closing the opportunity and achievement gap. It will ensure that all students in Minnesota have equal access to higher education and that Minnesota is ready to compete in the world economy with the future workforce we will need.

“It’s an honor being part of this historic legislative proposal,” said Representative Carlos Mariani, who sponsored the legislation in the House. “I have been fighting for this for more than 10 years. This affirms the dignity of undocumented people in Minnesota. Congratulations to everyone who faithfully and strategically worked to make this law. DREAMers inspire us to be a better people. On-forward!”

Marco Loera, a soon-to-be college student from Rochester, Minn. was equally enthusiastic. “I can finally see my future; I can finally say that equality for all Minnesota students is closer now. This is my state and these are my dreams; now, no status will keep me from being the best I can be.”

Find information about the process here. We know that we have a lot of work ahead, especially in high schools and colleges to make sure everyone has the right information. Can you help us spread the word? Organize a group of students, families or staff and invite NAVIGATE MN to do a presentation about how students can benefit from the Minnesota Dream Act.

Why we need to pass the Minnesota Prosperity/Dream Act

By Juventino Meza, May guest blogger

Note: The MN Senate passed SF723 May 1 in a bipartisan basis, 41-23. Now it will be amended into the Higher Education Omnibus bill in Conference Committee, and then head for a final vote on both chambers. Gov. Mark Dayton has signaled that he will sign it.

When it comes to Minnesota, there are many things we should brag about: a lot of lakes, great businesses and great educational institutions are among them.

A few things we should not brag about: our embarrassing achievement and opportunity gaps, along with our future forecast of high numbers of retirees and too few workers with the educational qualifications our state needs. It’s actually kind of scary because all of this will impact how we do policy around education, health care, taxes and other issues for decades to come.

Here’s a small piece we can do today to address some of our future issues: pass the Minnesota Prosperity/Dream Act (SF723/HF875). Senator Sandy Pappas and Representative Carlos Mariani, along with 35 bipartisan co-authors introduced this bill to recognize certain undocumented youth as Minnesota residents for the purposes of eligibility for state financial aid and in-state tuition if they:

• Have gone to a Minnesota high school for 3 years;
• Receive their diploma or equivalent;
• File an affidavit with the respective college/university saying they will apply to change their immigration status as soon as they are able.

According to a study on state-based Dream Acts around the nation:

• In-state tuition results in a 31% increase in non-citizen enrollment in institutes of higher education.
• In-state tuition is correlated with a 14% decrease in high school dropouts among non-citizen Latinos.
• The benefits associated with in-state tuition do not appear to come at a financial cost to the U.S. taxpayer.

This is only based on in-state tuition; imagine the numbers if we equalize our financial aid for all Minnesota graduates.

Minnesota should be at the forefront of exploring and developing mechanisms that allow immigrant students to access and finance higher education that will keep more students in school, allow them to graduate from high school or obtain their GED, and attend and finish college in Minnesota (and subsequently live and work in Minnesota).

Even with federal immigration reform, Minnesota has to pass the Minnesota Prosperity Act

Like many other proposals, this bill has stalled in the House of Representatives in part due to leadership focusing on the U of M and MnSCU and confusion about it being a “federal issue.” However, if you look at the merits of the bill, it’s the opposite. Minnesota has the authority and the obligation to give its students a fair shot at higher education. Minnesota students shouldn’t be begging to be allowed to go to college, especially at a time when we will have a shortage of qualified workers.

Moreover, the federal government is debating immigration reform and we need to understand that it will be left to the states to decide to give in-state tuition and financial aid to undocumented youth who are legalized through federal action. It will not provide federal financial aid (the current proposal even says so in the DREAM Act section).

Some ask, “why should we let these students go to college if they cannot legally work?” Some undocumented students are already eligible to legally work through Deferred Action, a federal program (only for certain students who graduated from high school or got their GED). Minnesota should prepare more students who will eventually benefit from federal reform. It’s in the best interests of the state — economically, for our workforce and for closing the achievement gap.

Minnesota Prosperity Act/Dream Act uniquely enjoys broad support

By the time a student graduates from high school, Minnesota has already invested significant resources in their success. To prevent that student from pursuing higher education would be to squander our investment. The Center for American Progress estimates that allowing DREAMers equal access to financial aid would create 1,600 jobs and add an additional $359 million to Minnesota's economy over the next 10 years.

SF723/HF875 has the unique support of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce and Education Minnesota. It’s supported by the community, student groups, business organizations, faith groups, the U of M, the Minnesota Private College Council, MnSCU, Agri-Growth Council, Chicano Latino Affairs Council, Latino Economic Development Center and many others.

Ultimately, these are students who grew up in Minnesota. They are as Minnesotan as anybody else. We cannot afford to lose the opportunity to tap into talent already in our state.

More information

• View a letter signed by supporters of SF723/HF875
• View a list of other public supporters
• Citizens League's 2009 study on immigrant students' access to higher education
• Find out what you can do