By Terrence T. McDonald/The Jersey Journal
About two dozens students rallied today in front of Jersey City City Hall in favor of the NJ Dream Act, which would help undocumented immigrants receive in-state tuition at public colleges and universities.
Jersey Journal file photo
About two dozen students met in front of Jersey City City Hall this afternoon to rally in support of the so-called NJ Dream Act, a bill that would allow undocumented immigrants to receive in-state tuition rates at public colleges and universities.
The event, part of a series of pro-Dream Act events dubbed Week of Action, featured speeches from local students, two City Council members and a Jersey City priest who argued in favor of passing the bill.
“We don’t want to have another semester where our ‘Dreamers’ are paying out-of-state tuition,” said event organizer Bea Sabino, using the nickname given to children of undocumented immigrants.
The NJ Dream Act, co-sponsored by state Sen. Sandra B. Cunningham, has been introduced in the state Legislature and referred to committee.
Gov. Chris Christie is on the record opposing the measure, which would allow undocumented immigrants to pay in-state tuition if they attend a New Jersey high school for at least three years and file an affidavit saying they plan to apply to be a legal citizen.
Sabino, 22, who is graduating tomorrow from the College of Staten Island, where she studied nursing, said she crossed the Hudson River to attend college because New York’s out-of-state tuition rates are better than New Jersey’s.
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