UFW responds to news that Jerry Brown will sign Dream Act bill

 

Farm workers from all over the nation have joined students to lobby in support of the DREAM Act both at the state and federal level.  On Monday, July 25, 2011 Governor Jerry Brown signed Assembly Bill 130, one of the two “Dream Act” bills in California.  AB 130, which Governor Brown is signing today, would allow students that meet the in-state tuition requirements to apply for and receive scholarships derived from non-state funds.  Currently, there are two universities in California where students will be eligible for such scholarships – UC Berkeley and UCLA. 

 

We applaud the DREAM students of California for their continued efforts that have led to this first taste of victory.  DREAM students and their allies, including the UFW, have engaged in voter registration, elections, marches, and acts of civil disobedience that have led to arrests in order to make advances.  We will continue working  until we win The Fair Treatment for Farm Workers Act and the second more financially funded DREAM Act, AB 131 in California and Federal legislation granting legal status and a path to citizenship which will benefit a far larger number of students and their families.