Dream Act To Be Subject Of Divide In 2012 Referendum, Poll Suggests

ARHU's DREAM Act Forum provided the opportunity for Marylanders to voice their questions about the act.By Maria-Pia Negro, The Sentinel

ARHU's DREAM Act Forum provided the opportunity for Marylanders to voice their questions about the act.
By Maria-Pia Negro, The Sentinel

A recent poll shows Marylanders equally divided on the issue of Maryland’s DREAM Act, a law that would allow in-state tuition for children of undocumented immigrants. This could carry on to the November 2012 referendum.
 Three months after the Maryland State Board of Elections scheduled a referendum about the law, 51 percent of voters surveyed disagree that children of undocumented immigrants graduating from a Maryland high school should be able to apply for Maryland in-state college tuition.
 The poll also showed that 47 percent of the 805 registered Maryland voters surveyed agree.
 Under the state’s DREAM Act, undocumented students could pay in-state tuition rates at community colleges, if they attended a Maryland high school for three years and their parents, or guardians, prove that they have filed state tax return for the past three years.
“The DREAM Act is not a partisan issue or even an immigration issue — it is about access to education,” said State Sen. Victor Ramirez, D-Dist. 47, who championed the bill in the Senate, Oct. 4 at a forum on the DREAM Act and education at the University of Maryland, College Park. The university’s Latin American and Studies Center organized the event.