Two Democrats banded together with Republicans in the New York state Senate yesterday to block passage of legislation that would have made undocumented high school graduates eligible for the state’s tuition-assistance programs.
Advocates for students without legal immigration status had been pushing hard for the measure that they said would remove a major barrier to higher education for undocumented youths who were brought to the United States as young children.
The bill, which had already passed the New York Assembly, needed 32 votes to pass. It fell short by two votes.
New York is already among the 19 states that have so-called DREAM Acts, which allow undocumented students to pay in-state tuition rates for state colleges and universities. But only four states—California, Texas, New Mexico, and Washington—have extended eligibility to state financial aid packages to undocumented students.