A very thoughtful piece showing how important the Dream Act is, for many reasons. - - Donna Poisl
By Pratheepan Gulasekaram, Special to the Mercury News
The California Legislature has passed the second part of the California Dream Act of 2011, AB 131, which would allow undocumented, college-eligible immigrants to access public financial assistance for higher education. As it awaits the governor's signature, it is worth reflecting on the constitutional design that underpins the idea that all willing students, even undocumented ones, deserve access to our nation's educational system.
The state's Dream Act embodies and amplifies the basic principles enshrined in our Constitution, starting with the fundamental notion that our society does not visit the transgressions of parents upon their children. Our founding document: (1) ensures that descendants of traitors can still inherit property; (2) prohibits the conferral of titles of nobility; (3) grants citizenship to those born on U.S. territory, regardless of their parents' legal status; and (4) prohibits denial of fundamental rights based on happenstances of birth, such as race, gender and wealth.
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