The Connecticut Senate passed a micro version of the DREAM Act on Tuesday, paving the way for undocumented immigrant students in the state to attend public colleges and universities and pay in-state rates of tuition. Connecticut will join 12 other states – including New York – that have passed “tuition equity” bills. Eligible students will have to prove they attended four years of high school in the state and sign an affidavit promising they will seek citizenship if they become eligible. [Feet in Two Worlds]
A new Georgia immigration law, patterned after the Arizona law currently being challenged in court, requires that all businesses with more than 10 employees use the federal E-Verify system to confirm workers’ eligibility. In response to the law, businesses fear an economic boycott and the Latino community fears police officers will abuse their new powers, however, farmers in South Georgia fear the law will hurt them disproportionately since a majority of their employees are migrant workers. [National Public Radio]
The federal government will run a national advertising campaign to encourage more immigrants to become American citizens and become more integrated into society, officials said on Wednesday. The multilingual effort aims to reach roughly 7.9 million immigrants who are eligible to file applications to naturalize but haven’t done so. The campaign in print, radio and digital media that will run primarily in California, New York, Florida and Texas between May 30 and Labor Day. The effort — which will cost $3.5 million over three years — is part of an $11 million allotment by Congress to encourage greater immigrant integration. [SFGate]
A recent Harvard study shows that by the time the children of illegal immigrants reached age 2, they showed significantly lower levels of language and cognitive development than the children of legal immigrants and native-born parents. According to the study, even though the children may have citizenship and/or live in an immigrant-friendly city that offers them a wide array of services, many are still hobbled by serious developmental and educational deficits resulting from their parents’ lives in the shadows. The author says it is the most comprehensive look to date at the effects of parents’ immigration status on young children. [New York Times]
The Washington state Legislature has approved changes to the state’s health care program for poor kids, allowing a raise in premiums for undocumented children to keep them enrolled. Gov. Chris Gregoire of Washington initially proposed cutting the 26,000 illegal immigrant children enrolled in the program. About 700,000 total children are covered. [Associated Press]