In July part one of the California Dream Act, AB 130, was signed by Gov. Jerry Brown, which allows undocumented students access to private scholarships. Now, activists are calling on Brown to complete his support by signing the second part of the Dream Act, AB 131.

The difference between the two is that the latter will open the doors for undocumented students to receive taxpayer funded financial aid, such as Cal Grants. The economic incentive behind AB 131 is substantial, writes the Los Angeles Times:

“According to the Public Policy Institute of California, projections to ‘2025 suggest the economy will continue to need more and more highly educated workers, but that the state will not be able to meet that demand. If current trends persist, only 35% of working-age adults in California will have a college degree in 2025, but 41% of jobs will require a degree.’”

According to NPR, Assemblyman Gil Cedillo says that undocumented students should not be punished for their parents’ mistakes:

“Democratic Assemblyman Gil Cedillo, who authored the bill, says through no fault of their own, these kids were brought to California. He says they've been educated in California schools, have been admitted to state colleges. It's not fair to tell them now they can't get scholarships or aid like other students.”

However, what advocates fail to recognize is that the state budget is in a billion dollar deficit and part two of the Dream Act is estimated to cost around $40 million. If AB 131 were to pass, it would give 40,000 illegal immigrants an opportunity to compete with California citizens for financial aid. Kristen Williamson of the Federation For American Immigration Reform said in a phone interview that this would send the message that if illegal immigrants break the law, they will have the same rights as U.S citizens.

There have been many testimonies of students brought to California through no choice of their own, who identify themselves as Californians who desire to have a future and pursue their dreams. Undocumented students are simply asking for a way to provide for their education and live the life the “American dream” promises.

While the pursuit of higher education is understandable, commendable and entirely sympathetic, the lingering point is that even if undocumented students were granted taxpayer funded aid, they would not be eligible to legally obtain a job in the U.S, which would put them in an even more dire dilemma. Granted, undocumented students may not have made the conscious choice to illegally cross the border, but the push for the Dream Act is simply the wrong medium for an entirely larger issue: immigration reform. The Dream Act is really only functioning as a band-aid for the government’s failing immigration policy and could actually alienate many to their cause as a whole.

The idea behind the Dream Act is great, but the execution is ill timed and wrongly placed.