Montgomery College Trustees Show Support for Dream Act

In a show of support, the Montgomery County Board of Trustees voted unanimously to adopt a resolution endorsing the policies of the Maryland Dream Act.

The trustee’s held the vote during its regular meeting on June 28. The resolution states:

“… the College supports broader and easier access for all local students to higher education institutions than is provided by the Maryland Dream Act, the College nevertheless supports the Maryland Dream Act as a step in the right direction and as a foundation for additional access later”

Petitioned to referendum, the Dream Act’s passage will be left to voters in November.  The measure would provide in-state tuition rates to undocumented college students who met certain requirements. But opponents launched a referendum drive as soon as Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) signed the bill last year, .

Dream Act opponents have also targeted the college, which has a campus in Germantown.

In 2010, Montgomery College’s board of trustees was sued by three Montgomery County residents, with help from Washington-based watchdog group Judicial Watch, for what they claimed was a “de facto” policy of allowing illegal immigrants to pay in-state tuition, Patch has reported.

The case was dismissed in August 2011, but an appeal has been filed, according to Montgomery County Circuit Court records accessed online.