At best estimate, tens of thousands of children of undocumented immigrants live in our state today. The Pennsylvania Dream Act would give children of undocumented immigrants who have attended high school in the state, an opportunity to apply for admission to state owned colleges and universities, or related universities, at in-state rates.
The Dream Act bill is led by Pennsylvania State Senator Lloyd Smucker, a Republican who says, “This is not a partisan issue this is about, what is the right thing to do for this group of kids.”
He goes on to say, “They want the same opportunity to contribute and to get good jobs as students they are going to school with.”
David Malone, President and CEO of Gateway Financial, feels like the bill is a key to gain more skilled labor, which is missing in Pennsylvania. According to Malone, there are currently 20 thousand to 30 thousand PA jobs that need to be filled by skilled labor. He says one of the key areas where skilled labor could be used is in industries that deal with Marcellus shale.
