Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet, who is part of the “Group of 8” U.S. Senators working to craft an immigration overhaul bill, today highlighted the Colorado legislature’s passage of the ASSET bill as part of a growing national momentum to fix our broken system.
The bipartisan Advancing Students for a Stronger Economy Tomorrow (ASSET) bill allows undocumented immigrant students who graduate from Colorado high schools to receive in-state tuition at Colorado colleges and universities.
“This is an important and long-fought victory for Colorado. The ASSET bill will allow hardworking young people greater access to college,” Bennet, a long-time supporter of the DREAM Act in Congress, said. “Now, Congress must act to fix to our immigration system to ensure that these same individuals are able to fully come out of the shadows, get on a path citizenship and become fully participating members of our society and economy.”
“The ASSET bill’s passage is evidence of the continued momentum we’re seeing around the country to fix our broken immigration system. That momentum has helped buoy our bipartisan work to craft a bill that will better secure our borders, strengthen our businesses and economy and provide a tough but fair path to citizenship for those here without status – including a quicker path for young people that were brought over by their parents as children and only know this country as home.”
Senator Bennet is currently part of the “Group of 8” Senators working on a bill to fix the broken immigration system. According to the bill’s framework released in January, this piece of legislation will, among other items, ensure that DREAMers will have a pathway to higher education and citizenship. The bill is expected in the coming weeks.
As a former superintendent of Denver Public Schools, Senator Bennet saw first-hand the effects of our broken immigration system on young DREAMers who would realize the limited educational opportunities available to them as non-citizens.
Bennet was a cosponsor of the DREAM Act in 2011, and, when it became clear that the bill would be blocked by a minority of Senators, he urged the President last year to grant deferred action, which the President did.
Late last year, Bennet launched the Colorado Compact, a nonpartisan effort he spearheaded, along with former Senator Hank Brown, to convene and promote a reasoned, civil conversation on immigration reform across the state.
