After immigration reform supporters in New Jersey accused him of breaking his campaign promise, Governor Chris Christie signed his state’s version of the DREAM Act today.
“Shame on all of you who accused me and others of playing politics with this issue,” Christie said yesterday at a press conference announcing that the parties had reached a deal in the legislature. He went on to demand an apology from people who accused him backpedaling on the issue. Christie had vetoed a previous version of the bill, noting that it provided for more taxpayer funding than the federal version of the DREAM Act. He said that while he supports “tuition equality,” he could not work with the bill as it stood. This prompted the New Jersey Star-Ledger to accuse him of “roll[ing] over Latinos” after winning their vote during the gubernatorial campaign.
The bill that Christie signed today does not provide illegal immigrants with the costly Tuition Aid Grants (TAGs) that he opposed. Those grants would have made it even more affordable for illegal immigrants to go to New Jersey state schools. Instead, this bill will provide for in-state tuition costs, which are cheaper, at state universities for illegal immigrants who came to the United States by 2012 and graduated high school in New Jersey after being there for more than three years.
Read more: Breitbart.com
