Virginia Extends In-State Tuition to DREAM Act Students

Announced earlier today at NOVA Alexandria 
(from NBC4 in Washington)

Students typically came to the country as children,
graduated from Va. schools

Mark Herring said DREAM act students "have known no home but Virginia."

Immigrant students in Virginia, who came to this country as children and graduated from state high schools, should be allowed to get in-state tuition to Virginia colleges and universities, the state's Attorney General said Tuesday.

In an announcement at Northern Virginia Community College, Mark Herring said, "I have concluded that in-state tution rates can and should be extended" to students who qualify.

"They have known no home but Virginia," Herring said.

Typically, these students who arrived as children and are undocumented -- but have graduated from state high schools and meet other key criteria.

After Herring's announcement, the crowd at the news conference, including supporters of the DREAM act, erupted in applause. After the news conference, they began chanting, "We are the DREAMers! We are the DREAMers!"

The event was held at Northern Virginia Community College, where many students could be affected by the change in tuition costs.

Maryland voters approved a similar law in November in a referendum.

The federal DREAM act granted temporary residency to students who came to the country as undocumented children, lived in the country for five years before the law passed, graduated from U.S. high schools and attended U.S. colleges. Those students also had a path to more permanent residency.

Stay with News4 and NBCWashington for more on this developing story.