Possible scholarships to 'Dreamers' draw lawmakers' focus

BOISE, Idaho (AP) _ Boise State University potentially offering state scholarship money to students brought to the United States illegally as children could be the subject of legislation next year.

Emails obtained by the Idaho Statesman show the subject being discussed between an anti-regulatory, low-tax group and Republican lawmakers.

The Idaho Freedom Foundation in a June 6 email told lawmakers on education and budget committees that Boise State “is going in an increasingly radical direction.''

The emails were touched off by a June newsletter by then-Interim BSU President Martin Schimpf, who said that the State Board of Education had invited Dreamers to apply for the scholarships.

People brought to the U.S. illegally as children are often referred to as ``Dreamers,'' based on never-passed proposals in Congress called the DREAM Act. The students are temporary protected from deportation by the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA.

The Opportunity Scholarship offers up to $3,500 to eligible Idahoans seeking an undergraduate degree at an in-state school. In 2018, more than 4,000 students applied for the scholarships. For the full story, pick up a copy of the Mountain Home News or click on this link to subscribe to the newspaper's online edition.