TRENTON — Gov. Chris Christie today signed landmark legislation granting thousands of students who grew up in New Jersey but are in the country illegally the benefit of in-state tuition rates at all public colleges and universities.

Christie's signature marks the end of a public tug-of-war over the measure, deemed the "Dream Act", which was pared down in its final days in order for Democrats to gain the governor's approval. Both sides hailed the compromise as a historic achievement.

A spokesman for Christie, Colin Reed, said in a statement "the governor signed the legislation privately earlier today, and there will be a public ceremony to follow in the weeks ahead." He said a date and time for the ceremony has not yet been set.

The new law allows unauthorized immigrants who graduated high school in New Jersey after attending that school for at least three years to be eligible for the lower in-state rates at state college and universities, including in-county rates at community colleges.

The Legislature on Thursday sent Christie a version of the bill that would also have made immigrant students eligible for state financial aid programs, including tuition aid grants. Christie then conditionally vetoed the bill to remove that provision and sent it back to the Senate and Assembly, which both promptly agreed to the change.

With signing the bill, Christie fired back at some Democrats — notably Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester) — as well as the media for criticism he received after he indicated support for the bill but then suggested he may not sign it.

While courting Hispanic votes during his re-election campaign, Christie said he supported the concept of in-state tuition for students who grew up here. But he did not elaborate on what he meant until the bill began advancing through the Legislature.

It was then Christie said he had problems with parts of the bill, including the financial aid section. Sweeney and others accused Christie of looking for a way to rescind support because he was worried about conservative voters in his potential 2016 presidential bid.

Only a few of the 18 states that offer in-state tuition to unauthorized immigrants also make them eligible for in-state financial aid, but they include Texas and California — the two most populous.

After pledging to sign the compromise version Thursday, Christie said at a news conference at the Statehouse that he was owed an apology by those who portrayed his concerns about the bill as backtracking on his support for tuition equality.

Democrats pledged to continue to pursue the financial aid portion stricken from the bill, even if it means waiting until Christie leaves office.

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