California has long been a global leader in higher education, innovation, and workforce development. The economy is the fifth-largest in the world. But, without a more educated workforce, its global economic standing will decline. As California's economy becomes both increasingly reliant on a better educated workforce and further connected to a global marketplace for its services and products, immigrant students that are bi-cultural and highly talented stand to be major contributors to future growth. Nearly 27 percent of the United States' (three million) undocumented immigrants reside in California. Among this diverse population of undocumented immigrants, few adults have a college degree. The opportunity to target supports to undocumented immigrants to bring their educational attainment to par with similar communities across the country provides California with an obvious place to begin addressing its skilled workforce gap. Undocumented students are not given sufficient access to financial resources to allow them to attend and succeed in college, which undermines the investments made to supporting the entire educational pipeline. Financial aid opportunities for undocumented students are complex and often difficult to understand. Most financial aid for college comes from the federal government, in the form of grants (Pell Grant) and federal student loans. However, undocumented students do not qualify for federal financial aid, thus making the ability to pay for college a significant obstacle. At a time of unprecedented, daily challenges to undocumented students from the national political climate, it is critical that state policymakers continue to build upon the supports California has developed. Undocumented students are part of California's identity and deserve the same chance to pursue their college dreams that their peers enjoy. When California faces such a stark gap in the educated workforce needed to maintain its economic dynamism, the reality is that the state must develop and foster the talent of all its students. Supporting undocumented students reinforces both California's economy and its values.