Thread: KS: Critics of immigrant tuition law push for repeal

Critics of immigrant tuition law push for repeal

Associated Press
February 8, 2011
TOPEKA, KS

Opponents of a Kansas law that allows some illegal immigrants to pay the same tuition as legal residents at state universities and colleges are pushing hard to get the statute repealed.

But this year, their chances are much better because the Kansas House is more conservative and Republican Kris Kobach, a critic of the law, has taken office as secretary of state.

The House Federal and State Affairs Committee opened hearings Tuesday on a bill repealing the 2004 law, hearing from critics of the statute. Supporters of the law are scheduled to testify Wednesday.

Critics say the law is very unfair to out-of-state or foreign students who come to Kansas and further encourages illegal immigration.

Supporters say the young people it helps often have lived in the state for years.

http://www.morningsun.net/news/x1371484 ... for-repeal

Kobach featured as House takes up bill to ban resident tuition for undocumented students

TOPEKA — Secretary of State Kris Kobach told a House committee today that letting undocumented students attend Kansas colleges on in-state tuition does them a disservice because they can’t legally stay and work after they graduate — and staying too long pushes them back 10 years from legal residency.

But in the audience at the hearing were two young women who did exactly what Kobach said they couldn’t do. Both graduated from state universities and became legal, working residents of the United States and Kansas.

The hearing at the Federal and State Affairs committee was on House Bill 2006. It would repeal a 2004 law that allows undocumented students to qualify for resident tuition to attend state universities, community colleges and trade schools, if they attended high school in Kansas for three years and earned a diploma or GED.

Today’s portion of the hearing was for repeal proponents to make their case. Wednesday, opponents will get their chance to argue against the change.

The hearing featured testimony from several witnesses and anti-illegal immigration advocates, including Rep. Caryn Tyson, R-Parker, who is sponsoring the bill, and former Rep. Lynne Ohara of Uniontown.

Although he was speaking as a private citizen and not in his capacity as Secretary of State, Kobach, a longtime activist against illegal immigration, was clearly the star witness for the proponents. He has attained national celebrity as co-author of Arizona’s immigration law, the nation’s strictest.

He told the committee that the major reason to repeal the tuition law is “current Kansas law is in violation of federal law.â€