Issue date: 3/10/09 Section: News
PrintEmail Article Tools Page 1 of 2 next > 03/10/09 -The Rhode Island General Assembly held a hearing Thursday concerning a current immigration bill that would allow non-U.S. citizens living in Rhode Island to pay in-state tuition at state colleges.

The bill, introduced by Rep. Grace Diaz, states any illegal immigrant that is living in Rhode Island and has attended Rhode Island schools would qualify to pay in-state tuition rates. Diaz said the hearing garnered a great amount of support, and she is extremely hopeful about the bill's potential journey to legislation.

During the hearing, Diaz testified to the bill's necessity, and also had many immigrant students testify for the bill. Diaz said one student who came from Brazil had a particular impact on her. The student has to wait a year before she gets her social security number and becomes a legal resident of Rhode Island, and in that time would have to pay out-of-state tuition, according to Diaz.

"[The student] said, 'I love Rhode Island, more than the country in which I was born," Diaz added.

Diaz said it was unfair that this student and others like her have to pay three times the tuition of any other Rhode Island resident to continue her education, and this bill, if passed, would remedy that.

"My bill is very clear that if families and students want to pay [in-state] tuition, they don't represent any expenses for the state," Diaz said.

The Rhode Island Immigration Law Enforcement organization opposes this bill, saying that it is in conflict with U.S. federal law.

"It's against two federal laws," Executive Director Terry Gorman said.

One of the laws he was referring to, listed as Title 8, Aliens and Nationality, Section 8 USC 1324, states that it is against the law to aide, hire or abet any illegal immigrant.

"If a student, according to what the bill says, applies to URI, they have to admit that they are an illegal alien," Gorman said. "URI would be complicit in allowing them to attend, because if they in fact discovered they were an illegal alien, [URI] would have to turn them in to the authorities."
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The second, Title 8 Section 8 USC 1623, states that no illegal immigrant, with regards to residence in a state, shall be eligible for any post-secondary education benefits unless a citizen or national of the United States would be eligible for those benefits.

"[The law states] you can give an illegal alien in-state tuition rates, as long as you offer it to any other out-of-state student in the country first," Gorman said.

Diaz pointed out that while the mainstream media generally regards immigration issues as a Latino concern , this bill would apply to all illegal immigrants in Rhode Island.

"We have more students from Europe undocumented [in Rhode Island] than Latino," she said. "So many students from around the world that come here and stay here and then become undocumented. It's not just Latinos."

Gorman said he agreed with Diaz, in that his organization's opposition to the bill is not against the Latino population, and that it would apply to all illegal immigrants.

"It happens to affect Latinos because the propensity of illegal immigrants in Rhode Island are Latino," he said.

He referenced a recent comment made in the Providence Journal by Domingo Morel, who works at the Talent Development office at URI, in which he said this issue affects all illegal immigrants.

"I almost jumped out of my chair and hugged him for saying that out loud," Gorman said. "We're always perceived as being anti-Latino and that's just not the case. Our group is anti-Illegal Alien, period. End of story."

Rep. Joseph A. Trillo said this bill is targeted toward a special interest group, and therefore would be a detriment to those not included in the potential legislation.

"Why would we favor illegal immigrant children over other children?" he said. "My grandson is at URI, I wouldn't want to be down there paying the tuition knowing that someone is coming in and just because they're an illegal immigrant and they classify as less fortunate...I have a problem with it at that level."

While Diaz did admit there is political opposition to the bill, she said the reasoning is not motivated by fiscal concerns or lack of space.

"It's not something you can say, that there's not enough room for these students or it's because it's [taxpayer] mone., No, it's not, it's completely political," she said.

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