Thread: NC: Feds say colleges can enroll illegal immigrants

wral.com
Feds: Colleges can enroll illegal immigrants
Posted: Today at 5:02 p.m. 5/9/08

North Carolina's community colleges can decide whether they want to enroll illegal immigrants, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Friday.

The state Attorney General's Office said this week that the 58 campuses in the North Carolina Community College System should tighten up admissions standards for illegal immigrants and more closely follow federal law.

The system last fall began admitting any illegal immigrant who was at least 18 years old and a high school graduate. Gov. Mike Easley said Thursday that he supported the policy, noting federal law doesn't clearly outline when illegal immigrants can attend community college.

Richard Rocha, a spokesman for ICE, said Friday that illegal immigrants can apply to any school, but they run the risk of deportation if they are caught in the country.

"It is left for the school to decide whether or not to enroll out-of-status or undocumented non-immigrants," Rocha said in a statement. "The Department of Homeland Security does not require any school to determine a student’s (immigration) status."

Community college officials were expected to decide Friday how to proceed but said they needed more time to formulate a plan.

Of the nearly 300,000 curriculum students in community colleges statewide, 112 are illegal immigrants, according to the latest state figures. Twenty-seven of the 200,000 students in the University of North Carolina system are illegal immigrants.

All of the illegal immigrants pay out-of-state tuition at both UNC and community college campuses.

http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/2862211/

5/9/08
The News & Observer
Feds: College OK for illegal immigrants
By Kristin Collins, Staff Writer

No federal law prohibits North Carolina from admitting illegal immigrants to its colleges and universities, officials with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said today.The statement from federal officials contradicts a letter sent this week by the office of state Attorney General Roy Cooper.

The letter from Cooper's office advised the state Community College System that federal law bars the admission of illegal immigrants to public colleges and universities, even if they pay out-of-state tuition.

The letter said that the Department of Homeland Security, of which ICE is a part, was responsible for enforcing the law and offered to ask the department for further clarification of the law.

The department provided that clarification today, at the request of The News & Observer.

"It is left for the school to decide whether or not to enroll" illegal immigrants, the statement reads. "The Department of Homeland Security does not require any school to determine a student's status."

Cooper's office issued its advisory letter six months after the Community College System instituted a controversial new policy requiring admission of all students, regardless of their immigration status, at all of its 58 campuses.

kristin.collins@ newsobserver.com

http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/1066974.html

I am glad about the outcome. They have come down where I would have wished them to.

I am glad about the outcome. They came down where I would have wished them to.

I'm certainly NOT happy about the ICE statement.

Richard, I'll ask you the same question I asked Erskin Bowles twice: how will allowing illegal aliens attend colleges benefit either them or us since they still won't be able to work without stealing somebody's SS# or will work under the table paying no taxes?

To Bowles' credit, he did respond to my first email but didn't address my question; my second email he completely ignored.

Originally Posted by had_enuf

I'm certainly NOT happy about the ICE statement.

Richard, I'll ask you the same question I asked Erskin Bowles twice: how will allowing illegal aliens attend colleges benefit either them or us since they still won't be able to work without stealing somebody's SS# or will work under the table paying no taxes?

To Bowles' credit, he did respond to my first email but didn't address my question; my second email he completely ignored.

Bowels is a complete idiot. He has a cushy job with more than 250k in salary paid for by Americans and Legal guests who try to get an education in NC.

Added to Home PAge
http://www.alipac.us/article3173.html

Richard Rocha, a spokesman for ICE, said Friday that illegal immigrants can apply to any school, but they run the risk of deportation if they are caught in the country.


In other words, do what you want but it won't deter us either.

Richard wrote:

I am glad about the outcome. They have come down where I would have wished them to.

I'm totally confused with your position on this, Richard.

I guess some believe the illegal invader is going to run back to his country of orgin once they have that college degree in hand.

More likely, they will have even more incentive to obtain fradulent documents in order to secure good paying job so as to put themsleves and that college degree to work.