Thread: WI: Latino students join march asking for immigrant student

Latino students join march asking for immigrant student rights

Students demanding resident tuition for immigrants

May 7, 2007
by Stephanie Brien

Bush escucha, estudiantes a la lucha, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee students shouted out in megaphones at the second annual Day without Latinos immigration rally last Tuesday.

Translated, it means Bush listen, students are on the fight. Along with an estimated 60,000 marchers, UWM students rallied behind a Latino Student Union banner, demanding immigrant rights.

One of the main issues the students were speaking out against was the higher university tuition that immigrants have to pay.

Enrique E. Figueroa, director of the Roberto Hernandez Center and assistant to the provost for Latino affairs, said students without their green card have to pay out of state tuition, which is more than double the in-state tuition.

Figueroa said Gov. Jim Doyle included residential tuition rates for immigrants in his last budgets, but Republicans removed it. The rate is also included in Doyles present budget, but far from being finalized.

Besides higher tuition, immigrants are also not eligible for federal financial aid and only very minimal state aid. Figueroa said there are some scholarships for immigrants available, but they are small compared to the demand.

Robert Delgado, a UWM junior majoring in civil engineering, is a second generation immigrant on his dads side. Delgado said his dad crossed over the river from Mexico illegally to get here, and now he is the vice president of a furniture company and a former high-ranking officer in the Navy.

Delgado said, while immigrants know crossing the boarder is risky, If you want something even more, there are people that believe its worth it to get a better life.

However once immigrants enter the United States they have a tough road ahead of them.

Figueroa said, when immigrants come over to the United States illegally, they cant work legally until they get a green card, but it could take up to 13 years to get a green card.

For those wanting to come over legally, there are about 165,000 visas annually. But Figueroa said when they became available on April 1, this year; they were gone by April 2.

Also starting this year, it became impossible for Wisconsin immigrants to receive a drivers license. On April 1, federal legislation went into effect requiring a social security number to receive a federal drivers license. Some states have separate cards for non-green card holders, but Wisconsin is not issuing two separate IDs.

Fernando Orozco, another UWM student, said while borders should be enforced, the immigrants that are here should have the same rights as everyone.

They shouldnt be categorized … They didnt come over as criminals, so they shouldnt be treated as criminals, Orozco said.

http://www.uwmpost.com/article/ff808181 ... 2065cd0058

These kids should read the law, if you come here illegally ,you are a criminal.

If you are an immigrant, you have rights. If you are here illegally, YOU DO NOT HAVE ANY RIGHTS. THE ONLY RIGHT YOU HAVE IS TO GO HOME!

Gimme, gimme, gimme! Does it never end

Looks like they may get their way. We'll see...

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Update: Budget committee Dems approve in-state tuition for illegal immigrants
On Tuesday, Democrats on the Joint Finance Committee defeated a Republican effort to remove a portion of Gov. Jim Doyle's budget that would grant in-state tuition at state colleges to technical schools to illegal immigrants.

Along party lines the JFC voted 8 to 8 to keep the measure intact. Under state rules all tie votes on the JFC go to the governor.

Once the JFC completes its work on the budget it then goes to the full Assembly and Senate for approval.

http://www.rivertowns.net/daily/pch/c070606/#s070606a

Link is borked - don't know why.

IMMIGRANTS already have that right if they are RESIDENTS. If they are INVADERS they shouldn't.