Thread: NC-Colleges could profit from illegal immigrants

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Colleges could profit from illegal immigrants
By Kristin Collins - Staff Writer
Published: Thu, Mar. 19, 2009 03:10PMModified Thu, Mar. 19, 2009 03:12PM

RALEIGH -- The state would make money by admitting illegal immigrants to community colleges and charging them out-of-state tuition, a consultant told leaders of the state's community college system today.

The state currently prohibits illegal immigrants from attending community colleges but is considering changing the policy. The Board of Community College hired the consulting firm, John B. Lee and Associates of Maryland, to conduct a study of the issue.

In a preliminary report today, the consulting firm said that admitting illegal immigrants as out-of-state students would net more than $1,000 a year per student at most of the state's community colleges.

File staff photo by Harry Lynch - A consultants says the state community college system could profit by admitting illegal immigrants and charging them out-of-state tuition.
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The firm also said that verifying the immigration status of students would cost an average of $9,400 a year at each community college.

The consultant looked at the policies of 11 other states with large populations of illegal immigrants. It found that five other states admit illegal immigrants and charge in-state tuition, while five admit illegal immigrants and charge out-of-state tuition. Only one, South Carolina, denies admission completely to those who entered the country illegally.

The consultant's final report is due in April. After that, the board expects to take several months to adopt a policy because of the need to study the consultant's report and obtain legal input.

"We have had four policy shifts in the last seven years, and we've got to stop the flip-flopping," said Stuart Fountain, chairman of the board's policy committee, which received today's report.

The community colleges stopped admitting illegal immigrants to degree programs in May on the advice of the state Attorney General's Office.

The move reversed a controversial policy, announced in November 2007, that opened the doors to the state's 58 community colleges to illegal immigrants. That policy caused so much public uproar that the state Community College System sought legal advice.

The question of whether it is legal to admit students who are in the country illegally was finally resolved in August, when federal immigration officials said no law barred them from public colleges.

However, the State Board of Community Colleges opted to keep the ban on illegal immigrants while they hired the consultant to study how other states have handled the issue and the practicality of the colleges checking immigration status. They board adopted the ban at the urging of now-Gov. Beverly Perdue, then a board member.

kristin.collins@newsobserver.com



http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/1449622.html

If illegal aliens want to attend US colleges, they should be charged the same as International Students. There should be NO grants, scholarships, loans or any type of financial aid or aid in kind open to them.

If they cannot afford it, oh well, them's the breaks - same as any American who cannot afford to go to college. No one seems to care about how many smart, bright AMERICAN students who are missing out on college, at least no one in government. But they have plenty of time to fall for the illegal alien sob stories? Please!

We already give illegals free lower school education, with the entire family probably living on food stamps, rent aid, etc. Why do we need to spend more money on these illegals is beyond me. There are plenty of American citizens that need to be put first, then those here legally on visas and lastly illegals, who should be charged out-of state tuition. College slots are valuable enough (my goddaughter could not get all the classes she needed to graduate in four years--she had to go an extra semester--it was an unexpected expense her family could barely afford. She was studying science, you know one of those things Americans just won't.)

For America to enforce immigration law is the best Marshall Plan for the Third Wotrld.