Battle Over Undocumented Students

By BOB CONNORS
Updated 3:45 PM EDT, Mon, Mar 14, 2011

Should undocumented students be afforded in-state rates to attend state schools in Connecticut?

That question will be the subject of a hearing at the Legislative Office Building Tuesday, according to CTnewsjunkie.com.

The measure would provide in-state rates to students in the country illegally, but who live in, and went to high school in Connecticut. Many of the students are brought to the country as small children, by parents who enter illegally, and have been here ever since.

Proponents of the bill say the undocumented students shouldn't be punished for their parents actions. "Students who are in this country, who were brought in by their parents when they were young, they didn't choose to break the law," Western Connecticut State University student Zach Richter told CTnewsjunkie. "They broke the law by virtue of something that someone else did. So it's completely unfair to punish them and punish our entire society by not having them as members."

The Democratically-controlled legislature passed a similar bill in 2007, but it was vetoed by then-Gov. M Jodi Rell. Some argue allowing undocumented students would be unfair to students who were born here.

"So all those kids that want to come to UConn from this state have a heck of a lot of competition amongst the kids who are naturally born here with full legal status," Rep. Pamela Sawyer, R-Bolton, told CTnewsjunkie. "How do I say to those students and parents, 'oh, by the way, we're going to that those seats away from you and give them to undocumented kids?'"

The hearing on the bill will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday.

www.nbcconnecticut.com