Thread: Bill: financial aid to illegal immigrant students

Last updated February 11, 2009 4:00 a.m. PT

Bill: financial aid to illegal immigrant students
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

OLYMPIA, Wash. -- Illegal immigrant students could get state financial aid for college under a bill being considered by Washington state lawmakers.

State Rep. Dave Quall, a Democrat from Mount Vernon who sponsored the bill, says many of these students are moved to the United States by their parents at an early age, are groomed in the American education system, and it wouldn't be right to deny aid to qualified illegal immigrant students.

The measure would expand current law to allow illegal immigrant students to be eligible for a state need grant program, which provided around $182 million in financial aid for 72,000 students in 2008.

The House Higher Education Committee has scheduled a Wednesday afternoon hearing on the bill.

---

The illegal immigrant financial aid bill is House Bill 1706.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/642 ... l_aid.html

State Rep. Dave Quall, a Democrat from Mount Vernon who sponsored the bill, says many of these students are moved to the United States by their parents at an early age, are groomed in the American education system, and it wouldn't be right to deny aid to qualified illegal immigrant students.

UHHHH, yes it WOULD be right! This "aid" is taxpayers money, illegals pay NOTHING into the system so they shouldn't benefit!

State Rep. Dave Quall it's time for the recalls to begin... boot him out Washington state ... or have you people lost your mind as well with the fiscal cost of this program

This is more of the wrong thinking of our politicians. Let's reward the lawbreakers with college aid so they can compete with American citizens for better paying jobs.
Once they get finanacial aid for college, then we will have to change the law to give them legal status to work, right?

All paid for by honest, hardworking citizens with no voice in "our" government. Legal American citizens now have fewer rights and entitlements than border jumpers from foreign countries.

WHAT HAPPENED TO TRUTH, JUSTICE, AND THE AMERICAN WAY?

sure do miss you , superman.........

Contact Rep. Quall:

District office:
1330-A. South 2nd St., Suite 105
Mt. Vernon, WA 98273
(360) 428-1023

Olympia office:
PO Box 40600
301 John L. O'Brien Bldg
Olympia, WA 98504-0600
(360) 786-7800

Toll-free Hotline: 1-800-562-6000
TTY (hearing impaired): 1-800-635-9993
quall.dave@leg.wa.gov

Higher Education

Telephone: (360) 786-7132
Fax: (360) 786-7018
Toll-Free Legislative Hotline:
1-800-562-6000


John L. O'Brien Building
Room JLOB 210-A
P.O. Box 40600
Olympia, WA 98504-0600

Committee Members

Representative Room Phone
Wallace, Deb (D) Chair LEG 429 (360) 786-7976
Sells, Mike (D) Vice Chair LEG 132B (360) 786-7840
Anderson, Glenn (R) * JLOB 412 (360) 786-7876
Schmick, Joe (R) ** JLOB 419 (360) 786-7844
Angel, Jan (R) JLOB 420 (360) 786-7964
Carlyle, Reuven (D) JLOB 326 (360) 786-7814
Driscoll, John (D) LEG 122E (360) 786-7962
Haler, Larry (R) LEG 122D (360) 786-7986
Hasegawa, Bob (D) JLOB 425 (360) 786-7862
White, Scott (D) JLOB 321 (360) 786-7886
*Ranking Minority Member **Asst. Ranking Minority Member

Committee Staff
Staff Room Phone
Andi Smith, Research Analyst JLOB 210A (360) 786-7304
Cece Clynch, Counsel JLOB 206 (360) 786-7195
Marsha Ellis, Legislative Asst. JLOB 210A (360) 786-7132

Office of Program Research Phone List

This is a state where the current Governor Gregoire was elected into office by a slight majority composed of illegal non citizen voters.

Will they be asking the 78,000 Legal Residents "who is willing to give up their aide so an Illegal Alien can get it instead?".

Update: illegal alien students were brazen enough to go to this hearing and testify under oath.....how did they get past security ...and who on earth let them in?

Bill: financial aid to illegal immigrant students

By MANUEL VALDES | Associated Press Writer • Published February 11, 2009

*
Comments (0)
Recommend (0)

OLYMPIA, Wash. – Against advice, Luis Ortega and Manuel Garcia gave their full names to a committee of lawmakers when they testified Wednesday in favor of a bill that would make illegal immigrant students eligible for state financial aid for college.

Ortega and Garcia are both illegal immigrants, brought to the United States when they were kids by their parents. They were advised not give their full names to protect themselves from deportation. But they were two of a half dozen students who came forward and spoke openly.

"We're not asking for a free pass, all I'm asking for is sharing with you the American dream," Ortega, an 18-year-old University of Washington student, told lawmakers in the House Higher Education Committee.

Under a bill being considered here, students like Ortega and Garcia would be eligible for the state's main financial aid program. The proposal would expand the state needs grant program, which provided around $182 million in financial aid for 72,000 students in fiscal year 2008.

The proposal comes at a time when hostile feelings toward illegal immigration - and even legal immigration - are heightened in a deeply troubled economy, and as the federal government continues a crackdown on illegal immigration, breaking records for deportations.

Several people spoke against the bill, echoing many well-known arguments, saying that illegal immigrants cost the American economy, and that lawmakers should be worried about providing education to Americans.

"Why reward those who are here illegally?" asked Bob West, a member of Grassroots of Yakima Valley. "Provide benefits only for U.S. citizens ... Those of you who are still supporting this bill ... I want to know what you're going to tell those students who are U.S. citizens - 'I'm sorry we gave your money to other people who were here illegally?' "

It's unclear how many illegal immigrant students there are in Washington, said Ricardo Sanchez, chairman of the Latino/a Educational Achievement Project, the chief advocacy group lobbying for the bill. He said that about 500 such students are currently in colleges around the state, and if the bill were to pass, he would expect the number to increase. In 2003, lawmakers approved a measure that made illegal immigrant students eligible for in-state tuition for universities.

According to a 2005 Pew Research Center study, more than 300,000 illegal immigrants reside in Oregon, Washington and Alaska.

State Rep. Dave Quall, a Democrat from Mount Vernon who sponsored this bill, said many of these students are moved to the United States by their parents at a young age, are groomed in the American education system, and that it wouldn't be right to deny them a chance at a college education.

"I think it's a good investment to keep these talented kids, so they have a hopeful future," Quall said. At a news conference before the hearing, Quall was emotional, teary-eyed as he described hostile reactions from people around the state to his proposal.

Around the country, 10 states, including Washington, have approved legislation making illegal immigrant students eligible for in-state tuition rates for college, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

"What is truly astounding is that the state, which is facing a fiscal crisis, and the state university system, which is in crisis and cutting programs left and right, is considering devoting resources to benefit people who have no legal right to even be in the country," said Ira Mehlman of the Washington, D.C.-based Federation for American Immigration Reform.

Senate Minority Leader Mike Hewitt, R-Walla Walla, said he supported the measure, but that the issue is a sticky subject for lawmakers from agricultural areas - in particular Republicans who may be bucking party trends.

"I really don't like illegals coming here, but when their parents bring them here when they're 1 and 2 and 3 years old, and they're in our system already ... they've gone through our K-12 system, and if they're going to stay here we should do everything we can to get them to the point where they can give to society, not take away from it," Hewitt said.

Advocates said this measure dovetails with a bill being considered by lawmakers in Washington, D.C., which would open an avenue to conditional permanent residency for high school students who are illegally in the country and want to go to college.

Sanchez is hopeful that the federal bill - known as the DREAM Act - will pass because President Barack Obama spoke favorably about it during a debate for the Democratic presidential nomination last year.

Ortega testified that he grew up scared after arriving in the U.S. when he was 9 years old. He said high school was a hardship, but that he managed a 3.9 GPA. Now in college, he has considered dropping out, but said he found it hard explaining his situation to university administrators.

"They're asking for documents that prove I'm going through a hardship. How do I explain to them that my hardship is the fact that I don't have documents?" he asked.

----

Associated Press Writer Brian Slodysko contributed to this report.

"I really don't like illegals coming here, but when their parents bring them here when they're 1 and 2 and 3 years old, and they're in our system already ... they've gone through our K-12 system, and if they're going to stay here we should do everything we can to get them to the point where they can give to society, not take away from it," Hewitt said.

Might as well say"We already spent at least $100,000 on this Illegal Aliens education so what's another $20,000 or so more going to hurt?" Yeah, when the state has to declare bankrupcy the way California is going to do, you'll KNOW how it HURT!