Thread: MA legislator: Illegal aliens shouldn't get tuition break

http://www.dailynewstribune.com/localRe ... leid=54187

Legislator: Illegal aliens shouldn't get tuition break

By Emelie Rutherford / Daily News Staff
Tuesday, April 19, 2005

A Milford lawmaker is gearing up to fight a plan to allow children of illegal immigrants living in Massachusetts to attend state colleges at the discounted rates paid by in-state students.

State Rep. Marie Parente, a Democrat, said she filed an amendment to strike the tuition plan that was in the proposed state budget House leaders unveiled last week, because she believes such students should not receive a privilege some citizens in state are denied.

"Why are we allowing young adults who have broken the law and are here illegally to access this benefit," Parente said. "The members (of the state House of Representatives) better start worrying about the middle-income taxpayers in their districts. ... There are people in my district, I know they can't (afford to) go to college."

Saying the high school graduates in question are "young adults" and not little kids, Parente said she is concerned about not knowing enough about their backgrounds because of their immigration status. Some of the younger terrorists behind the Sept. 11 attacks, she pointed out, were not far off in age from that of college-bound students.

"Are we going to give a blank check to the masses of people," Parente said.

The tuition plan requires such students to have lived in state for three years, have graduated from Massachusetts high schools and be in the process of seeking citizenship or permanent residency. A similar plan was passed by the Legislature last year but vetoed by Gov. Mitt Romney.

In addition to Parente's amendment, another amendment was filed before last Friday night's deadline to strike the tuition plan from the spending proposal before the House approves it.

Nine Republicans signed on to the amendment, including Rep. Paul Loscocco of Holliston and Susan Pope of Wayland.

Children of illegal immigrants often cannot afford to attend state colleges at the higher out-of-state tuition rates offered to them, said Ali Noorani, executive director of the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition.

According to the State House News Service, the differences between resident and non-resident tuition levels are significant: $970 versus $7,050 at Worcester State College, and $1,714 versus $9,758 at UMass Boston, for example.

A group of immigrant teenagers have been touting the tuition plan in a tour of Massachusetts and Rhode Island since last week and will bring their message to the State House Thursday, Noorani said.

"These kids deserve to pay the same tuition rates as their high school classmates," he said. "They've excelled in high school. In the future they're going to be our business leaders, our community leaders who are going to continue to make Massachusetts strong."

The state Board of Higher Education has supported the measure that it estimates would bring in at least $1 million in tuition. Approximately 400 students would be eligible, Noorani said.

The full House will begin debating the budget prepared by Ways and Means Committee next Monday.

Saying it is not the children's fault their parents brought them here, Rep. Alice Peisch D-Wellesley, said the tuition plan "makes economic sense" for cash-strapped state schools.

"I don't like it," said Rep. James Vallee, D-Franklin. "We should be putting the kids in Massachusetts who are legally here as citizens first and giving them an opportunity to get an education first," he said.


( Emelie Rutherford can be reached at 617-722-2495 or erutherford@cnc.com )

State Rep. Marie Parente, a Democrat, said she filed an amendment to strike the tuition plan that was in the proposed state budget House leaders unveiled last week, because she believes such students should not receive a privilege some citizens in state are denied.

"Why are we allowing young adults who have broken the law and are here illegally to access this benefit," Parente said. "The members (of the state House of Representatives) better start worrying about the middle-income taxpayers in their districts. ... There are people in my district, I know they can't (afford to) go to college."

Saying the high school graduates in question are "young adults" and not little kids, Parente said she is concerned about not knowing enough about their backgrounds because of their immigration status. Some of the younger terrorists behind the Sept. 11 attacks, she pointed out, were not far off in age from that of college-bound students.

"Are we going to give a blank check to the masses of people," Parente said.

Finally a Democrat that gets it. And she is in Mass of all places. Maybe Mitt Romney is finally starting to rub off and got a couple of Dems out of their drunken and drug induced comas for once.

Keep posting the good stuff Butterbean! This one is on the home page!

http://www.alipac.us/article-352--0-0.html

Gutsy gal! However, these people will be up against the "Kennedy/Kerry Machine" that's permeated throughout Mass.

AND

That's Father Drinen's home turf. He's a dangerous man & strongly imbedded there since the 50's I believe, if not before. Together, they've built a powerful machine in every facet of life, including the bedrock Church.

This will be very, very interesting to watch. If, by the grace of God it's successful, it could be the beginning of a real change.

The only break illegal immigrants should get is a bus ticket home, and then only if they don't have enough money in their pocket to pay for it on their own.

If Chapaquiddick Ted and sKerry want illegals to go to college in Massachusetts then they should pay for them all. Leave the average run of the mill taxpayers out of it. And if those taxpayers had had any schooling themselves it would seem to me that they would have figured out how to get both of those bozos out of office by now.