GA: Opposition to Tuition Plan for Illegals Grows
Opposition to Tuition Plan for Illegals Grows
By Condace Pressley
November 17, 2010 4:52 PM
(WSB Radio State Capitol Bureau) -- A joint committee of state House and Senate members considering what some call an Arizona-type law against illegal immigrants is critical of a recent decision by the Board of Regents when it comes to admitting undocumented students.
The new policy passed last month allows students who cannot prove they are a U.S. citizen to pay out of state tuition at 30 of Georgia's 35 colleges and universities .
They will not be admitted to any school that has in the past two years had to deny academically qualified applicants due to lack of space. The University of Georgia and Georgia Tech are among the five school that currently fall into that category.
But many members of the committee spoke out against the policy of allowing illegal immigrants to attend Georgia institutions at all.
"If that board is going to sit there and do that, I've got a question of whether or not they're worthy to be on the Board of Regents... that is just absolutely irresponsible," says Sen. Bill Heath (R-Bremen).
Jerry Gonzalez, executive director of Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials, told lawmakers that students are not the problem.
"If this committee is intent on enforcing the rule of law, leave the students alone... focus on the poultry business, focus on the agricultural business," he says.
Legislation that would ban illegal immigrants from admission to any of Georgia's colleges and universities was pre-filed Wednesday at the State Capitol.
Rep. Tom Rice (R-Norcross) also says he does not think the Regents went far enough.
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