Thread: Illegal immigrants shouldn't qualify for in-state tuition

Illegal immigrants shouldn't qualify for in-state tuition
Jazzmen Tynes
Perspectives | 2/26/07

If illegal immigration advocates get their way, Maryland could soon become one several states in the country offering in-state tuition to illegal immigrants attending public colleges and universities.

I am not pleased.

I was reading news online the other day and was shocked to see an article about students lobbying members of the House of Delegates to grant in-state tuition to illegal immigrants.

Yes, I said "illegal," as in violating federal law, "illegal."

However, University System of Maryland Chancellor Brit Kirwan supports the measure. After reading the article I thought, "Did I miss something? Since when was it OK to break the law?"

After a quick Google search, I found that several states offer free-money and low tuition to illegal immigrants. So far, Texas, California, New York, Illinois, Washington, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Kansas have passed state laws providing in-state tuition benefits to illegal aliens who have attended high school in the state for three or more years.

And this legislation isn't coming from "the far left." The most mind boggling legislation is a bipartisan effort. On the federal level, lawmakers have pushed the Development Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act, a plan that would allow illegal immigrants to attend U.S. colleges. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Richard Durbin (D-IL) reintroduced the act in the Senate in 2005. Meanwhile; law abiding legal residents will still pay sky high tuition and ever increasing university fees.

Supporters of the bill claim college is not an option for illegal immigrants who graduate at the top of their high school classes not because they're not smart enough, but because they simply can't afford to pay tuition. Under the proposed law, illegal immigrants would have to prove that they have lived in Maryland for a year prior to applying for college and apply for permanent residency in the state.

The bill's primary supporter, Delegate Victor R. Ramirez, came to the United States from El Salvador when he was 17-years-old. Ramirez told The Baltimore Sun he believes the bill would pass, especially since the state's governor is a Democrat.

Sadly, I think he's right. During Gov. O'Malley's campaign, he said he supported in-state tuition and drivers licenses for illegal immigrants. Former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich vetoed a similar tuition bill in 2003. He also slashed millions of dollars in health benefits for illegal immigrants from the state's budget. Ehrlich came under attack for being anti-immigration, but those attacks were merely partisan jabs in an election year. His actions were wholly justified.

In most states, students who are illegal immigrants attending state colleges pay out-of-state tuition -- paying as much as three times more than in-state students.

Ramierz said illegal immigrants living in Maryland could save about $8,000 yearly with an in-state tuition break. But, are they really "saving" money? And seriously, do they even have the money to begin with?

For out-of-state students attending college in Maryland, a four-year degree comes with a hefty price tag. Don't those students deserve a break too? I think they do.

Gov. Martin O'Malley's budget for fiscal year 2008 proposes a tuition freeze for in-state students, but out-of-state students could face a four percent tuition increase.

Four percent may not sound like a lot, but the extra $581.82, plus University fees, will push out-of-state tuition from $14,538 to well over $15,000 per year. Not including the cost of books, food and housing -which, at TU, is in short supply these days.

Saying that college is expensive is an understatement. For middle-class and working-class citizens, affording college requires sacrifice and (sadly) debt.

Tuition would still be unaffordable to some illegal immigrants, even if they were allowed to pay in-state tuition.

For a family of illegal immigrants working in the U.S. to send money to family members back home, college is still a burden, even if the tuition is lower.

Illegal immigrants would need financial aid in order to attend college, putting them in direct competition with legal citizens not only for financial aid, but for spots in state schools.

In Texas, illegal immigrants can receive state aid, no questions asked.

How can illegal immigrants apply for financial aid without a social security number?

They can apply because states ignore federal laws.

According to Section 505 of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996, "an alien who is not lawfully present in the United States shall not be eligible on the basis of residence within a State for any postsecondary education benefit unless a citizen or national of the United States is eligible for such a benefit without regard to whether the citizen or national is such a resident."

To get around this law, some states base eligibility for in-state tuition on graduation from an in-state high school. All the student has to do is sign an affidavit stating he or she will apply for citizenship eventually. Residency isn't even considered.

The Sun quotes Kirwan as saying, "We need a highly educated work force, and it is certainly in our state's best interest for these individuals to have a college degree."

The state's main interest should be educating its legal residents. Yes, illegal immigrants need education too. But they also need to become legal citizens. Trying to take advantage of state services without seeking legal status is unfair to law-abiding citizens.

If our legislators pass this bill, it will be a slap in the face to every college student and every family taking on massive amounts of debt to fund college educations.

Jazzmen Tynes is a junior mass communication major.


http://media.www.thetowerlight.com/medi ... 2339.shtml

Do you know how many American kids miss out on college because they can't afford it? This is an outrag!. Let's stop worrying about the rest of the world for once, and take care of our own kids.

For that don't realize it, Maryland is one of the few states that allow illegals to vote in local elections and to obtain drivers licenses. Many of the people in Maryland just want the federal government to support them. They are a crazy bunch of people. corrupt government is a way of life there.

This in-state tuition subject just infuriates me.

A member of my family is graduating college in the spring. He will come out of college $40,000 in debt. He's been working since he was 16 and worked two part time jobs (which added up to almost full time hours) all through college while maintaining a high GPA in a challenging curriculum.


Even though the family has a modest income, there was very little in the way of financial aid. He got himself through school as best as he could and, fortunately, has already landed a job with a great company at a good salary which he will need to pay these horrendous loans back.

I am so sick to death of hearing these sob stories about illegal aliens when our own people have to shoulder such heavy burdens and nobody cares about them.

Sadly, I think he's right. During Gov. O'Malley's campaign, he said he supported in-state tuition and drivers licenses for illegal immigrants.

Yet the good citizens of Maryland voted on him? This country we're living in is starting to make less and less sense to me as each day passes!

I hear you! My nephew just graduated law school with a 159,000 debt. A family friend is graduating in may with 110,000 debt. Bush says eduacation will solve the problems of America. Seems only the rich will be able to afford education. Where does it leave the rest of Ameican's children competing with illegals for employment? This is so unjust!

Colleges are so liberal these days, it is frightening. Many promote Globalism, Communism and anti-American beliefs!