Thread: Kids of immigrants should qualify for in-state tuition

EDITORIALS
Change N.C. law
Kids of immigrants should qualify for in-state tuition

Don't get too revved-up about news that North Carolina's community colleges will begin admitting illegal immigrants. That new policy won't have much of a practical effect. Unless a child or family has $7,465 a year to pay out-of-state tuition rates, for these students the door to college will remain closed.

The real issue is this: The state legislature needs to change the law so that kids brought to this country illegally through no fault of their own qualify for in-state tuition at North Carolina's universities and community colleges.

A lawyer for the state community college system said state regulations require the schools to admit illegal immigrants who meet the schools' basic requirements of being a high school graduate or an adult in need of skills training. He ordered the 58 campuses to admit them, overturning a policy of letting each school set its own rules for handling undocumented applicants.

Clarifying the policy may make it easier for businesses to use community colleges to do employee training. It may also make it less of a hassle for individuals who need a specific skill to take a course. But it will do nothing to help young people who are undocumented, have lived here for years, graduated from high school and want a college education. The out-of-state tuition expense effectively excludes children of illegal immigrants. That serves no useful purpose and will harm the state in the long run.

How? Rising education levels had much to do with our state's economic progress in the last century. That's a result of North Carolina's tradition of extending educational opportunities to every resident. That economic strategy will suffer a setback if the state harbors an underclass that's denied an opportunity for education.

Besides, undocumented students and their parents here pay taxes on their earnings that help support North Carolina's higher education systems. It makes sense that if students attend and graduate from these institutions, they'll find work paying better wages -- and pay more taxes.

This isn't a question of rewarding lawbreakers. These young people are not responsible for their parents' mistakes. It is a question of practicality. The state needs all the ambitious graduates our schools can produce.

Clarifying the admissions policy is helpful. But influential leaders such as University of North Carolina system President Erskine Bowles can do more. The state's colleges and universities ought to lead the effort to convince state lawmakers that undocumented immigrants who graduate from North Carolina high schools should qualify for in-state tuition. That would be a step with real impact.
http://www.charlotte.com/opinion/story/383071.html

NOTE: Comments can be left at the above article link

Raleigh News & Observer:
College doors ...
With federal immigration policy still a mess, North Carolina community colleges stand at a tricky intersection
Editorial: Published: Nov 29, 2007 12:30 AM Modified: Nov 29, 2007 02:42 AM

Now that the uproar about illegal immigrants and New York State driver's licenses has quieted a bit, along comes the North Carolina Community College System to take its share of abuse.

A memo this month from the system's lawyer told the state's 58 community colleges that illegal immigrants, if otherwise qualified, should be allowed to enroll. When news of the memo got out this week, Senate Republican leader Phil Berger promptly declared that the policy shift "will reward illegal activity" by "individuals who have broken the law."

Yes, these are big-time lawbreakers indeed. The prospective students are, by and large, young adults who, having been brought (illegally) across the U.S. border as children, attended high schools (that's legal) and now wish to further their educations at the community college level. Many, no doubt, have their eyes on getting a decent job in this country -- also illegal, without proper documentation.

Surely these are people deserving of politicians' most scornful press releases.

And besides, What Part of "Illegal" Don't You Understand?

Scratch beneath the surface a bit, however, and you'll find (as with the driver's license situation) that there are two sides to the question.

Under federal law, illegal-immigrant children can attend public schools. Later on, if they meet admissions standards, they can attend universities. In North Carolina, but not some other states, such students must pay out-of-state tuition.

Up to now, a minority of North Carolina community colleges have admitted illegal immigrants to credit-course programs. All community colleges, apparently, have allowed their participation in continuing education or basic skills offerings. And some community college courses are offered in combination with high school programs, making certain high school students eligible for community college work.

The new policy is grounded in a 1997 legal opinion from the office of then-Attorney General Mike Easley. That opinion held that community colleges cannot impose non-academic criteria for admission.

The result is that illegal immigrants will be free to apply throughout the community college system -- if they're able to pay out-of-state tuition. For a full class load, the bill is about $7,500. That's six times the in-state rate, and it reportedly exceeds by more than $2,000 the actual cost of providing the education.

Only the most motivated illegal immigrants would likely embark on such a project. And in fact the community college system reports that there were just 340 such applicants last year, out of a total of 270,000.

Think of it -- 340 young people who, having grown up in difficult circumstances -- care to trade places? -- now wish to attend community colleges to improve themselves. Who want to learn new skills, improve their English, find out more about America and the world. Who quite likely were brought here as children, through no agency of their own, and who went through school and now want to become educated adults. Who could, depending on which path federal immigration policy ultimately takes, become legal residents of this nation of immigrants.

Bar the community college door?
http://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/edi ... 00078.html

The issue STILL remains that these kids wouldn't even BE here if their parents had not broken the law, so no to in-state tuiton.

A degree from a US university will not get them a job in the US, so it would be useless for them, UNLESS they take that degree to their homelands and get a job there.

In that case, they should be charged International Student rates, which are the highest rates.

Here they come! The states two largest and most liberal newspapers swing into the fight!

W

The Raleigh News & Observer and the Charlotte Observer are both extremely left wing, always pro-illegal alien advocates. They are owned by the left wing news media McClatchy Company, which is an extremely liberal pro-illegal alien advocate organization headquartered in Sacramento, California. This company, unfortunately, owns over 30 newspapers nationwide (the thrid largest newspaper conglomerate in the country), many of them concentrated in the Southeast U.S. Both Raleigh and Charlotte newspapers often "tag-team" up whenever they can to jump on their amnesty bandwagon. They both also consistently denigrate the Carolina senators (Dole, DeMint and Burr). Of course, they love Lindsey "amnesty" Graham.

Here is the link to the extent of their newspaper ownership. You can bet that residents of these areas are hearing the same amnesty, pro-illegal alien barrage of garbage that the Carolinas receives. Note that 7 of their 31 newspaper holdings are in North & South Carolina alone:
http://www.mcclatchy.com/102/story/354.html

Gee, this is either an illegal or an illegal lover. From the comments section:

Most of these kids are more American than any of you xenophobic baffoons. If the kid was born on American soil, they are automatically Americans by the way. I know some of you would like to eradicate over 230 years of constitutional law, but it's not going to happen. As for a kid trying to improve himself and his family, I see nothing more American than that.

NO, they are NOT automatically Americans, you dimwit! And it HAS NOT been constitutional law for 230 years!! Sheesh!! Crossing the border illegally has been on the books longer than this new re-interpretation of the 14th amendment!!

TexasGal

A degree from a US university will not get them a job in the US, so it would be useless for them, UNLESS they take that degree to their homelands and get a job there.


Actually, I think it will get them jobs. For one thing, they will more than likely be bi-lingual. Something that is going to almost be mandatory in the future (unless we prevail here). Our children will not be bi-lingual for the most part.

Also, they will have minority status and preferential hiring.

There will always be those touchy feely companies or organizations that will think it makes them look 'oh so good' to be hirng them.

So I think they diplomas will be worth more than our children's - if we don't prevail.

13 comments posted at Charlotte Observer so far:
http://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/edi ... 00078.html

The Raleigh News & Observer Fishwrap must be gun shy as they are not enabling comments to be posted regarding their editorial.

Zeezil wrote:

13 comments posted at Charlotte Observer so far:
http://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/edi ... 00078.html

Where are the comments located? I can't seem to find them.