Thread: MA: Governor reignites debate over in-state tuition for...

Governor reignites debate over in-state tuition for immigrants
By Chris Cassidy
STAFF WRITER The Gloucester Daily Times Wed Nov 17, 2010, 11:05 PM EST


A few years ago, a Salem High School senior with high marks and a dream of becoming a nurse tried to enroll at North Shore Community College.

One towering obstacle stood in her way — her immigration status.

Her parents had brought her into the country illegally several years earlier, and she could not produce documentation to prove her residence, the key to unlocking tuition at a discounted, in-state rate.

"She was a top student," college president Wayne Burton said. "She did student government, community service. Her parents were low-income, and they couldn't afford to send her to college without financial aid or in-state tuition. As far as I know, she never went to college, and she never became a nurse."

Gov. Deval Patrick reignited the fierce debate over illegal immigration Tuesday when he promised to pursue a series of immigration reforms, including allowing in-state tuition for illegal aliens.

Supporters, including Burton, argue the move would provide important opportunities for a small population of students that had no control over their entrance into the United States.

But opponents blast the governor for having misplaced priorities amid high unemployment and a sluggish economy and for essentially condoning the crime of entering the country illegally.

"You're sending a very bad message to the children of the commonwealth that if your parents are doing something illegal, they're going to reward you," said Republican state Rep. Brad Hill of Ipswich, whose district includes Manchester.

Hill's office fielded "numerous" phone calls yesterday from opponents of the governor's plan, as it did a few years ago when legislators debated a similar proposal, he said.

"If you take the pulse of the commonwealth, this isn't something people want to move forward as a priority," Hill said.

Legal American citizens already have to live in Massachusetts for a defined period of time before becoming eligible for in-state tuition, Hill said, and making exceptions for illegal immigrants sends the wrong message.

"More importantly, I don't know how we can afford this," he said. "During the last few years, we actually have had to cut the state universities and state colleges because we haven't had the funding. This is going to put these colleges in even more of a financial bind."

But Joanne Light, who handles enrollment at North Shore Community College, argued the cost would be minimal compared to what a college degree would produce.

"It's much better to get them in school and educated so they'll be part of the workforce and be part of the community and give back," Light said.

Burton said taxpayers would have already invested heavily in an illegal immigrant's public education before reaching college.

"We lose young people that we have paid to educate through the secondary school system for no good reason, as far as I can tell," he said.

Burton said he's seen "heartwrenching" stories at the college, including the case of a pair of siblings — one undocumented from the Dominican Republic and the other born in the United States — where only one was able to attend college.

In some cases, students don't discover their status until college application time, he said.

"The tragedy is, once they find out, they give up," he said, "and it really affects their lives."

Meanwhile, Republicans plan to continue to pursue their own immigration initiatives, including a requirement that people show their residency status before receiving housing or other state benefits, Hill said.

Previously, those bills have been thrown into studies, never emerging out of Democratic controlled committees for a vote, he said.

"I don't see what's wrong with having to prove you're a legal resident or a legal immigrant in order to receive Massachusetts services and programs," he said.

www.gloucestertimes.com

Governor’s 2nd Term To Focus On Helping Illegal Immigrants

Last Updated: Wed, 11/17/2010 - 1:56pm

The newly reelected governor who created a special council to help illegal immigrants integrate into society promises to spend his second term pushing for measures to benefit undocumented aliens in his state.

Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, former Clinton Administration official, assured open borders advocates this week that he’ll advance an ambitious agenda launched during his first term to assist illegal aliens. That means implementing all of the policy recommendations—labeled New Americans Agenda—made by his special immigration committee last year.

In all, the governor’s council offered 131 ideas aimed at integrating immigrants and refugees into the civic and economic life of the Commonwealth. The policy suggestions cover civil rights, education, employment and workforce development, access to state services and housing assistance.

Among the key recommendations is granting illegal immigrants drivers’ licenses and discounted in-state-tuition at public colleges and universities even though the Massachusetts legislature solidly rejected the tuition measure a few years ago. Regardless, Deval is committed to implementing his immigration panel’s recommendations before his second term expires.

“Now, as we stand on the threshold of another four years, I want to commit to you that we will implement this report in its entirety, working with you over the next several years,’’ Patrick told a cheering crowd of immigration advocates this week.

Immediately upon taking office in 2007, Deval, who was in charge of civil rights in Bill Clinton’s Justice Department, killed a policy that allowed state troopers to detain undocumented aliens. The governor has repeatedly come under fire for his other leftwing policies, including spending $430,000 to give welfare recipients free cars as an incentive to find work and a law to protect convicted criminals by concealing their records from potential employers and landlords.

Last year Deval’s lawyer wife accused the state’s largest newspaper of racism for describing her husband’s pricey luxury sedan as “tricked out.â€

Let me explain this student had a noble goal of becoming a nurse. Sounds like she was studious and smart. Unfortunately, there are no open spots for any type of medical degree If there are 10 openings 30 -50 people are trying to get in. To accept a single illegal resident, denies a legal resident an education.

Scholarships and/or grants are almost non existent. I would imagine this student needed financial help to attend college and pursued a degree that offered some type of financial help.

My daughter's a Jr., in nursing college. Tuition jumped $5,000 this year and we will have another increase next year.

In today's economy, we no longer have a shortage of nurses.