Thread: MA -State Group Backs Illegals Tuition Rates

http://www.lowellsun.com/ci_3380645
Article Launched: 01/07/2006 06:34:04 AM

State group backs immigrants' tuition rates
By ERIK ARVIDSON, Sun Statehouse Bureau

BOSTON -- Allowing undocumented immigrants to attend public colleges and universities at in-state tuition rates would bring in millions of dollars in revenue within four years, the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation concluded in a report.

The foundation estimates that by 2009, there would be about 600 undocumented immigrants attending state and community colleges and the university system, just a "tiny fraction" of the 160,000-student enrollment.

Michael Widmer, president of the MTF, said the report counters the argument posed by some that allowing undocumented immigrants to attend the colleges at reduced rates would become a financial burden to the state.

"The numbers of immigrants are so small, that it's smaller than the swings that state colleges and the university system get year to year anyway," Widmer said.

The report doesn't tackle the moral or ethical questions raised by those who oppose legislation to allow undocumented immigrant students to get the in-state rates.

However, Widmer said that with Massachusetts continuing to lose population, especially in the career-oriented age group of 25 to 34, immigrants are becoming a much more important part of the state's labor force.

"This is the future of the Massachusetts economy, and the more education people receive, the more earning power they have and the more taxes they pay," Widmer said.

He noted that allowing illegal immigrants the reduced tuition rates "isn't going to stem the tide" of a shrinking pool of workers, but "it's at best a step in the right direction."

House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi has said there could be a vote in the House on such a bill this month.

Supporters said the taxpayers foundation report would bolster their arguments.

But opponents have pointed to recent lawsuits filed against the state of California by students attending state colleges and universities. They want a 2001 law allowing in-state tuition rates for undocumented immigrants declared illegal because, they say, it puts people who pay taxes and have legal residency at a disadvantage compared to immigrants who don't have legal citizenship status.

"There is going to be a lawsuit if this bill passes in Massachusetts," said state Rep. Thomas Golden, who opposes the bill. "People from New Hampshire or Rhode Island will say, 'I want to be treated the same as an undocumented immigrant.' "

Golden, a Lowell Democrat, added that he is sensitive to the fact that immigrants comprise a larger share of the work force today than five years ago. The issue is one of treating people equitably and is not about revenue, he said.

There are between 200,000 and 250,000 undocumented immigrants in Massachusetts. The MTF estimates that if the bill were signed into law this year, there would be between 70 and 80 undocumented immigrants in the state higher-education system this fall, and it would grow to 600 by 2009.

The foundation projects that 85 percent of the immigrants would enroll at community colleges, 10 percent at UMass, and 5 percent at state colleges.

The MTF cites a study by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges that found that few, if any, undocumented immigrants are on the state's higher-education campuses today.

By 2009, according to the MTF, undocumented immigrants could be paying between $2.1 million and $2.7 million in tuition and fees to those campuses. And because there would only be a handful attending each campus, college officials would likely not have to incur new costs.

The foundation estimates that between 1,300 and 1,700 undocumented immigrants would graduate from public high schools annually, and two fifths of those could be expected to pursue public higher education.

Widmer said that the MTF's estimates were based on four years of data from Texas, which implemented a similar program in 2001.

Ali Noorani, executive director of the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition, said the MTF report "puts to rest bogus claims that the in-state tuition bill will be a financial burden" and that it is "painfully obvious" the legislation was needed to give immigrants more skills.

Ali Noorani, what do you propose these higher-educated illegal aliens do with their new skills? They won't be able to get legal jobs no matter what their education level since they'll still be illegal.