Thread: Abbott says Texas law charging illegal immigrants in-state tuition had “noble” goal b

Abbott says Texas law charging illegal immigrants in-state tuition had “noble” goal but needs overhaul

By Robert T. Garrett
dallasnews.com
8:59 am on October 11, 2013


Greg Abbott, campaigning in Harlingen last week (AP Photo/The Monitor, Joel Martinez)

Gubernatorial hopeful Greg Abbott said through a spokesman Friday that the Texas law that charges state-resident tuition to illegal immigrants was well-intended but is poorly designed and needs to be fixed.

“Greg Abbott believes that the objective of the program is noble,” said spokesman Matt Hirsch. “But he believes the law as structured is flawed and it must be reformed.”

Abbott, who has been attorney general for a decade, had not previously given his views of the law. Our Wayne Slater noted in a column today that Abbott, in a brief interview, was reluctant to address the issue.

Hirsch offered no specifics on how Abbott would change the law.

Two years ago, Gov. Rick Perry famously said in a presidential debate that anyone who opposed the policy was heartless. But GOP candidates for the state’s No. 2 job are pushing a repeal to woo conservative voters. During and after a Houston-area debate last week, they treated the tuition policy, on the books for 12 years, as radioactive.

We had a story in Wednesday’s paper about the brawl over in-state tuition that has erupted among the four major GOP candidates for lieutenant governor. All have called for repeal of the law. Some have rebuked one another for not doing enough for — or being clear that they support — repeal.

To get state resident tuition rates, undocumented students are required to establish: 1) that they’ve been Texas residents for at least a year before they enroll in college; and 2) that they continuously lived in Texas for at least three years before graduating from high school or obtaining a GED.

They also must sign an affidavit pledging that they will apply for legal status when they are eligible. But neither the universities nor the state check on whether they do. With Congress deadlocked over an immigration overhaul, it’s unclear when permanent legal residency would be available.

In fiscal 2011, there were 18,623 undocumented students who signed affidavits and attended public higher education institutions in Texas. That’s about 1 percent of all students enrolled in the state schools and colleges, according to Dominic Chavez, a spokesman for the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Between 2002, when the law took effect, and Aug. 31, 2011, the end of the latest year for which figures are available, the cumulative total of students signing affidavits was 38,656, he said.

http://trailblazersblog.dallasnews.c...overhaul.html/

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Fixed!?!?! It needs to be canceled you idiots!

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