Massachusetts Governor Grants In-State Tuition to Undocumented Immigrants

Massachusetts Governor Grants In-State Tuition to Undocumented Immigrants

Published November 19, 2012
Fox News Latino

Boston – Massachusetts has made the move to grant undocumented immigrants in-state tuition.

Governor Deval Patrick announced Sunday that students that qualify for President Barack Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program would be given the lower resident rate for tuition and fees in his state.

On Monday, the governor will be sending a letter to the state’s Board of Higher education stating that the changes will take effect immediately, the Boston Globe is reportinghttp://global.fncstatic.com/static/v...ernal-link.png.

Undocumented students currently paying nonresident tuition at one of the state’s 29 colleges or universities will be able to apply for a refund this semester.

The move by the Massachusetts’s governor comes after the state's immigrants have been in limbo for five months. Since Obama’s decision in June to halt the deportation of young immigrants as a part of the Deferred Action Executive order, many have been waiting to see if they would receive the lower tuition rates.

The move by Patrick and his office significantly reduces the cost of higher education to immigrants.

To put it into perspective, immigrant students who attend the flagship University of Massachusetts Amherst will now pay $13,230 a year compared to the out-of-state tuition rate of $26,635. For community colleges like Bunker Hill, the cost is reduced by more than half the former rate, going from being $13,880 a year to $5,640 with the new in-state rate.

This is not the first time the state has tried to approve a bill allowing undocumented immigrants in-state tuition.

Back in 2004, the Massachusetts’s state legislature passed a similar bill that was vetoed by then-Governor Mitt Romney.

The following year the measure was again brought up but failed in the House in early 2006.

Following his re-election in 2010, Patrick pushed lawmakers to approve the measure.

In late 2011, Patrick appeared at a hearing unannounced to urge lawmakers in the State house to pass the law.

A senior administration official from Patrick’s office said the move to now push forth the measure reflects the governor’s support of Obama’s executive order.

The Deferred Action program, launched in June by the Obama administration, gives immigrants under the age of 30 an automatic two year reprieve from deportation if they arrived to the country before the age of 16.

However when it came to the issue of in-state tuition for those immigrants included in the program, the decision was left up to the state.

Those immigrants with federal work permits will not be affected by the move as they have been allowed to pay resident tuition since 2008.

Most states have opted not to allow immigrants the benefit of resident tuition, a group that is also not eligible for federal financial aid.

For now, it is not clear as to how many students will be affected by the new law.

Estimates from the Migration Policy institute said anywhere from 10,000 to 20,000 immigrants in the New England state could apply for the Obama program. Yet as of last week Massachusetts had much fewer, falling behind the state of Virginia, which nationally ranked 10th with less than 6,000 applicants.

The low number of applicants in Massachusetts reflects a national trend for the program.

Nationwide only 300,000 immigrants have applied for the program, far less than the government estimates of 800,000 or more.

Of the applicants reviewed so far only 53,000 have been approved with more than 10,000 rejected.

http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/politics/2012/11/19/massachusetts-governor-grants-in-state-tuition-to-undocumented-immigrants/

Oh no, he cant do this!

W

I don't understand why the the students that pay out of state tuition aren't suing Massachusetts’for discrimination. As US citizens, they should be entitled to the same tuition rate that illegal foreign nationals are receiving. JMO

RELATED

http://www.alipac.us/f12/source-mass...grants-267464/

Pols vow action on gov's immigrant tuition discount

ByChris Camire, ccamire@lowellsun.com
Updated: 11/20/2012 07:36:52 AM EST

BOSTON -- Gov. Deval Patrick's decision to grant in-state tuition to illegal immigrants was met with stiff resistance from lawmakers Monday, with several vowing to seek to end the benefit as soon as possible.

House Republican leader Bradley Jones, an opponent of in-state tuition for illegal immigrants, criticized Patrick for implementing the program without legislative approval.

"Instead of engaging elected officials from both political parties in constructive conversation and debate, he has put his interests both politically and personally, above those of Massachusetts' residents," Jones said in a statement.

In a letter sent Monday to the Board of Higher Education, Patrick said immigrants who obtain a work permit through a new federal program instituted by President Barack Obama would be eligible to pay the lower rates. Those rates cut in half the annual tuition to attend the University of Massachusetts.

While some legislators expressed concern that extending in-state tuition to illegal immigrants will take enrollment openings away from students who are in the country legally, two college presidents said they do not expect this to be a problem.
"The public university is set up to handle all students. I don't see that as an issue," said Robert Antonucci, president of Fitchburg State University. "We have room in our public universities."

Still, Antonucci said it remains unclear how many students will seek to take advantage of the subsidized tuition rates in the wake of Patrick's order. He said the move could benefit a "large" Latino population in Fitchburg and a "growing" Latino population in Leominster."This would provide opportunity for those folks," Antonucci said. "I don't know how much we would grow. Maybe 200 students, but I really don't know."

Daniel Asquino, president of Mount Wachusett Community College, said not allowing illegal immigrants who have been educated in the state's public-school system to pay in-state tuition rates poses "a huge obstacle" to their prospects of getting a good job.

"These individuals will now have access to higher education," he said. "Many of them will reside in our communities and own businesses."

At UMass Lowell, spokeswoman Christine Gillette said it is unclear what impact this new policy will have on the campus.
"We do not know how many people who are undocumented immigrants will decide to attend UMass Lowell under the new plan," Gillette wrote in an email.

Obama in June launched the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, granting immigrants 30 and younger two-year reprieves from deportation if they arrived before age 16, had a clean record and met other requirements. The president left it up to individual states to decide whether immigrants should get benefits such as resident tuition.

"It's a step in the right direction but it's not a substitute for comprehensive immigration reform, we still need that," Patrick told reporters on Monday, adding that his directive would impact a "relatively small number" of students.

At UMass Lowell, it costs $24,896 this year for nonresidents, compared with $11,847 for in-state residents. Middlesex Community College costs $176 per credit this year for in-state residents, compared with $382 per credit for nonresidents.
At Fitchburg State University it costs $14,790 this year for nonresidents, compared with $8,710 for in-state residents. Mount Wachusett Community College costs $190 per credit this year for in-state residents, compared with $395 per credit for nonresidents.

Granting in-state tuition to illegal immigrants has generated little legislative support in recent years, with the House soundly rejecting it in a 97-57 vote in 2006. Current House Speaker Robert DeLeo, who opposed the bill at the time, did not respond to a request for comment through a spokesman.

State Rep. Kevin Murphy, D-Lowell, anticipates the Legislature will take up the issue again in the wake of Patrick's directive.
"In order to be entitled to benefits in the United States, I think you should be here legally," said Murphy. "What's amazing to me is how many immigrants I've talked to who believe the same thing. They say everybody should to do it the way they did it. Legally."

State Rep. Jim Miceli, D-Wilmington, also expects legislative action.

"I don't know what it is yet, but there's enough opposition to this decision that I think we're going to be stepping up to the plate on this," he said.

Last year, Patrick made an unexpected appearance before the Education Committee in favor of a bill that would extend in-state tuition rates to any public college or university in Massachusetts, with the exception of the UMass Medical School and the UMass School of Law, to anyone who has attended high school in Massachusetts for at least three years and has earned a diploma or GED.

By refusing in-state tuition to illegal immigrants, Patrick said the state is "enabling a permanent underclass" and robbing students of opportunity. Although Patrick had long supported in-state tuition for illegal immigrants, many saw his surprise testimony as a sign he would be taking a bolder approach on the issue in his second term.
Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.

Read more:Pols vow action on gov's immigrant tuition discount - Lowell Sun Online

well every one that live that town should lock you the hell up by the you can not do that
don't the town have a say in this ?
if I live in that town sure In hell I would Be fighting like hell

by Michael Patrick Leahy 21 Nov 2012, 11:07 AM PDT
Breitbart.com

Despite a lack of statutory authority from the Massachusetts Legislature, Governor Deval Patrick announced on Monday that the Commonwealth of Massachusetts will give in-state tuition to illegal immigrants at its institutions of higher education.

Bradley H. Jones, Republican Minority Leader in the Massachusetts House, accused Patrick of illegally usurping the power of the state legislature:

The implementation of in-state tuition rates for illegal immigrants should be stopped immediately. Regardless of whether or not the Governor and I agree on this issue, the topic at hand should be how best to provide an affordable education for all of Massachusetts’ residents...

Governor Patrick’s most recent attempt to usurp the power of the Legislature is cause for concern. Instead of engaging elected officials from both political parties in constructive conversation and debate, he has put his interests, both political and personal, above those of Massachusetts’ residents. (emphasis added)

Patrick claimed he had the legal authority to unilaterally make the in-state tuition decision without the authorization of the State Legislature in a letter sent on Monday to Richard Freeland, the Massachusetts State Higher Education Commissioner:

I am advised by counsel – and I agree – that beneficiaries of the (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) policy are eligible for in-state tuition under our existing rules and regulations. Therefore, I am directing you to advise the various public higher education campuses to take action accordingly so that this policy can be implemented immediately and uniformly across our 29 state campuses.

In 2006, in-state tuition for illegal immigrants was rejected by a resounding 97 to 57 margin.The Lowell Sun reported on Monday that bipartisan opposition to the Governor's announcement remains strong in the State Legislature six years later:

State Rep. Kevin Murphy, D-Lowell, anticipates the Legislature will take up the issue again in the wake of Patrick's directive.

"In order to be entitled to benefits in the United States, I think you should be here legally," said Murphy. "What's amazing to me is how many immigrants I've talked to who believe the same thing. They say everybody should to do it the way they did it. Legally."

State Rep. Jim Miceli, D-Wilmington, also expects legislative action.

"I don't know what it is yet, but there's enough opposition to this decision that I think we're going to be stepping up to the plate on this," he said.

The stage is now set for a classic battle for power between the State Legislature, which seeks to preserve its rights and authority, and the Governor, who seeks to expand his power.

MA Governor Bypasses Legislature to Give Illegal Immigrants In-State Tuition

Legislature must answer Gov. Patrick on tuition

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Gov. Deval Patrick’s decision to permit illegal aliens to pay in-state tuition rates at public institutions of higher education in Massachusetts constitutes an abuse of his power and a willful disregard of the repeatedly expressed intentions of the Legislature.

Twice the Legislature has considered and rejected bills that would have permitted those brought here illegally as children to pay tuition at the lower rates granted residents.

Now, Mr. Patrick, based upon Obama administration guidelines, has instructed public colleges and universities to charge in-state rates for illegals who hold federal work permits.

Mr. Patrick said Monday his directive was not a new policy, but re-emphasizing existing policy, and that “not every policy requires a legislative review.”

This one does.

Some lawmakers, including state Sen. Richard T. Moore, D-Uxbridge, and House Republican leader Bradley H. Jones Jr., R-North Reading, are suggesting lawmakers will be heard on this issue.

Granting in-state tuition to illegal aliens, even those brought here by their parents at a young age — who feel they are residents and even American citizens — further blurs the line between those who have played by the rules and those who have not.

Comprehensive immigration reform legislation is still needed in this country, and the fate of those brought here at a young age by their parents should be settled by such legislation. It ought not be decided by presidential fiat, or a governor’s unilateral action.

Mr. Patrick’s decision is hailed by some as a financial boon to the commonwealth, as it will draw in some new students who otherwise might not attend college.

But rewarding illegal behavior is never innocuous. Granting a financial advantage to one group sends the wrong message to those individuals and families who have played by the rules and waited for years in some cases for the opportunity to legally immigrate to this nation and gain their citizenship. And what of the obvious disparity that Mr. Patrick’s action will create, whereby legal residents of 49 other states who may want to attend a public institution of higher education in Massachusetts will continue to pay the full rate, while illegal aliens living in Massachusetts will pay less? Will no one challenge such an obvious injustice?

However Mr. Patrick tries to spin this decision, it does represent a material change in state policy, one that flies in the face of law and fairness, and one that circumvents a Legislature that is overwhelmingly dominated by members of his party.

We believe those lawmakers have a responsibility to assert their independence, and send an unmistakable message to the governor that Massachusetts is not run by one man.

Subverting the law - Worcester Telegram & Gazette - telegram.com

Subverting the law article added to the homepage
http://www.alipac.us/content/dictato...-tuition-1140/