Thread: N.C.: Illegal immigrants, illegal education?

Illegal immigrants, illegal education?
Submitted by janestancill on April 10, 2008 - 12:58pm.

N.C. Community College System President Martin Lancaster said today he fully expects legislators to pass a law barring illegal immigrants from the state's colleges.

The legislation is likely to be introduced the first day of the legislative session next month, Lancaster said in a meeting with editors at The News & Observer.

Lancaster, who last year issued a passionate defense of allowing illegal immigrants to enroll at community colleges, said a new law would roll back the system's progress in educating immigrants to contribute to North Carolina's economy.

And, he added, if the legislation prohibits illegal immigrants from taking non-credit courses such as English as a second language, it would be "perverse."

More after the jump.

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"If North Carolina wants to be a knowledge-based economy, then everyone in the state has got to get the maximum amount of knowledge they can get," said Lancaster, who will retire at the end of the month. "It doesn't matter about their legal status."

Lancaster was bombarded with criticism last year after the system's attorney sent a memo to the state's 58 community colleges, telling them they could not keep out illegal immigrants. In December, the system asked the office of Attorney General Roy Cooper for a legal opinion on the issue. Lancaster said no opinion has been sent.

While Congress has not acted on the issue, Lancaster said, there should be a way for illegal immigrants to find a pathway to legitimacy. He does not favor amnesty, he said, but why not require immigrants to get a college education on the way to citizenship?

"Earn the right to legal status by earning a degree from a community college," he suggested. "Then we'll have a valuable asset."



http://projects.newsobserver.com

The Federal Government refuses to secure our National Borders and enforce our Immigration Laws leaving the States to PROTECT their Citizens! First Oklahoma and Arizona and now several other states have implemented bills that enforce immigration laws resulting in ILLEGALS leaving their states and returning to their home country or moving to another state to drain their resources. Now North Carolina via the state college system wants to attract and support more ILLEGALS who are running from the Enforcement states. The Chamber of Commerce always claims to follow Immigration Laws but continuously become confused about the interpretation of the law.

The decision by DEMOCRAT Governor Mike Easley and DEMOCRAT Martin Lancaster to force North Carolina Community Colleges to accept ILLEGALS will not only cost the citizens of North Carolina but will cost most Democrats at the polls in 2008. It is difficult for me to believe that the Governor is a member of the same Democrat Party as Rep. Heath Shuler’s, the author of the Pro American Citizen "SAVE" Act! It is my understanding that Democrats at the state level have made this decision, have blocked almost all enforcement legislation in the General Assembly, issued hundreds of thousands of licenses to ILLEGALS, and have pushed for other benefits for ILLEGALS and their supporting groups.

Wasn't it Martin who said something about parents strapping children to their backs and swimming the Rio Grande?

lccat, I agree it's time to clean house in Raleigh.

Martin Lancaster is a moron and as president of the N.C. Community College System he should truly be concerned with the education of legal and long time residents of North Carolina. Instead he worries that not letting illegals attend community colleges will hurt the economy. He should concerned about recent American high school graduates who want to attend the community college system to earn degrees and certifications for careers. He should be concerned about Iraq veterans who are seeking an education and he should be concerned about American single mothers who want to better their lives by getting and education or trade. Martin Lancaster is more concerned about illegal immigrants rather than people who truly deserve and have the right to attend public community colleges.

Let La Raza teach them english. Or better yet, their children. I cant imagine many go to community college to learn english. The ones that are here legally can continue using the community college system.