Friday, November 30, 2007
Easley: Won't 'grind my heel' in immigrants' faces

Gov. Mike Easley says it’s in the state’s interests to allow undocumented immigrants to attend community colleges if they qualify and if they pay out-of-state tuition. That essentially puts him in accord with a new community college system policy – and in opposition to both Democrats and Republicans running for governor to replace him. In a phone interview this morning, here’s what Easley said:

“Here’s my position. The people we are talking about were brought here as babies and young children through no fault of their own. They distinguished themselves throughout our K-12 (public school) system. Now, I’m not willing to grind my heel in their faces and slam the door on them. The Community College System has to be open to them in order for them to be productive members of our society and help North Carolina and America compete in the world economy.â€