Thread: NC: Hurrah! Colleges to bar illegal immigrants

N.C. community colleges ban illegal immigrants

The Tartan Online
Carnegie Mellon's Student Newspaper Since 1906
Amanda Cole

Community colleges in North Carolina are reconsidering whether to allow illegal immigrants to attend. The community college system made the decision last May to ban them because school officials believed that doing so would be a violation of federal law.

However, the Department of Homeland Security has since decided that it is not a violation of any law for illegal immigrants to be admitted to public educational institutions, as there is currently no such law in place. The decision is therefore left up to the individual states and institutions.

"I think that it should be up to the state to decide whether or not to admit [illegal immigrants] because making this decision means deciding if college is an American right or something that should be open to all people," said junior public policy and management major Lydia Remington.

The ban is currently still in place for the North Carolina community colleges, and is supported by both Democrat and Republican candidates for governor. Despite urging from university presidents within the University of North Carolina system, the ban will not be reversed until further research is conducted, if it is reversed at all. Officials say that this may take several months, as they will need to rewrite their policy if they decide to make a change.

There is some concern among education officials that this measure is unfair for many reasons. According to a July 28 article from the Associated Press, North Carolina State Board of Community Colleges President Scott Ralls believes that the policy should be revised because all children should have the opportunity to continue their educations, regardless of their parents’ decisions and how they came to be in this country.

“[I think] they should have documents [to attend college]. ... It’s sad that they can’t go to college because they don’t have enough money to get their documents,â€

Community colleges continue ban

Published: Monday, September 1, 2008 10:23 PM CDT
Morgan Wall
Staff Reporter

DOBSON — While the State Board of Community Colleges studies whether to let illegal immigrants back into its system, local high school students should be able to continue attending the college through dual enrollment classes and the Early College program regardless of immigration status.

The State Board of Community Colleges decided Aug. 15 to study the issues surrounding the admission of illegal immigrants into North Carolina’s Community College system. The board will employ an independent consultant using funds from the State Board Reserve to examine how other systems of higher education are handling the same issue.

While this study is being conducted, the board advised community colleges to maintain the decision handed down in a memorandum May 13, barring illegal immigrants from being admitted to the schools. This memo was originally issued due to the United States Attorney General’s investigation into the constitutionality of admitting illegal immigrants into community colleges. It overruled a Nov. 7, 2007, memorandum advising community colleges to immediately begin admitting undocumented individuals.

Since that time, the Attorney General has concluded that there is no state or federal law that prevents colleges from admitting illegal immigrants, leaving the decision to each individual state as to how they would proceed. Due to the fact that the admissions policy has changed four times in the previous eight years, the North Carolina board decided to hold off on further changes until they could come up with a lasting solution.

The May 13 memo, which reflected a December 2001 directive, dictated that illegal immigrants should not be admitted into curricular programs at community colleges. There are, however, three exceptions to this ruling. The first applies to those undocumented aliens who are high school students enrolled in college courses such as those involved in the Early College, a dual enrollment program or the Huskins program. This is allowed because participation is not based on legal residence, but on attendance of a North Carolina high school.

“We would hope that our students would continue to have the opportunity to take higher level courses and college level courses that allow them to access the skills required to be successful in the 21st century learning and working environment. Under the United States Constitution, all children within our boundaries are entitled to a free and appropriate public education. At this time in North Carolina, a comprehensive high school education includes opportunities for students to access college level curriculum and skills,â€