Sunday Forum
Letters to the editor of the Editorial Page

A question of law

Regarding the controversy surrounding the policy change allowing illegal immigrants admission into North Carolina community colleges, I am proud to say that all three of the Republican candidates for governor have come out in opposition to the policy change.

According to the memorandum of Nov. 7 sent out to N.C. community college presidents and other officers, in order to maintain an "open-door admission policy," community colleges cannot "impose nonacademic requirements on admissions to its programs." Under such a rule, community colleges could not consider even the criminal background of a potential applicant for fear it would be considered a nonacademic requirement. Lest we forget, that is what illegal immigrants are doing: breaking the law.

Taking admissions spots from North Carolina citizens and giving them to illegal immigrants to maintain an open-door admission policy is based on faulty logic and makes for even worse policy. The open-door admission policy was created in part to guard against ethnic and racial discrimination in admissions. However, this is not a question of race but instead a question of law.

We should not and cannot allow taxpayer dollars to go to financing an educational system that is encouraging people to break the laws of our state and nation. If the Democratic candidates for governor also disagree with this new policy as they claim, then they must pressure Gov. Mike Easley and other Democratic leaders to reverse this decision. Republicans are ready to do our part to ensure that the laws are followed.

Linda Daves

Chairman, N.C. Republican Party

Raleigh

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