Thread: NE-Committee kills bill to halt DREAM Act

Committee kills bill to halt in-state tuition for children of illegal immigrants

By JoANNE YOUNG / Lincoln Journal Star JournalStar.com | Posted: Monday, February 14, 2011 8:12 pm | 1 Comment

The Legislature's Education Committee has again turned down the quest of a Fremont senator to stop the state's colleges from offering sons and daughters of illegal immigrants in-state tuition.

After a 45-minute discussion, the committee on Monday afternoon voted 6-1-1 to kill the bill (LB657) introduced by Sen. Charlie Janssen, said Chairman Greg Adams of York.

Janssen said Monday evening in a news release he was disappointed to see the bill not advance to the full Legislature for debate.

"Despite the setback, I'm encouraged that the committee at least voted on the bill instead of just holding onto it through the end of the legislative session, as they did last year," he said.

At an earlier hearing on the bill, civil rights attorney Shirley Mora James told the Education Committee that she did not agree with Janssen that offering in-state tuition to undocumented students was against federal law.

A 2008 letter from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to a North Carolina deputy attorney general said it is up to states to decide whether or not to admit illegal immigrants to their colleges.

In November, the California Supreme Court ruled in-state tuition for undocumented students did not violate federal law, and did not violate the privileges and immunities clause of the 14th Amendment.

In Nebraska, a Jefferson County district judge dismissed a lawsuit in December that claimed Nebraskans' taxes were being spent illegally for in-state tuition for illegal immigrants. The judge ruled plaintiffs should have first gone to the federal government and that they could renew the challenge in state court if the federal government declined to act.

"It doesn't matter what ICE says, it doesn't matter what a lawyer says, and it doesn't matter what the Education Committee says," Janssen said. "This law puts us in violation of Title 8 United States Code Section 1623. By not providing in-state tuition to citizens from other states, we leave our state vulnerable to lawsuits. We as a state set a dangerous precedent when we start picking and choosing which federal laws we choose to ignore."

Some testifiers at the bill's hearing read letters from students who didn't want to give their names for fear they could be caught and deported, Janssen said. They talked about the hopes and dreams of the undocumented students.

"I can't think of a more cruel way to crush the hopes and dreams of these students by keeping them as nameless, faceless entities permanently relegated to hiding in the shadows, and subjected to a life of underemployment and servitude," he said.

Reach JoAnne Young at 402-473-7228 or jyoung@journalstar.com.

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Being illegal means they deserve to be deported. They do not deserve not should they expect ANY aid for education, medical or social services. They cry and protest, go beofre lawmakers yet refuse to give their names as they really know they are illegal and are breaking the law by being here. ICE should have been waiting at the door as they came out and check their documents.

"IN-State tuition for ILLEGALS who now replace innocent American students in the limited seats in college at a time when over 10% of Americans are out of work and their families are struggling to train for new jobs and pay for college. Why would you support in-state tuition for the ILLEGALS that will attract more future additional ILLEGALS to the United States and train ILLEGALS for jobs it is illegal for them to have. These students should go back to their HOME countries and stop draining our resources that could be used to assist United States Citizens and not the ILLEGALS! Just follow the money! Some of Elitist Politicians and their Elitist Political Contributors want to continue to have United States Citizens pay the benefits for their ILLEGALS while they continue to have their BOTTOM LINES increased at the taxpayer's expense!"

http://journalstar.com/news/unicameral/ ... b5e44.html

The Legislature's Education Committee has again turned down the quest of a Fremont senator to stop the state's colleges from offering sons and daughters of illegal immigrants in-state tuition.

Did anyone else catch this? We're not only talking about the sons and daughters of illegal aliens, we're talking about illegal aliens, period! The students are illegals too. Is anyone surprised that the media attempts to hide that fact?

Originally Posted by Mickey

The Legislature's Education Committee has again turned down the quest of a Fremont senator to stop the state's colleges from offering sons and daughters of illegal immigrants in-state tuition.

Did anyone else catch this? We're not only talking about the sons and daughters of illegal aliens, we're talking about illegal aliens, period! The students are illegals too. Is anyone surprised that the media attempts to hide that fact?

Good catch!

These students are not only "sons and daughters" of ILLEGALS they are also ILLEGALS, seems the article is utilizing misdirection in an attempt to hide the fact that the "students" are also ILLEGALS to serve their own agenda is support of the ILLEGALS.

The more the state of Nebraska is opened to attracting the ILLEGALS with benefits such as in-state tuition while other states are initiating laws to protect their Citizens from the ILLEGALS the more the ILLEGALS will scurry to Nebraska and the more the cost of the ILLEGALS will increase except for the ILLEGAL EMPLOYERS, Special Interest Groups, and the Political Contributors who expect the Citizen Taxpayers to pay for the above benefit and not to mention Health, Social Services, and additional Educational costs for their ILLEGALS while they fatten their bottom line.

"I can't think of a more cruel way to crush the hopes and dreams of these students by keeping them as nameless, faceless entities permanently relegated to hiding in the shadows, and subjected to a life of underemployment and servitude," he said.

You should have thought about becoming nameless and unaccepted in America when you illegally entered this Country.

No one is to be blamed for your feelings or thoughts, except yourselves.

Most of the Pro-ILLEGAL comments on the source article are now playing the race card! How is the race of the ILLEGALS as a group defined?

[i]"Again, it is predictable for a LACK of valid arguments the Pro-ILLEGAL Elitists, Elitist Politicians, Elitist Political Contributors, ILLEGAL EMPLOYERS, ILLEGALS, and other Special Interest Groups benefiting financially from the ILLEGALS always fall back on attacking anyone who disagrees attempting to label them as racists or as in this case a “bigotsâ€

I, for one, am glad that Nebraska wants these poor, pitiful folk. That will keep them out of Michigan!!

Having read the many Pro-ILLEGAL comments on the source article you would beleive that Lincoln/Nebraska are sanctuary city/state much as Houston. I would have never expected that. Does anyone know the background to why Lincoln/Nebraska has so many Pro-ILLEGALS, my only guess would be meat processing business and of course the "normal" Elitist Socialist in a college setting.

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