NC’s community colleges bar illegal immigrants
By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer
5/21/2008
Smokey Mountain News

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Two weeks ago, North Carolina’s community college system was cast into the center of a national debate when it became the first in the nation to announce it would no longer admit illegal immigrants to any of its 58 campuses.

Attorney General Roy Cooper ruled May 6 that community colleges should immediately cease admitting undocumented students to degree programs. Since November of last year, illegal immigrants have been allowed to attend the schools, though they had to pay out-of-state tuition rates. Before that, the decision to admit illegal immigrants was up to the individual colleges.

Higher education organizations have called the move unprecedented.

“When I first saw the headline, I thought it was a mistake or joke or something,â€