House panel OKs jobs ban for undocumented students paying in-state tuition

By Rette Speight

The Associated Press
Posted: 02/18/2009 02:41:30 PM MST

Undocumented immigrants who pay in-state tuition at Utah's public colleges would be prohibited from obtaining jobs under a bill approved Wednesday by a House committee.

House Bill 208 would require students to file an affidavit with their college saying they haven't been employed or earned income in the United States in the year they're seeking the reduced tuition rate.

Since 2002, children of undocumented immigrants have been able to receive in-state tuition if they attended a state high school for at least three years.

The bill's sponsor, Rep. Richard Greenwood, R-Roy, said the measure could keep undocumented immigrants who are students from committing as many as three felonies: obtaining a fraudulent Social Security card, committing identity theft and filling out a false I-9 form at a workplace.

"This is not to punish the students," Greenwood said. "But to make them acutely aware that there are consequences to their actions."

The bill was approved in a House committee 8-to-1 on Wednesday. It will now be debated on the House floor.

Ron Mortensen, of the Citizen's Coalition on Illegal Immigration, said he supports the bill because it solves a problem created by the original legislation offering in-state tuition to undocumented students.

"What started out as a well-intentioned act resulted as an enticement to commit crimes to achieve the benefits offered," Mortensen said. "And students did work, illegally, to
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pay for their education."

Greenwood said undocumented students will be able to pay in-state tuition without working because several private groups have offered scholarships in the past.

Dee Rowland, a member of Alliance for Unity, said that last year the community group was able to provide 29 $2,000 scholarships, which were aimed at undocumented students. However, that's still about $600 short of a full semester's worth of tuition and fees at the University of Utah, not including books, room or board.

"It's a false premise to say that private groups can fund those students," Rowland, who opposes the bill, said after the hearing Wednesday. "And these students want to work, they don't want to have to rely on charity."

Even students who are on full scholarships usually work, said Patrick Reimherr, president of the Associated Students of the University of Utah.

"It's just necessary," said Reimherr, who opposes the bill. "There's not many students who just go to school only."

Reimherr said that although immigration reform needs to be addressed on a federal level, allowing students to work would send a message to Congress that something needs to happen.

"Rather than creating barriers, I really think that we should figure out ways to find solutions and pathways to education," he said.

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On the Net:

House Bill 208: http://le.utah.gov/˜2009/htmdoc/hbillhtm/hb0208.htm
http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_11731716