"Buried" On the Obits page:

http://www.wilmingtonstar.com

Last updated: April 15. 2005 6:11PM

Some N.C. lawmakers remove support for tuition bill

The Associated Press

At least five state House members have removed their names from a bill introduced this week that would give children of illegal immigrants in-state tuition at North Carolina universities and community colleges.

The departures come as angry e-mail messages and phone calls to talk radio shows pour in.

The bill, announced with much fanfare this week that included former Gov. Jim Hunt returning to the General Assembly to show his support, had a bipartisan push that included four legislative sponsors and 31 co-sponsors.

But the issue has become political dynamite.

Opponents have dominated the debate, which has been a key topic of local and national talk radio.

Rush Limbaugh picked up the issue for discussion Wednesday on his national radio talk show. Bill LuMaye, who follows Limbaugh with his own afternoon talk show on Raleigh's WPTF, said he had received about 600 e-mail messages on the topic since the bill was introduced. He said he had heard from only three people who supported it.

On Thursday, some legislators said they had signed onto the bill a little too hastily.

"I want to make sure we're taking care of our legal citizens first," said Rep. Joe Tolson, D-Edgecombe, who withdrew his support. He said he wants to know more about the cost.

Others known to have dropped their co-sponsorship were Reps. Eugene Wilson, R-Watauga, Louis Pate Jr., R-Wayne, Karen Ray, R-Iredell, and Doug Yongue, D-Scotland.

William Gheen, president of the Americans for Legal Immigration PAC, said Friday that two other legislators had withdrawn as co-sponsors, but they couldn't be contacted to confirm the report.

Pate said he became concerned about the cost when he looked at the bill more closely.

"To me, it appeared it would establish bad policy for the state, so I withdrew my support," he said. Pate said he had received some negative e-mail, though not a huge number.

Opposition is clearly building, he added.

"If talk radio is any indication, I think its pretty hot right at the moment," he said.

Bill supporters estimate that 500 to 1,300 illegal immigrants could apply each year under the proposal's guidelines, though it's unclear how many would be accepted. Last fall, nearly 29,000 freshmen enrolled at the University of North Carolina's 16 campuses.

Supporters say they'll keep pushing the initiative.

"I think that over the last couple of days, a small group of individuals have become very aggressive against it," said Andrea Bazan-Manson, executive director of the Latino organization El Pueblo. "I'm surprised it's gotten so ugly and so vicious."

She said some legislators had received harassing phone calls at their homes.

Still, Bazan-Manson said she has heard from many people who want to help open doors for deserving students.

Opponents have focused on the argument that any seat that goes to an illegal immigrant is a seat taken away from a legal citizen.

"People are outraged," Gheen said.

Bazan-Manson denied that the bill eventually could displace thousands of legal citizens from college.

Information from: The News & Observer