TN:Bills control college future of illegal immigrants' kids
March 6, 2008
Bills control college future of illegal immigrants' kids
One would ban them; other admit them
http://www.tennessean.com/graphics/mastlogo.gif
By JANELL ROSS
Staff Writer
With Daniela Moya's high school graduation looming, her parents offered her a joint mea culpa. "They are like, 'We brought you here. We decided to stay, and now you are going to pay for it,' " she said. "When they came, they didn't know it was going to be this way."
Moya, 17, may be unable to attend college, though she has a 3.4 grade point average, received unsolicited recruiting packages from Princeton University, and speaks and writes in English and Spanish. Her parents brought her from Mexico to the U.S. at age 8 and enrolled her in Metro Nashville schools. The parents overstayed their visas, making the family illegal.
Two proposed laws — one federal, one state — would deal with Moya's situation in far different manners. The federal Dream Act would let her and students like her enter public colleges and universities and would even hold out a possibility of in-state tuition.
Tennessee's plan would bar state schools from admitting her and others who cannot prove they're in the country legally. Proponents say House and Senate bills would open up spaces for other students.
"I don't think they should be here in the first place," said Rep. Stacey Campfield, the Knoxville Republican who is sponsoring the bill. "We kick kids out of school all the time for bad behavior and criminal activity. I happen to think illegal immigration should be on that list."
The Dream Act, which enjoyed bipartisan support, is stalled in the U.S. Senate after a fall filibuster. Tennessee Sens. Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker, both Republicans, voted against the bill.
Moya and nine other students from across the state climbed into SUVs in Nashville on Wednesday morning to drive to Washington, meet with both lawmakers and try to jump-start it. The Tennessee Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition organized the trip.
Advocates say the Dream Act would halt the creation of an underclass educated in public primary and secondary schools — which have to enroll students regardless of immigration status — but unable to work or continue schooling.
Opponents say it would encourage and reward illegal immigration.
Each year, about 65,000 illegal immigrants graduate from U.S. high schools. State numbers weren't available Wednesday. They cannot legally work or receive government aid.
They aren't likely to enroll in University of Tennessee system schools because the application asks noncitizens for Social Security and green card numbers. The Board of Regents system application doesn't exclude illegal immigrants, but they would have to pay out-of-state tuition from their own pockets. At Middle Tennessee State University, for example, that would be $7,777 per semester for out-of-state students not living in dorms vs. $2,639 for in-state.
Students' hopes dashed
The situation deals a psychological blow to some students, said Jessie Van de Griek, director of the YMCA of Middle Tennessee's Hispanic Achievers' Program. The program opened seven years ago to help Hispanic students — those here legally and those who are not — navigate the college application process and develop leadership skills.
Last year, Hispanic Achievers' began referring students and their parents to immigration attorneys. Some are exploring their options, but none have been able to obtain citizenship or student visas in their home countries. Citizenship is a process that often takes more than a decade.
"It's a key issue," Van de Griek said. "If we are raising the hopes of students who are undocumented and they don't have any way to achieve, we don't want to make it worse by raising hopes and then dashing dreams."
Moya said she feels "locked out" after performing so well in high school. "I don't think many people really know what that means, what it really feels like," she said.
She wants to be a registered nurse, maybe even a doctor. It's a family tradition and an industry with a real need for bilingual workers, she said.
10 states grant tuition
The Tennessee Higher Education Commission isn't taking a position on the Tennessee or federal bills. Ten states since 2001 have moved to grant undocumented students in-state tuition. These states have generally seen increases in both the numbers of Hispanic students who graduate from high school and attend college, said Stella M. Flores, a Vanderbilt University assistant professor of public policy and higher education.
Arizona voters approved a ban similar to the one proposed in Tennessee. It went into effect this year, so its im pact is unclear, Flores said.
Next week, Campfield plans to move his bill barring public colleges and universities from admitting illegal immigrants to a House subcommittee.
"I doubt that it stands much of a chance because of what it could do," he said. "Last year, anything with any real teeth, anything that would really deal with illegal immigration without huge loopholes, died."
http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll ... 006/news01
