Tuition deal provokes outcry
Some legislators pull their support from the plan to let noncitizens pay in-state rates

By JANE STANCILL, Staff Writer

As angry e-mail messages pour in and outraged callers phone radio talk shows, some legislators have quickly yanked their support for a bill that would give illegal immigrants in-state tuition at North Carolina universities and community colleges.
At least three House members have taken their names off the bill, which was announced with much fanfare just three days ago.

But despite a bipartisan push -- which included four sponsors, 31 co-sponsors and several prominent North Carolinians -- the issue has become political dynamite.

Opponents have dominated the debate, which has been the talk of local talk radio. Rush Limbaugh picked up the issue for discussion Wednesday on his national show, which airs on WPTF in the Triangle.

Bill LuMaye, who follows Limbaugh with his own afternoon talk show on WPTF, said he had received about 600 e-mail messages on the topic since the bill was introduced, and 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, a Democrat from Pinetops who withdrew his support.

Tolson added that he wants to know more about the cost of the initiative. "I want to take a little more time and study and make sure this is the right thing to be doing," he said.

Others known to have dropped their co-sponsorship were Rep. Eugene Wilson, a Republican from Boone, and Rep. Louis Pate Jr., a Republican from Mount Olive.

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 of messages. But clearly opposition is building, he added. "If talk radio is any indication, I think it's 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 gain acceptance. 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. "We still have a lot of support," she said.

Among those who spoke in favor of the bill when it was introduced Tuesday was Jim Hunt, who served four terms as North Carolina's governor. Hunt said it was important to the state's economic development.

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," said William Gheen, president of the Americans for Legal Immigration PAC. "Outraged and amazed."

Bazan-Manson disagreed with the idea that the bill eventually could displace thousands of legal citizens from college. She said there's "a lot of misinformation out there" about the proposal.

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