Thread: North Carolina Flip-Flops On Illegals In Community Colleges

North Carolina Flip-Flops On Illegals In Community Colleges

National Public Radio (NPR)
SHOW: All Things Considered 8:00 PM EST
October 6, 2009 Tuesday
MELISSA BLOCK, host:

From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Melissa Block.

MICHELE NORRIS, host:

And I'm Michele Norris.

North Carolina is one of many states wrestling with the issue of educating illegal immigrants. Its community college system is the second largest in the country. Now, for the fourth time this decade, North Carolina has changed the rules on who can attend.

Dave Dewitt of North Carolina Public Radio has the story of how the latest change affects undocumented students.

DAVE DEWITT: Roger(ph) started in the North Carolina public school system in kindergarten. But it wasn't until he was a junior in high school, when the state's community college system banned illegal immigrants like him, that he realized all his hard work wouldn't amount too much.

ROGER: And I got a little disappointed about that.

DEWITT: So, when you got disappointed, did it sort of show up in your grades?

ROGER: It has shown up tremendously because I just stopped doing a little bit of homework and stuff, stopped putting too much attention into school or - because that just like hit me hard, you know.

DEWITT: Roger won't give his last name because he fears being deported to Mexico, a country he barely remembers. He graduated from high school last May and works at a restaurant. He's saving money to try to go to nearby Durham Technical Community College next year, maybe in accounting. He better pinch his pennies. North Carolina Community College board members may have just voted to admit undocumented students, but they aren't making it easy.

Mr. STUART FOUNTAIN (Board Member, State Board of Community Colleges): I'm very pleased with the fact that we have maintained the open door policy that has been the hallmark of the community college system. However, we have established a restraining gate across it.

DEWITT: That's Community College board member Stuart Fountain. And the restraining gate is the out of state tuition cost illegal immigrants must pay. The $7,000 annual cost is five times that of an in-state resident. Fountain says the board had little option to provide in-state tuition.

Mr. FOUNTAIN: There have been court cases in other states in which out-of-state students have sued a community college system in a second state because they were admitting undocumented immigrants at in-state tuition.

DEWITT: The policy changes over the past decade can be traced to the governor's mansion. Former governors like Jim Hunt and Mike Easley supported admission for illegal immigrants. Current Governor, Bev Perdue does not. Her decision is largely a political one.

(Soundbite of car honking)

DEWITT: About 50 protesters showed up on a warm, fall day outside the building where the Community College Board voted. Many held signs asking for motorists to honk their disapproval. They were led by William Gheen, an anti-illegal immigration activist.

Mr. WILLIAM GHEEN (President, Americans for Legal Immigration): We know the Democrats' agenda in this state is to provide in-state tuition to illegal immigrants in all of our colleges.

DEWITT: A poll taken earlier this year show that 75 percent of North Carolinians do not favor admitting undocumented immigrants. But many educators and Latino support groups say creating an uneducated underclass of citizens will lead to higher crime rates and higher unemployment down the road. Mauricio Castro is an organizer with the North Carolina Latino Coalition. He says having a consistent policy will help Latino students make decisions about their future.

Mr. MAURICIO CASTRO (Organizer, North Carolina Latino Coalition): Now that there is this policy, the chances are, and I'm hoping and very optimistic, that we also can encourage students to continue their education because we are clear about the fact that a population without education has a very dark future.

DEWITT: The future for undocumented students in North Carolina might be a little brighter now. But even if some can come up with the out-of-state tuition, it might not be enough to get them on campus. The North Carolina state legislature may very well change the policy for a fifth time when it reconvenes in May.

For NPR News, I'm Dave Dewitt in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/En ... 24&start=4

I bet the education is a lot cheaper in their own country! So they ought to move the hell back to it. Along with their ILLEGAL PARENTS! Sorry I just get fed up with the fact that only certain laws pertain to only certain people and certain circumstances.

DEWITT: A poll taken earlier this year show that 75 percent of North Carolinians do not favor admitting undocumented immigrants. But many educators and Latino support groups say creating an uneducated underclass of citizens will lead to higher crime rates and higher unemployment down the road. Mauricio Castro is an organizer with the North Carolina Latino Coalition. He says having a consistent policy will help Latino students make decisions about their future.

What total BS! Not everyone can afford to go to college, has the grades or the mentality to go to college either. WHen I could no longer afford in-state tuition, I had to drop out. Where were these "advocates" then? Colleges are not banning latinos, they are banning illegal aliens, as they should.

This fool Castro is another of these nuts who identify all latinos as illegals and that's offensive.