Thread: RED ALERT! Please follow us in!

I have also heard many people argue the futility of educating illegal immigrants because legally, they cannot be hired by Colorado businesses. First of all, educating our residents is always beneficial to our society, regardless of employment status, and secondly, on the federal level, legislation will be introduced shortly that would remedy this concern. The DREAM Act, expected to be introduced in two weeks in Congress would grant conditional legal residency to these students, as long as they graduate from high school, are accepted by a college or the military, and stay out of trouble.

We also need to find out if this is true about the Dream Act.

—Latino groups supporting a proposal to allow illegal immigrants to pay in-state tuition took their campaign to the state Capitol on Monday, lobbying lawmakers on both sides of the issue.

About 150 people rallied on the West steps before heading inside the Capitol to find their assigned lawmakers and talk to them about bill, which is awaiting a vote in the Senate. The group of citizen lobbyists included mothers, high school students and activists.

Among them was Yamili, an 18-year-old high school student from Denver who said she doesn't qualify for in-state tuition because she came to the United States illegally with her parents about 10 years ago from Mexico. Yamili, who didn't give her last name because of her immigration status, said she has been accepted to private Regis University with a $12,000 scholarship but is applying for other scholarships to help her pay the tuition, which will be about $30,000 next year.

She said her family first lived in a house with 15 other people in Colorado before moving to their own apartment and then a house. She sees college as the next step to the better life her parents came here for.

"That is what has motivated me," said Yamili, who would like study the humanities or international affairs and maybe work for the United Nations.

She led about a dozen people, many of them mothers, to meet with Rep. Jerry Frangas, D-Denver, outside the House chamber, where members were locked in a long debate over the Electoral College. They talked to Frangas, who supports the bill, in both English and Spanish.

One of the women in the group, Maria Medellin, later explained through an interpreter that while her two sons were born in the United States, her older stepson was not and returned to Mexico to enroll in a university there. She said she is worried that children who can't afford college will get discouraged and might get into trouble.

"This is a right. Education is a right," she said.

Sen. Keith King, R-Colorado Springs, was also lobbied by bill supporters and said he still opposes it.

King said it gives false hope to illegal immigrants because they still will have trouble finding jobs once graduating from college because they're not citizens.

Backers of the bill, which is sponsored by Sen. Chris Romer and Rep. Joe Miklosi, have been urging members to call lawmakers to show their support and have also visited churches asking members to send letters of support. But lawmakers say supporters have been outnumbered by opponents, who have bombarded them with e-mails and calls.

The Senate bounced the bill back to the appropriations committee last week because opponents wanted to make sure that it wouldn't cost the state any money.

Fiscal analysts don't expect it to because students who are here illegally wouldn't get the normal state subsidy like other Colorado students and would have to pay about $2,700 extra a year. That would still be much less than paying out-of-state tuition rates.

http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_11924273

In-state tuition proposal takes on caveats
To receive the in-state rate, illegal immigrants would agree to seek citizenship.
By Tim Hoover
The Denver Post, March 4, 2009

The lawmaker behind a bill that would allow illegal immigrants to receive in-state tuition now says the measure will require them to seek citizenship.

Sen. Chris Romer, D-Denver, said he is adding the citizenship requirement to his own bill as well as another provision that would prohibit illegal immigrants from getting College Opportunity Fund scholarships.

The vouchers provide a public college or university more than $2,000 a year for a typical, full-time student. Romer said that by making the students ineligible for the voucher funding, it would be clear there is no cost to taxpayers.

The new bill requires undocumented students who get the in-state rate to sign an affidavit stating they will try to become U.S. citizens.

Romer said he's adding both provisions to SB 170 to make it more palatable. The bill faces its first hearing Thursday in the Senate Education Committee.

"I knew that there were going to be some concessions," he said of the amendments.

Romer's bill would allow students who have attended a Colorado high school for at least three years and who have graduated to receive in-state tuition at a public college or university.

http://www.denverpost.com/technology/ci_11829605

Backers of the bill, which is sponsored by Sen. Chris Romer and Rep. Joe Miklosi, have been urging members to call lawmakers to show their support and have also visited churches asking members to send letters of support. But lawmakers say supporters have been outnumbered by opponents, who have bombarded them with e-mails and calls.

WE NEED TO KEEP BLASTING THEM PATRIOTS!!!!!!! LETS BOMBARD THEM!!!!!!!!!!

From: "Ted Harvey" <ted.house.senate@state.co.us> Add to Address Book Add Mobile Alert
To: XXXXXX
Subject: RE: I oppose instate tution for illegal aliens
Date: Mon, 23 Mar 2009 14:49:15 -0600


XXXXX,


Thanks for writing me about Senate Bill 170, the proposal to give in-state tuition to illegal immigrants.



I am opposed to this bill: I do not believe that law-abiding taxpayers should subsidize tuition for illegal immigrants. I have sponsored bills in the past to prohibit the government from giving in-state tuition to illegal immigrants, but so far none have been signed into law. Rest assured that I’ll keep up the fight against funding illegal immigrant social programs with taxpayer dollars.



Again, thanks for your e-mail. Please feel free to call me if you have any further questions or concerns: 303-866-4881.



Sincerely,



Ted Harvey

State Senator, Douglas County

Date: Mon, 23 Mar 2009 20:16:24 +0000 (UTC)

To: "XXXXXXXX
Subject: Re: I oppose instate tuition for illegal aliens


Dear XXXX


Thank you for contacting me, I value your opinion on this matter. I agree with you on this important issue and will be sure to vote no on SB09-170.

Thank you so much for your e-mail; I look forward to hearing from you in the future.


Regards

Cindy Acree

Cindy Acree, Representative

And than the email loaded with BS...............

From: "Rep. Randy Fischer"
To: XXXXXXXX
Subject: RE: I oppose instate tuition for illegal aliens
Date: Mon, 23 Mar 2009 14:36:09 -0600


Dear Friend,
I wanted to give you on update on my tuition equity bill because there is a lot of misinformation about what SB09-170 does for our state. First and foremost, SB09-170 will not cost the state a cent. All state funding has been removed from the bill and undocumented students would not qualify for state need based financial aid or the Colorado Opportunity Fund and will pay approximately $2,500 more than legal citizens. This means the bill will actually bring in additional dollars for our higher education system.

SB09-170 clears up in-state tuition laws for all students. Children who:

Attend a Colorado high school for at least 3 years.
Graduate or acquire a GED from a Colorado high school.
Enroll in a higher education institution within 12 months of graduation.
Remain in good academic standing.
Are competent in the English language upon graduation from high school.
would qualify for in-state tuition.

Additionally, legal residents of the United States can domicile themselves in Colorado for at least 1 year to qualify for in-state tuition. Undocumented students will not have this option.

It is estimated that about 200 to 400 undocumented students a year would qualify for SB09-170. University of Northern Colorado, Colorado Mountain College, and Mesa State College have all endorsed tuition equity because each of those schools has a very high percentage of in-state students.

Finally, these students will be required to sign an affidavit stating they will pursue citizenship upon graduation.

I have also heard many people argue the futility of educating illegal immigrants because legally, they cannot be hired by Colorado businesses. First of all, educating our residents is always beneficial to our society, regardless of employment status, and secondly, on the federal level, legislation will be introduced shortly that would remedy this concern. The DREAM Act, expected to be introduced in two weeks in Congress would grant conditional legal residency to these students, as long as they graduate from high school, are accepted by a college or the military, and stay out of trouble.

We are already funding undocumented students’ K-12 education (as federal law mandates), and we will be wasting this initial investment if we do not provide an opportunity for these students to pursue higher education and ultimately give back to the state. Undocumented students are currently ten times less likely to attend college and realizing this futility, often drop out during high school. Tuition equity is by no means a free pass to college. Instead, all SB 170 does is permit this portion of Colorado’s population to pay in-state tuition. These students will still have to apply and be accepted, so only qualified students will benefit from the bill’s passage.

SB 170 is a beneficial bill to the state of Colorado and all of its residents. That's why Republican businessmen such as Alex Cranberg and Dick Monfort support this legislation. Education officials, bussiness people, Republicans, and Democrats have all come together in favor of SB09-170 because it makes economic sense for Colorado.

Thanks for taking the time to read this and I hope this helps you understand why I support tuition equity.



Best wishes,



Randy Fischer, State Representative

House District 53

State Capitol, 200 E. Colfax Ave, Room 271

Denver, Colorado 80203

3007 Moore Lane

Fort Collins, Colorado 80526-2103

303-866-2917 (Capitol)

970-215-7898 (Cell)

E-Mail: RandyFischer@frii.com

www.RandyFischer.org

From: "Keith King" <keith@keithking.org>
To: XXXXX
Subject: RE: I oppose instate tuition for illegal aliens
Date: Mon, 23 Mar 2009 17:00:23 -0600

XXXXX, thanks for the email. I do not support the bill. Keith

I am not getting back any replies from out of my state WHY?

Originally Posted by SOSADFORUS

I am not getting back any replies from out of my state WHY?

You still could, I have gotten replies 3 or 4 days after emailing.........makes you wonder...huh?

Anyway, KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK EVERYONE!!!!! LETS PUSH EM BACK!!! NO IN STATE TUITION NOT NOW....NOT EVER!!!