Posted on 04/13/2005 5:46:52 AM PDT by Constitution Day
Hunt touts bill to give in-state tuition to illegal immigrants
By WILLIAM L. HOLMES, Associated Press Writer
April 12, 2005 6:56 pm
RALEIGH, N.C. -- With North Carolina's Hispanic population booming -- and Hispanic children dropping out of school at alarming rates -- lawmakers introduced a bill Tuesday that would extend resident tuition rates at public universities to the children of illegal immigrants.
Former Gov. Jim Hunt returned to the General Assembly to show his support for the legislation, which is sponsored in the House by two Republicans and two Democrats. The measure would give in-state tuition to students who attended schools in North Carolina for at least four consecutive years before graduation. Young people in the country would have to apply for legal immigration status to receive the resident rate.
"It is morally right and it is economically necessary for our state," Hunt said. "We need these students. They have worked hard. They have excelled in high school. We need them to get all the education they can get."
The bill appears to enjoy wide support; by Tuesday, 31 legislators had signed on as co-sponsors, drawing an expression of surprise from the president of a Raleigh-based group that lobbies for tighter restrictions on immigration.
"It's amazing that 35 politicians are so out of touch with their constituents," said William Gheen, president of Americans for Legal Immigration.
Illegal immigrants admitted to University of North Carolina schools would take up some of the limited number of spots for in-state residents, Gheen said.
"I hate to see a bill that will eventually replace thousands of Americans in college with illegal immigrants at taxpayer expense," Gheen said.
Supporters of the bill say the alternative is a growing number of young Hispanics without a college education even in the face of growing demand for bilingual workers. Supporters expect 480 students to 1,345 students to apply for admission to University of North Carolina schools this year if the bill passes.
"It makes economic sense to give these students ... an opportunity to succeed," said Andrea Bazan-Manson, executive director of the Raleigh-based Hispanic advocacy group El Pueblo.
Illegal immigrants are allowed to apply to any college they wish to attend, but they must pay out-of-state tuition if they are accepted to a public university in North Carolina, regardless of where they live. The state's flagship university, UNC-Chapel Hill, charges $3,200 a year for in-state tuition, compared to $16,300 for nonresident students.
One result is that many Hispanics quit school, knowing they can't afford to pay for college. About 58 percent of foreign-born Hispanics in North Carolina age 16 to 19 are dropouts, either in their home country or in the United States, according to an analysis of 2000 Census figures by the Pew Hispanic Center.
Rep. Jeff Barnhart, R-Cabarrus, one of the bill's sponsors, said the state wastes the abilities of talented students by restricting access to higher education.
"These children come to live here because their parents brought them," Barnhart said. "How far do we punish? These students are committed to their education and I'm 100 percent committed to helping them."
Jaime Zea, a 16-year-old student at Enloe High School in Raleigh, said many of his fellow Hispanic students have given up on education.
"It's a living hell for them," said Zea, the son of an accountant and a homemaker who moved her legally from Colombia four years ago.
Zea, who plans to attend college to study broadcast journalism and already produces a short news broadcast for his high school, said he wants others to have the same chance he'll have.
"It's not about me. It's about us," he said.
Nine states -- none in the South -- have approved similar legislation, said bill sponsor Rep. Rick Glazier, D-Cumberland. Similar measures are pending in 15 other states, including Florida, Georgia, Maryland and Arkansas.
"In the end, this bill is about economic development and it's about educational opportunity, but it's also about the soul of who we are," Glazier said. "Ultimately, it's about children."
Links related to this article:
El Pueblo: www.elpueblo.org
Americans for Legal Immigration PAC: www.alipac.us
URL for this article: http://heraldsun.com/state/6-596323.html
Maybe someone can clarify this for me, but what is the definition of illegal again?
On a related note, I know Bill Holmes (the author of the article). I'm glad to see him move up, especially to the AP. Bill is a Republican (or he was when he worked for the Winston-Salem Journal). He was one of the few reporters who treated me fairly while I was in office.
Yeah, I'm a little confused too. Maybe we should enter Mexico and ask them for a discount at there universities and of course free medical care.
Illegal i'leegul [adj] prohibited by law or by official or accepted rules.
Illegal Immigration is a Crime
Each year the Border Patrol makes more than a million apprehensions of aliens who flagrantly violate our nation's laws by unlawfully crossing U.S. borders. Such entry is a misdemeanor, but, if repeated, becomes punishable as a felony.
In addition to sneaking into the country (referred to as "entry without inspection — EWI") in violation of the immigration law, others enter with legal documentation and then violate the terms on which they have been admitted. The immigration authorities currently estimate that about two-thirds of all illegal immigrants are EWIs and the remainder is overstayers. Both types of illegal immigrants are deportable under Immigration and Nationality Act Section 237 (a)(1)(B) which says: "Any alien who is present in the United States in violation of this Act or any other law of the United States is deportable."
Illegal Immigration Is Not A Victimless Crime
Apologists for illegal immigration try to paint it as a victimless crime, but the fact is that illegal immigration causes substantial harm to American citizens and legal immigrants, particularly those in the most vulnerable sectors of our population — the poor, minorities, and children.
Illegal immigration causes an enormous drain on public funds. The seminal study of the costs of immigration by the National Academy of Sciences found that the taxes paid by immigrants do not begin to cover the cost of services received by them. The quality of education, health care and other services for Americans are undermined by the needs of endless numbers of poor, unskilled illegal entrants.
Additionally, job competition by waves of illegal immigrants desperate for any job unfairly depresses the wages and working conditions offered to American workers, hitting hardest at minority workers and those without high school degrees.
Illegal Immigration And Population Growth
Illegal immigration also contributes to the dramatic population growth overwhelming communities across America — crowding school classrooms, consuming already limited affordable housing, and increasing the strain on precious natural resources like water, energy, and forestland. The immigration authorities estimate that the population of illegal aliens is increasing by an estimated half million people annually.
Illegal Immigration Undermines National Security
While most illegal immigrants may come only to seek work and a better economic opportunity, their presence outside the law furnishes an opportunity for terrorists to blend into the same shadows while they target the American public for their terrorist crimes. Some people advocate giving illegal aliens legal status to bring them out of the shadows, but, if we accommodate illegal immigration by offering legal status, this will be seen abroad as a message that we condone illegal immigration, and we will forever be faced with the problem.
Border Patrol: Necessary But Not Sufficient
The Border Patrol plays a crucial role in combating illegal immigration, but illegal immigration cannot be controlled solely at the border. The overstayers as well as the EWIs who get past the Border Patrol must be identified and removed by the interior immigration inspectors of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
What Can Be Done?
There must be a comprehensive effort to end illegal immigration. That requires ensuring that illegal aliens will not be able to obtain employment, public assistance benefits, public education, public housing, or any other taxpayer-funded benefit without detection.
The three major components of immigration control — deterrence, apprehension and removal—need to be strengthened by Congress and the Executive Branch if effective control is ever to be reestablished. Controlling illegal immigration requires a balanced approach with a full range of enforcement improvements that go far beyond the border. These include many procedural reforms, beefed up investigation capacity, asylum reform, documents improvements, major improvements in detention and deportation procedures, limitations on judicial review, improved intelligence capacity, greatly improved state/federal cooperation, and added resources.
What About The Costs?
Effective control and management of the laws against illegal immigration require adequate resources. But those costs will be more than offset by savings to states, counties, communities, and school districts across the nation.
The measure would give in-state tuition to students who attended schools in North Carolina for at least four consecutive years before graduation. Young people in the country would have to apply for legal immigration status to receive the resident rate.
LOL!
The last I heard, "sugar-lips" (as my grandma used to call him) was working for Womble Carlyle Sandridge and Rice, my company's law firm.
I would guess that he's just there for the partners to have something to brag about.
(Note: Here's his page on WCSR.com: James B. Hunt, Jr. )
Much of state gov't seems to be eaten up with creeping Chapel-Hill-ism, if you ask me. Disgusting!
I think there should be a rule that former *anythings* ... governors, congress-people, mayors, presidents, school superintendents, etc. ... should have to permanently move away after their term. The higher the position, of course, the further they would have to move ...
Hey, they're just getting the education Americans don't want...
-"Ultimately, it's about children."-
Of course *sigh*.
So would that apply to American citizens who attended schools (including, ahem, "non-public schools") in the state for four years, and then moved to another state? I can see some benefit to that :-).
I have a gripe about "in-state" tuition, because when I went to college, Virginia considered me "out of state" because my parents had Texas residency (military), and Texas considered me "out of state" because we lived in Virginia!
Ever feel like you're being told by Smokey Bear "Only you can prevent forest fires", while at the same time there's a raging inferno just over your shoulder?
I'm quickly learning government is a joke and laws are a sham.
Justification: There are very few illegals going to college. It's a feel-good measure. Illegals pay a lot of money into state coffers without requiring stuff like tax refunds.
Can someone please explain to me how "illegal aliens" can be allowed to attend public colleges? What does the word "illegal" actually mean, if anything? Why do we continue to reward lawbreakers in this nation?
"It's amazing that 35 politicians are so out of touch with their constituents,"
This just sucks. Can we get the names of those 35 idiots so we can publish them among constituents and inform the brain-dead voters these want to replace their legal sons and daughters college slots with those of illegal aliens?
Yeah, we could send them all to Mexico.
Does the fact that they are here ILLEGALLY bother you at all?
Sounds like Wombles wobble and they do fall down!
Good suggestion!
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