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Posted on 05/08/2003 12:29:01 PM PDT by lilylangtree
OLYMPIA--With the stroke of a pen, Gov. Gary Locke on Wednesday made it much cheaper for illegal immigrants to go to college in Washington state.
Until now, such students have had to pay non-resident tuition to attend state colleges and community colleges. When the new law takes effect in July, illegal immigrants can pay the much-cheaper resident tuition rate, provided that they graduated from a Washington high school and have lived in the state for at least three years.
The change will cut the price of college dramatically for such students. At Washington State University, tuition and fees for residents total $4,520 a year. For non-residents, it's $12,270.
At Eastern Washington University, it's $3,462 a year, versus $11,739 for nonresidents.
The difference is primarily due to the fact that state taxpayers subsidize much of the actual cost of college for residents.
"We're making history in this state," said Francisco Tamayo, a counselor at WSU's Chicano/Latino Student center. "A lot of students who are very sharp, all of a sudden they hit a dead end."
Illegal immigrants are not eligible for federal financial aid, making the cost of college even more of a problem.
"I think it's a long time in coming," said Carlos Maldonado, Eastern's director of Chicano studies. "Rather than closing the educational door on them, now we're able to say 'OK, you can come to school.' And that individual is going to be in a position to contribute further to our state."
The change also applies to community colleges, which average yearly tuition of $1,982 for residents and $7,191 for nonresidents.
More than a dozen lawmakers in the House of Representatives opposed the change, inclluding local Reps. Brad Benson, R-Spokane; Larry Crouse, R-Spokane, and Lynn Schindler, R-Spokane Valley. The Republican-controlled state Senate also fought the change, attaching a clause to exclude such students. Locke vetoed that section.
Rep. Jim Clements, R-Selah, said the bill works against citizens and those who have come to America legally. He predicted that they will sue, if they are squeezed out of high-demand college programs like nursing to make room for illegal immigrant students.
"I understand the intent. There's love behind it," he told lawmakers. "But I think the consequences will lead us to court and litigation."
Clements also pointed out that an illegal immigrant cannot legally get a job in the United States, although there are occasional amnesty periods when people who are here illegally can apply for legal status.
Rep. Brad Benson, who married a citizen of Mexico and has watched other family members struggling to legally live in America, said the bill does little to encourage people who followed the rules.
"It's another thing that makes it easy to be illegal, and nothing makes it easy to be legal," Benson said.
Others said that it benefits no one to cut the students off from college. Many of the students have lived in America nearly all their lives, they said, and have gone to school alongside the children of citizens and legal immigrants.
"It's the right thing to do," said Rep. Don Cox, R-Colfax. "Nobody gains by leaving entire groups of future workers uneducated."
"I understand the rationale behind it (the objectives)," said Tamayo. "But the reality is that these are home-grown Washingtonians."
"They're already contributing to the tax structure of the state, through the sales tax and other taxes," said Maldonado.
One of those present at Wednesday's bill-signing was Jorge Madrazo, consul for Mexico in Seattle.
"Today is a very special day for Mexicans and Mexican-Americans living in the Evergreen State," he said. "Our young children will study very hard."
Target Acquired for Primary defeat.
http://www.spokesmanreview.com/news-story.asp?date=050803&ID=s1347334
Though the site required me to register in order to access it.
Same here. The outrages just keep piling up. I think it's time for the American people to take to the streets. Enough is enough.
FMCDH
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I'm advertising this all over Texas!
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