Folks,
This is about money. It increases enrollment at the colleges and gets the tuition paid for by federal aid. From the state's perspective it's a way to fund the state universities.
It always is. The fact is politicians veiw illeagal aliens as a cheap source for nannys and other domestic help.
Ordinary theft is another illegal way to fund things. Or they could go into the business of selling drugs to the kiddies. Why let the dealers make all the money?
There's just the unfortunate little detail of all of these methods of funding being against the law.