Email that I received...
Dear XXXXXXXXXX,
Thank you for your email to Governor Huckabee concerning the issue of children of undocumented parents participating in higher education opportunities in Arkansas. The Governor appreciates your interest and is hopeful our response will shed some light on the matter.
The issue of immigration is a very dynamic and complicated legal process. Assuming a child is "illegal" simply because they do not have sufficient documentation to support the place of their birth or circumstances surrounding their arrival in Arkansas is insufficiently simplistic for this purpose. The child may very well have been born in the United States but lacks documentation, or is here on refugee status. These are two examples of the complex problem of lumping all people in one category. Moreover, citizen status is a primary function of the federal government and, thus, should be addressed on the federal level.
In this instance, Arkansas is charged with two conflicting mandates. In the first instance, the state mus, and will do everything in its power to ensure that no entitlement program reserved only for US citizens is accessed by those not legally eligible. Consequently, federal programs have barred non citizens from accessing Medicaid or food stamps, for example. Furthermore, there is no evidence this is occurring on a wholesale basis. Second, our state is charged with the dual responsibilities of providing an adequate education to every child K-12 while maximizing our ability to develop a competitive workforce for the 21st century. Arkansans universally agree that the more we enhance the educational attainment level of our residents the better our economy we will be in the future.
We are assured that the majority of the children affected by this legislation are eligible to remain in this country and can apply for legal residency and/or citizenship at the age of legal majority. Consequently, it is in our state's best interest to have an educated population contributing to our economy and infrastructure. Students who excel academically are eligible to receive in-state tuition and compete for academic excellence scholarships in neighboring states. It makes good economic sense to keep them in our state, supporting our economy upon completion of their degree.
Finally, I encourage you to consider the following points. The state indeed subsidizes tuition for students enrolled in its colleges and universities. All Arkansas residents pay taxes that support our institutions of higher learning, including non citizens residing in our state. International students do not directly subsidize the institutions through income taxes (provided they are not employed outside of school), but they do pay a substantially higher tuition instead.
I hope you will consider these facts as you arrive at your decision. Governor Huckabee very much appreciates your previous support and is hopeful you will continue to let us know if we can assist you.
Sincerely,
Lucretia Norris
Higher Education Policy Advisor
Office of the Governor
State of Arkansas
Does she mean this is not simplistic enough? I think she means "is overly simplistic."
You don't have to assume a child is "illegal" anyway. You simply make every person desiring an in-state discount provide documentation to verify their status, the same as if they were asking for a passport for instance. If they don't have "sufficient documentation" then there are other ways to verify their status (such as personal affidavits), but in any instance the onus for that verification should be on them.
Dear XXXXXX
Thank you for your e-mail. I regret the length of time to respond, but I am trying to catch up on my e-mails today. First, I do value my career, and I did vote for HB1525. I fear that much mis-information exists in this debate. I consider myself a conservative Democrat, and my voting record proves it. This Bill is part of Gov. Huckabee's legislative package, and several of our colleges and universities, and people in the Department of Education testified for the Bill.
Frankly the bill went out of the Education Committee quickly, and came to the floor very quickly. I think the debate on the bill might have mis-led you somewhat. My understanding from the Bill's sponsor and the Committee was that the Bill forced students who earned a scholarship but who were only undocumented due to their age, to sign an affidavit agreeing that they would become documented prior to releasing the scholarship. That is the only way I voted for the Bill.
If you have not read the Bill, I don't mind forwarding you a copy, so that you can read it and see for yourself that the debate over the Bill might be different than what has been portrayed. If the Bill gets amended on the Senate side, it will come back to me, and I will take your thoughts into consideration.
Again, thank you and please feel free to e-mail me or call me any time. Jay Martin
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