Posted on 01/19/2014 9:12:51 AM PST by moonshinner_09
TALLAHASSEE -- Driven by her dream of becoming a doctor, Mariana Castro won a coveted spot in the neurobiological sciences program at the University of Florida.
But one thing still stands in her way.
A native of Peru who came to the United States illegally as a child, Castro doesn't quality for in-state tuition. It doesn't matter that she has lived in Florida since she was 10, or that she has temporary legal standing under a federal program for young immigrants. She must still pay the $28,548 in tuition and fees charged to out-of-state students, more than four times the amount charged to Florida residents.
“If this continues, I will have to consider dropping out,” she said.
Castro is taking her case to Tallahassee. She and other UF students are lobbying for proposals that would extend in-state tuition rates to undocumented students.
While the Republican-dominated Florida Legislature has rejected similar bills for the past decade, there is reason to believe this year might be different: Republican House Speaker Will Weatherford has pledged his support.
“I know this issue brings strong opinions, particularly in my party,” Weatherford told the Herald/Times. “But I think it’s right. It’s got my support.”
With Weatherford’s blessing, the proposal is likely to gain traction in the House.
State Sen. John Legg, a Trinity Republican who chairs the Education Committee, expressed “strong concerns” with the bill. “But if it is a priority for Speaker Weatherford, it’s got our attention in the Senate,” he said.
Other factors are driving the debate in Florida.
Both Florida International University and Miami Dade College recently started granting partial tuition waivers to students who participate in President Barack Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.
(Excerpt) Read more at miamiherald.com ...
So when Obama's 2 years are up will we hear the taxpayers of this state have made an enormous investment in these young people do we really want to deport them. I sure would like to know how I want to be dr came up with $28,548 in tuition and fees.Just how does an illegal come up with $28,548 ?
That's right, it doesn't matter! The courtesy tuition extends to LEGAL Florida residents.
Of course, the article doesn't make an argument as to why Floridians should give a break to illegal aliens!
Florida does not have an income tax. So at least the illegals are paying the same sales tax, the same tolls, the same indirect corporate and real estate taxes everyone else does.
This is happening in states across the country.
It is more indication that college enrollment is down and to make up for it the colleges are sending SOS’s to the undocumented community to try to keep their enrollment up.
The bluing of Florida? NY, keep your people!
“It is more indication that college enrollment is down and to make up for it the colleges are sending SOS’s to the undocumented community to try to keep their enrollment up.”
Absolutely; in fact, the whole push for amnesty is to boost enrollment all the way back to kindergarten. Once Americans stop having children, then the government can either 1) close the schools, or 2) import students from abroad. Which do you think they’ll do?
Apply the same logic to the housing glut; as the population of Americans contracts, they can either 1) stop building, and look for alternative uses for existing extra housing, or 2) import owners and tenants from abroad. Again, which do you think they’ll do?
It is obvious that the latter is being put in place in both cases; in a global economy, a country of 300 million+ is a small fish in comparison to the big players (India and Red China, with over a billion each). Rather than grow our own population, we’ll just transfer them from elsewhere (to keep global population growth to a minimum).
Only a leftist could argue that it makes sense to charge a criminal in the country illegally less than one would charge a law-abiding citizen of another state.
The Florida legislature is Republican controlled. They must want to lose their power.
Florida Legislature plots to discriminate against kids from Georgia.
Still no news on “in-state tuition” for out of state AMERICAN kids though, huh?
>> “The fact is that the taxpayers of this state have made an enormous investment in these young people,”
DumDum Christie doesn’t know the difference between investing in something and being robbed. Illegal aliens are thieves.
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