Why should illegal immigrants get tuition breaks?

Aw come on.....

• In what way does allowing the children of undocumented immigrants to pay in-state tuition cause native citizens to be turned away. What's the correlation please?
• What are the actual numbers of these incidents? In other words, is this anedoctal or are there some hard numbers to show that significant numbers of immigrant children are taking spots away from natives?
• What is the reason given that native children are being turned away in favor of children of undocumented immigrants?

All this fun I've been missing?? I shall have to find my way over here more often!

I dug this up a while back for another thread, but here goes:

In this state, 1300 illegal immigrants kids (kids NOT born in this country) have not only gotten admitted to State colleges, but have also had a discounted tuition.

There are only so many spots...and the schools here are decreasing the number of students admitted to cut costs. So figure it out. If illegal immigrant kids are being admitted, resident kids are not.

Pretty simple.

never mind...

Oh so you are making assumptions, thanks for clarifying......

I wonder if this person who was the first one to comment on the article (see the bottom of the page) knew what they were talking about? If so, I can understand why many of the nine states that have similar laws are facing court challenges.

By: opines_aplnty

Here is the deal:
Federal law (Title 8, Chapter 14, Sec. 1623) states: "an alien who is not lawfully present in the United States shall not be eligible on the basis of residence within a State ... for any postsecondary education benefit unless a citizen or national of the United States is eligible for such a benefit (in no less an amount, duration, and scope) without regard to whether the citizen or national is such a resident."

I don't think they should get a tuition break.

I'm the daughter of a LEGAL immigrant. I went without a lot of things growing up, I remember when my mother working 12 hour shifts at a factory almost every day and money being tight as she paid for her citizenship. I remember I was ahead of my kindergarten classes, because I learned to read and write as my mother struggled to learn to read and write in ENGLISH. I remember how hard it was for her, a divorced mother of two, and how proud she was to become a US citizen.

I remember having to study in school and being told, the only way I could pay for school was through scholarships and loans. I'm still paying off my student loans.

My mother did every thing right, legal, by the book; as do thousands of other LEGAL immigrants. To have illegal immigrants come over, break the laws and exceptions made for them over and over it's like spitting at us and kicking sand in our face. Why did we struggle and go without, if they get to break all the rules and obtain the same dream?? It's not fair.

Yes, I know that this piece of legislature is aimed at the children of illegal immigrants, but as a child of someone who is followed the path to citizenship, it's something that hits very close to home.

Great pick-up, Kolohe. If that's the law, I'd have to change my position.

This is going to get personal - I can feel it coming - but for so many people there is no legal way for them to get here. The laws a couple generations ago were far less cumbersome, far more open, and far less complicated.

At this point in time, if you are trying to get here on anything less than a first-degree relative visa, an extraordinary talent visa, or a category of workers that the US is desperately short of, guess what? You are out of luck. I'm sorry, but the whole "My family did it XYZ way" argument kind of grates on my nerves for a couple reasons:

1) Aforementioned reason that the laws were different 50, 30, or even 20 years ago.

2) Plenty of undocumented immigrant families struggle, do without, and learn English too. That is not unique to 'legal' immigrants.

3) If you happen to be from a third-world country it happens to be far more difficult to get here than if you are from, say, Norway.

My husband came here without a visa, illegally. That was nine years ago. We got married. We've been married for seven years. He still has nothing. Under current immigration law, he can get nothing. We have tried to do everything right. We are doing everything we possibly can to make things right. But, until the law changes, we can not do a damn thing. Yes - if we had things to go back and do over again, we'd do a few things differently. But is that not true for every single person on the planet?

I am getting sick of being crucified over and over and over for one decision made almost a decade ago.

The people that get so demonized in the media happen to be my friends and family, and I take it personally when they get talked about. I have said this for years - make it easier for people to get here legally, and you won't have the problem you have. Child of an illegal immigrant = my son.

I cannot see how withholding education from them is going to benefit them or us. I'd be ok with not having instate tuition as long as they qualify for the same financial aid.

It hurts to read your story, Elvish, and it puts a face and soul to this issue. I'm heading out the door in a minute, but had to respond to your post.

If I understand this correctly, college is still available, but at out of state tuition rates still making education possible. We have something to work with.

This law in a little more detail as follows:

(a) In general
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, an alien who is not
lawfully present in the United States shall not be eligible on the
basis of residence within a State (or a political subdivision) for
any postsecondary education benefit unless a citizen or national of
the United States is eligible for such a benefit (in no less an
amount, duration, and scope) without regard to whether the citizen
or national is such a resident.
(b) Effective date
This section shall apply to benefits provided on or after July 1,
1998.

http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/caseco...tion_1623.html

Yes, it makes things a lot harder.