Tuition and Illegal Immigrants.

[FeelinFroggy]

Tuition and illegal immigrants
A court ruling that illegal immigrants can't get in-state tuition rates will harm many students.
September 22, 2008


For the last seven years, illegal immigrants attending California's public university and community college systems have been eligible for in-state tuition rates. The thinking behind this practice was that, regardless of their parents' actions, children had no choice in crossing the border illegally; academically gifted immigrant students shouldn't be condemned to a permanent underclass.

Last week, however, a state appellate court ruled that California was violating Congress' intention of barring illegal immigrants from a benefit reserved for legal residents. The decision sends a class-action lawsuit -- brought by out-of-state students who contend that they have been required to pay higher, nonresident fees while illegal immigrants pay in-state tuition -- back to Yolo County Superior Court. It also presages the end of higher-education opportunities for thousands of motivated students.


Congress' intent does seem clear. The Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 reads, "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."

California sought to skirt this law by granting in-state tuition to all students who graduated from and attended a California high school for at least three years.

Foes of illegal immigration, who argue that generous benefits encourage lawbreakers to come to California, will rejoice at the decision. And we acknowledge the inherent contradiction of providing a public benefit to students whose parents presumably don't pay any income tax to help pay for it.


Nonetheless, we believe that California's law is in the state's best interest. By law, states must provide K-12 education to illegal immigrants, and it's counterproductive to then erect roadblocks to further advancement for our best and brightest. Studies show that investing in education for immigrants pays off. Assuming they remain in California, their economic contributions more than make up for the cost of subsidized college tuition within a few years. Forcing them to wallow in permanent poverty, by contrast, is a drain on taxpayers -- as well as being flat-out immoral.

California is one of nine states providing in-state tuition to illegal immigrants, and given the absence of leadership from Washington, we don't fault any of them for attempting to address the educational, economic and social needs of the populations within their borders. The real problem is not the states' violation of congressional intent, but Congress' failure to follow the trail blazed by the states.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/...tory?track=rss
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The United States spends more per student than any other industrialized nation, yet it ranks at the bottom in degree completion (54%), says a 2007 report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. The organization average is 71%; the high is 91% in Japan.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/educati...-tuition_N.htm


Why dish out the money to pay for an illegal immigrant or an illegal immigrants kid to go to college when they are already nothing more than a parasitic organism to our society? They "hypothesize" that illegal immigrants will eventually graduate, and essentially, "pay for themselves". Who's to say they'll even graduate at all? Then once all that money is wasted on them who's to say they won't run across the border again once the bills start to roll in?

It's comforting to know our tax dollars are paying for these illegals to get an education.

[pingjocky]

More hard earned tax dollars going to waste thanks to the Dems. Unfortunatly, this kind of thing is becoming the norm and more "socially acceptable." Heck, I read the other day where some Cali schools are harboring illegals and hiding them from INS (or whatever that agency is called now).

Getting off the "illegal" side of this thread, and focusing on the money / school issue......Last year, my property taxes were about $2300. According to the itemized bill, a little over $2100 of that was to the local school system....I don't have kids!!! Why are people paying so much into a school system that is defunct and rife with corruption? Based on the amount of cash that we are paying in, we should have the best educated rug-rats in the world, yet we are ranked among the last? I say get rid of public schools, and privatize all school systems. Instead of paying the gov $2100 I could use that cash elsewhere in my life...also, if the school system was really getting that much money from each student, they could afford to hire teachers that actually gave a crap about them.

And we wonder why we're in a recession........corruption, plain and simple. From multiple sources.

R/
Pingjocky

[SlightlyCatholic]

Getting off the "illegal" side of this thread, and focusing on the money / school issue......Last year, my property taxes were about $2300. According to the itemized bill, a little over $2100 of that was to the local school system....I don't have kids!!!

In relative relation to this, I am an only child and I have attended private school from kindergarten all the way through high school and yet every year my parents have to pay for the public school system. I never once saw any benefit from that money. Then again, people also refute that by saying that since I was sent to a private school all those years that we must be rich. Therefore, we shouldn't be nitpicking about a little money to the public school system. Needless to say, we're not rich at all. Just goes to show you how many people pay for things that they never see the benefit of.

[pingjocky]

I have attended private school from kindergarten all the way through high school and yet every year my parents have to pay for the public school system. I never once saw any benefit from that money.

Ditto...but I bet you got a much better education out of the deal, I know I did. I grew up in SC...back when it was still 50th in the school rankings. I'm sure I got a better education than my public school counterparts. Nope, we never saw any benefits from all the cash we poured into the public schools either....and I still don't!!

R/
Pingjocky

[SlightlyCatholic]

Originally Posted by pingjocky

Ditto...but I bet you got a much better education out of the deal, I know I did. I grew up in SC...back when it was still 50th in the school rankings. I'm sure I got a better education than my public school counterparts. Nope, we never saw any benefits from all the cash we poured into the public schools either....and I still don't!!

R/
Pingjocky

Now that I'm in college, I can definately see a difference between the public and private students. I'm not calling anybody who went to public school dumb, I'm just saying that (unfortunately) it's blatantly obvious in a college classroom which individuals weren't taught what they needed to be taught earlier on.

[Woody]

Oh for petes sake you live in a society then you contribute to it .Society long ago decided its better off if children are educated .Public school system may need fixing taking money away from it wont fix .
No benefit from it how many people who do things for you during your day learned stuff at public school ?
How does an illegal immigrant get to university anyway ?

[Billyd]

Originally Posted by timwoodhead@hotmail.com

Oh for petes sake you live in a society then you contribute to it .Society long ago decided its better off if children are educated .Public school system may need fixing taking money away from it wont fix .
No benefit from it how many people who do things for you during your day learned stuff at public school ?
How does an illegal immigrant get to university anyway ?

I would venture to guess this is an example of "Publik Educashon" at its finest. Please, we have standards.

[SlightlyCatholic]

Private schooling isn't getting any cheaper, and my parents can't afford to pay for little Johnny's education up the road. Why should my family have to use their hard earned dollars to pay for someone else to go to school? That and as a Catholic I have moral reservations about what goes on at the majority of public institutions...but that's more of my own personal reasoning. In any case, yes, I live in the society...but at this point I'll NEVER use the public school system and my parents still have to pay. Why?

[Billyd]

Tim,

The problem is not only with the public education system, but with how it is funded. If you really want to make a difference, control MUST be taken from the state and returned to the community. Unfortunately, with the the unions and the abomination known as "No Child Left Behind," the chances of that happening are slim to none.

[StormCrow]

This is great,

We're giving out money to put NON-CITIZENS through school when:

1. We can't pay our teachers
2. Can't give our kids a decent education
3. Can't pay for our kids education
4. Can't fund for new material for our schools

Seriously, our government...one of a kind...

Storm