In-state college tuition for illegal aliens

Issues

The college tuition that a resident pays to a public college or university in their home state is called "in-state tuition". Typically this is much less than the tuition charged to students who come from out-of-state. Allowing an illegal alien student to pay less than an American student is wrong. Yet this is currently being promoted in Congress under the DREAM act.

Under U.S. law, illegal aliens may not hold any job in the United States. Thus, tax dollars expended on higher education illegal aliens to prepare them for professional careers serves only to draw more illegal aliens to those states offering in-state tuition.

When an illegal alien is granted in-state tuition and admission to a state university, he or she is directly competing with American students for that educational slot. This competition is unfairly biased against American students in other states who must pay out-of-state tuition to attend the university, while the illegal alien student is given in-state tuition preference.

In California in 2003, MALDEF engaged in an all-out effort to promote the news about in-state college tuition for illegal aliens. (MALDEF: see Funding Hate articles). In-state college tuition for illegal aliens contributes to a de facto illegal-alien amnesty.

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."

Friends of Immigration Law Enforcement is asking American students who pay out-of-state tuition to colleges and universities where illegal aliens receive in-state tuition to sue the colleges and universities for reimbursement of the tuition difference.

Talking points against in-state College Tuition

• In-state college tuition for illegal aliens will give benefits to adult or nearly-adult children over the age of 18 whose parents are also illegal aliens. This is not a bill that gives benefits to "youngsters". Taxpayers will pay the difference.
• A 1996 Federal law mandates that if instate rates are given to illegals, those rates must also be given to all applicants of each state's colleges and universities from the other 49 states. Although the law is not actively enforced, giving in-state tuition to illegal aliens is a clear violation of federal law.
• HB1187 is an amnesty disguised as an educational initiative.
• College entrants slots are fixed and limited. The bill would place each state's citizens in direct competition with adult illegal aliens for limited slots and tuition benefits.
• Giving in-state college tuition to adult illegal aliens residing in each state would give them benefits not given to American citizens in other states ( e.g., war veterans).
• Providing in-state tuition to illegal aliens tells legally applying foreign students they are suckers for not becoming illegal aliens.
• 50% of Colorado University applicants come from out of state and from out of the country. (March 25 Boulder Daily Camera story, "CU pulls big from outside Colorado").
• Tuition rates at CU went up 15% last year and there was talk of raising this year's tuition by another 40%.
• Illegal aliens now pour in from all over the world at a rate of more than 80,000 a month. The Wal-Mart immigration sweep of October, 2003, netted large numbers from Mexico, the Czech Republic, Mongolia, Brazil, Poland, Russia, Uzbekistan, Georgia, Lithuania and some from from African and Asian countries. Because of virtually no internal enforcement, illegal aliens typically bring their entire families into the U.S. There is a potential for a vast number of illegal aliens to receive in-state tuition at taxpayer expense. Thus, the amended HB 1187 would give an adult illegal alien from Uzbekistan and all the nearly 200 countries of the world benefits that would be denied to American citizens, an absurdity.
• If the claimed 1,000 illegals graduating from Colorado high schools enrolled at CU-Boulder at in-state rates for four years, revenue losses would exceed $65 million (Out-of-state citizen tuition rates = $20,346. Instate rates = $4,022. Loss of one four-year student = $65,296 million.)
• Colorado's elected officials are now voting on issues influenced by illegal aliens and their supporters residing in the districts of the state elected officials. Democratic representation of Colorado's citizens is being eroded by ethnic pandering that emphasizes illegal aliens.
• Standard argument and reasoned response:
   
  Claim: "Yes, but children of undocumented workers should not be punished for what their parents did."
   
  Response: Should America's citizen students be punished for the illegal acts of illegal-alien parents residing?"
  - Since when is the state government in the business of coming to the rescue of adults whose parents committed illegal or imprudent acts?
  - Those adult illegal aliens need to go back to mom and dad and hold them accountable.
  - In the case of Mexican adult illegal aliens, they can easily return to Mexico to receive a virtually free college education at the University of Mexico.