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Tuesday, November 16, 2010

In-State Tuition for Illegal Aliens

The California Supreme Court just did what it always does; it comes out with yet another nutty decision. They have ruled that students who are in the country illegally can qualify for in-state college tuition if they have graduated from a California high school and attended it for three years. Here is the report from today's Orange County Register.

http://www.ocregister.com/news/state-276060-students-tuition.html

Of course, this means that American students from out of state will pay much more in tuition than illegal aliens residing in California. It also comes at a time when the University of California, in the name of "revenue enhancement" has decided to increase the number of international and out-of-state students over in-state admissions because the tuition is about three times higher. Thus, international students here legally as students will pay more than illegal alien students.

All this means, of course, means that legal California residents will find fewer slots available for their kids. Thus, they may have to look out-of-state for a college-and pay out-of-state tuitions. Never mind the fact that these families who can't get their kids in a UC school are paying the taxes to support the UC system. You talk about getting screwed.


"Ya talk about chickensh--!"

Keep in mind that thousands of UC students (and their families) are upset over the large tuition increases levied by the UC system. Many campuses have expertienced demonstrations this year. Do you think they might decide to protest the fact that illegal aliens are getting in-state tuition? Likely not. That would not be politically correct.

I just thought of another point. With all that education and degree(s), a young man or woman would still be technically ineligible to work in the US due to their undocumented status, wouldn't they?

Wouldn't they?

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

In most cases these are kids who were brought over when they were small children, by their parents, so obviously they had no say in the matter. Why should we punish these kids who have stayed out of trouble and done well in school? Just because their parents chose to break the law in coming to this country? That seems grossly unfair, Gary.

Gary Fouse said...

It is unfair, but don't you think the points I raised are unfair as well?

Siarlys Jenkins said...

American citizens from out of state, who do not pay taxes in California, and whose parents do not pay taxes in California, SHOULD pay more tuition to attend California's public universities and colleges, than non-citizens who do live in California, who do, when employed, pay taxes in California (or even when simply spending money at retail establishments), as do their parents. Out of state tuition is not an arm of immigration policy enforcement, it is a means of preventing subsidy by a state's taxpayers of the education of people from other states. The immigration status shouldn't even be a question. Residency is the relevant question.

Of course, some states have agreements that "your kids can go to our universities at in-state rates if our kids can go to your universities at in-state rates." I'm not sure that could ever be an equal exchange for California.

Gary Fouse said...

Siarlys,

I am not arguing the fact that out of state students should pay more.

Siarlys Jenkins said...

No Gary, but you ARE arguing that a designated class of IN-STATE students should pay more.

Nothing you have cited suggests that 18 year olds who sneak across the border should be able to enroll and receive in-state tuition. Rather students who have lived and grown up in California, who, if they had jobs from the ages of 14 or 16 or 17 or 18, paid taxes in California, whose parents work and pay taxes in California, should not be denied in-state tuition merely because their parents COULD HAVE at some point in the past 18 years have been deported.

Gary Fouse said...

So a legal foreign student comes to the US on an F-1 visa and pays the higher rate while an illegal immigrant with no visa pays less.

Siarlys Jenkins said...

Correct, because visa fees do not support the state university system, whereas the taxes paid by residents, do, whether the residents arrived legally or illegally. If the whole family is deported when the kids are ten and other, it's really not an issue, but if they've been living here and paying taxes here, the kids should be able to get their education here.

Further, if the kids were born here, even if the parents arrived illegally, then the kids CAN get work here, and better they have a degree than be running drugs, don't you think?

Did you see the heart-wrenching episode of "Ugly Betty" where she comes home from work and finds her father has been seized by the INS?

Gary Fouse said...

Siarlys,

I don't watch Ugly Betty, so my heart wasn't wrenched.