The Los Angeles Times accounts that the California Supreme Court has unanimously ruled that illegal immigrants who graduate from state high schools can be eligible to receive in-state tuition rates at California universities. Supporters of immigrant causes have trumpeted the landmark lawful security. However, many other cannot justify such budgetary largesse during a time of financial crisis.
1st in-state college tuition protection on record
The in-state college tuition eligibility for undocumented immigrants is what the California court’s security is. The law hasn’t been challenged within the nation like this never before. In-state tuition is granted to illegal immigrant students if they have had three years of high school experience in the state. This is the law in CA also as in nine other states. A state college would make illegal immigrants pay out of state college tuition until the students could get their status changed. They would have to become residents of the state before getting cheaper tuition.
Resistance cannot stomach the cost
It’s unfair to give benefits to undocumented immigrants while there are students who are in the country legally who need the in-state tuition more. The University of California saves illegal immigrants a ton of money through the in-state tuition benefit program. $23,000 a year is saved every year per immigrant. There was an estimated 25,000 undocumented students paying in-state tuition, accounts the Immigration Reform Law Institute in Washington, D.C. These are just within the state of California. Over $200 million is what the state ends up paying for it.
Ruling regarding in-state tuition and federal law
Undocumented immigrants are not allowed to get higher education benefits based on residency based on the federal law. Ralph Kasarda, an attorney using the Pacific Lawful Foundation, points out that the in-state college tuition judgment seems to run afoul of federal law. The U.S. Supreme Court will need to see the case appealed. This will occur soon probably.
“California is not in sync with the federal mandate against giving Brownie points for being an illegal immigrant,” Kasarda told the Los Angeles Times.
There is not a conflict according to CA state officials. They claim that under the state’s nonresident college tuition exemption, public colleges may extend in-state college tuition to those who attended CA high schools for three years or more. Lawful status isn’t looked at. California doesn’t considered immigration status.
Info from
LA Times
latimes.com/news/local/la-me-illegal-students-20101116,0,2917015.story?track=rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+latimes/mostviewed+%28L.A.+Times+-+Most+Viewed+Stories%29
America, the land of priorities
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