Should illegal aliens get discounted tuition?

Human Events, Nov 3, 2003 by Freddoso, David

Federal law prohibits states from giving illegal immigrants in-state tuition rates at public colleges unless they extend the same discounted rate to U.S. citizens from other states.

The Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act, sponsored by Senate Judiciary Chairman Orrin Hatch (R.-Utah), would change that, allowing states to give the discount to illegals but not U.S citizens from other states, it would also make illegal aliens eligible for citizenship if they complete two years of college.

Is this fair? HUMAN EVENTS Assistant Editor David Freddoso asked senators their view.

The Judiciary Committee recently reported out the DREAM Act, which allows states to extend in-state tuition rates at state universities to illegal aliens without also extending it to U.S. citizens from other states. Is it fair for that benefit to be available to people who come here illegally, but not to people who are here legally?

SEN. DANIEL AKAKA (D.-HAWAII): I like the idea to help the immigrants. I think the other part, about helping the out-ofstate, that has to be worked on. I know that in Hawaii, citizens who come from other states pay a different rate . . . .

Should states that want illegal aliens go to their universities at the in-state rates also give them driver's licenses while they're there?

AKAKA: I don't know. I think it's a county function. It can be dealt within the county. But as far as students are concerned, who go to school, I certainly would want to help them get a good education.

The Judiciary Committee has reported out the DREAM Act, allowing state universities to give illegal immigrants the in-state tuition rate, even if U.S. citizens from other states aren't allowed to receive the same benefit. Is it fair for illegal aliens to get the in-state tuition if U.S. citizens are-

SEN. WAYNE ALLARD (R.COLO.): I have concerns about providing benefits for illegal aliens, and the message that it sends, that it's all right to come into the country illegally. I'd need to look at that specific proposal a little more closely. . .

The bill would also allow illegal aliens, after two years of college, to get citizenship, or rather to begin the process for citizenship.

ALLARD: In general, I think we have to be careful about creating incentives for people to come into this country illegally. I think we have to honor those people who have followed the process and come here legally. They're the ones that we need to work with, and those coming illegally I think we just have to use tough enforcement on. I'm not supportive of expanding benefits for illegal aliens.

The Judiciary Committee-I believe you were there to vote on it-reported out the DREAM Act, which allows state universities to extend the in-state tuition benefit to illegal immigrants. Is it fair for illegal immigrants to get that in-state tuition

SEN. RUSS FEINGOLD (D.-Wise.): Well, it's the children of illegal immigrants. They may be technically illegal, but the intention of the bill is for kids who have grown up, gone to high school with other kids whose parents happen to be illegal, to give them the same opportunity to apply for certain programs that other kids would have. I think that's a good goal. I think it makes sense, it fits with Americans' sense of fairness. . . . That's one of the reasons I co-sponsored the DREAM Act.

Are you concerned that it creates incentives for people to get here illegally with their children-

FEINGOLD: I think that's a fair concern, but I believe that it's narrow enough that it doesn't create genuine incentives. I don't think by itself the possibility that somebody, down the road, their child might get a Pell grant, is going to give a reason by itself to come here. I don't believe, obviously, that illegal immigrants should get all the rights-by no means, they shouldn't come here illegally. The law should be enforced. But this law is narrow enough, addressing what I consider to be a clear problem with what happens to the innocent kids of these people. . . . The illegal immigration problem is serious. I have voted for more border guards in the past. But we have to face the fact that there are ten million people with this status in this country. Unless somebody has a plan to just find them all and deport them-which many businesses wouldn't be happy with, because businesses say they need people to do the work-we can keep looking at this in simplistic terms, just saying, 'You're illegal,' and we shouldn't do anything about it, or we can try to find some common-sense solutions. . . .

The bill would also, after two years of college, allow illegal immigrants to begin the citizenship process in a way that other people would have to wait for years to

FEINGOLD: If we're looking at a person who has successfully gone through high school and wants to go to college, obviously we're hoping that this person will be integrated into society and hopefully that they'll become full-fledged citizens at some point. That to me is a reasonable scenario.

The judiciary Committee passed out the DREAM Act, allowing states to extend the in-state tuition rate at state universities to illegal aliens. Should illegal aliens get that benefit if U.S. citizens from other states do not?