<p>Note that the law does not say that illegals cannot attend state schools, just that they can’t pay the lower instate rates. If you can come across the southern border illegally from Mexico and pay instate rates, why can’t a US citizen come across the rest of the AZ border from the other 49 US states and get the same deal? Am I missing something?</p>
<p>2dsdad
AZ resident
Born a non-US citizen outside this country
Brought to this country by my parents legally when I was very young
Carried a Green Card for many years
Chose to become a naturalized US citizen once I reached majority
By default I have to be pro-immigration. Legal immigration that is.</p>
<p>Puhleeeeeze !!! This is beyond ridiculous. I second that. I too am:</p>
<p>Born a non-US citizen outside this country
Came legally as a graduate student with my non-US hubby
Both worked our butts out at grad school
Both had Green Cards as soon as we were eligible
Both are proud U.S. citizens</p>
<p>What about states like North Carolina, where the in-state tuition is something ridiculous like $4000 per year!!! but we as OOS cannot afford the OOS fare?</p>
<p>Students applying from other countries to schools in the U.S. have a tough time even getting accepted, then have to pay OOS fees, and in the end are often denied a Student B-1 visa by the U.S. embassies, on the grounds that they may decide to stay in the U.S. and not return to their home countries!!!</p>
<p>Let’s remember that many of those students (and their parents) would become legal immigrants if there was a way. Their parents were recruited (yes, recruited!) to come into this country to do the work we won’t do or won’t pay enough for a legal to do (i.e. build our homes), their parents have made a HUGE contribution to the state’s economy with not a huge benefit to themselves…etc. etc. So until we come up with a fair immigration policy, I believe those students should pay in-state tuition. Your analogy about crossing the border from other states into Arizona to pay in-state rates doesn’t really apply because those who would cross haven’t made any fianancial contributions to the state of Arizona.</p>
<p>Lets be clear. Most definitions of residency would have to be manipulated by adding the word “legal” to deny these students residency status. A person not legally in this country who was a resident of Texas cannot get in-state tuition in California. Why? Because they are residents of Texas. </p>
<p>Is someone alleging that these students crossed the U.S./Mexico border to attend ASU? Is someone alleging they didn’t live in AZ for the requisite time period before enrolling? We are turning admissions offices into INS substations. </p>
<p>No “papers” , no school. What’s next? Checking documents at hospitals and grocery stores? No papers, no food?</p>
<p>Do the children of - undocumented workers- live and are educated in that state?
Do the parents pay taxes? Then they are residents and should get instate tuition
Whats the alternative? trying to keep them uneducated so that we can have a ready made supply of cheap workers?
Oh…</p>
<p>Since I support attrition through enforcement, I absolutely don’t think illegal immigrants should receive instate tuition rates. However, if the child is a citizen born to illegal immigrants, of course they should. I think we’ve reached the point where life in America needs to become unpleasant enough for illegals that they will return home and begin to demand changes in their own countries. Time to stop enabling ethnic cleansing in dysfunctional nations.</p>
<p>I’ve got it! Why don’t we fine hospitals and doctors who treat those in the country without benefit of papers (undocumented workers) like we do their employers? And the school districts. What about landlords? Wait , I’ve got it -let’s fine the colleges, too!</p>
<p>We are treating the symptoms,folks. Sooner or later we are going to have to look at the disease.</p>
<p>I live in Washington state. I knew a family from a foreign country that was here legally. Their daughter attended our public schools from elementary to high school. Due to their job situation they thought at first they would be returning to their home country. By the time she was in high school they had applied for and received their green cards. When she started college as they were not U. S. Citizens they were told they had to pay out of state tuition. They lived in Washington state since their arrival here and paid sales tax, federal income tax, etc. They were here as legal immigrants.</p>
<p>What was most upsetting to them is that they were told if they were here illegally then they could pay in state tuition, but since they were documented aliens they had to pay out of state tuition. Washington state has a policy of allowing illegal aliens to pay in state tuition.</p>
<p>I’d LOVE to see this country if all illegals were banished for 60 days. If we could last that long without them.
The workers often pay SS taxes, income taxes and yet never can file a return, claim the ss benefits.
The solution to the problem is not to hurt 18 year olds in one state. All you do is create some political soundbites, a bit of self righteousness and some upset teens. This effort will have zero effect on the immigrant situation.
Here in NJ a big issue is property taxes, which support the cost of schools etc by town. People pay 4k to 10k in most towns, with big homes going up over 20k a year. People “solve” this by screaming at each town’s school board despite 90% of costs being mandated. This gets attention, news articles and keeps people from even noticing that this helps only the politician of the week. This reads like the same thing to me.
it often seems to me that the best solutions are ones developed by folks who are not mad, at either end of the situation, and can leave emotional reactions aside.</p>
<p>It’s interesting to me that those posting who are immigrants oppose in-state tuition for illegal immigrants. I’m first generation, and was born a couple of months after my parents immigrated – I, too, support limits on ILLEGAL immigrants. The hospital analogy doesn’t hold, imo. Hospitals are used in health emergencies – colleges are not. My parents lived in the U.S. for ten years before becoming citizens, and it was a big deal in my family. I just don’t agree with rewarding illegal behavior.</p>
<p>zm, they are going after employers pretty hard. Lately meat packing plants. If memory serves at least some factory execs of one of the major players were facing criminal charges . I haven’t heard of landlords facing similar concerns. (Doesn’t mean it’s not happening in a Dallas suburb right now. LOL)</p>
<p>The crazy thing is that many of the undocumented immigtants are recruited to come work here. In many instances it works somewhat like this: a middle man goes to a small town in Mexico, says he needs workers for a meat packing plant, construction job, landscaping business, etc. and offers those poor people the moon. Many towns in Mexico are prospering financially (relatively speaking)because of the money being sent back from the US, but you see no young men around…it’s eerie. I am a US citizen born in Mexico and have spoken to many illegal Mexicans who tell me their stories. We want our cake and eat it too. It’s that simple. We want them to do all the “dirty” work with nothing in return.</p>
<p>We do have a big problem on our hands that needs to be dealt with, but I don’t believe in punishing the victims.</p>
<p>Westcoastmom, I’m pretty sure that the only arena where green card holders are treated differently from naturalized citizens is elections. I cannot imagine that your green card friends paid OOS!!</p>