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In September 1996, in the landmark Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA), Congress prohibited states from giving in-state tuition rates to illegal aliens. Members of Congress evidently never imagined that some states might simply disobey federal law.
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<p>The so-called landmark Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA) is easily one of the worst acts ever passed by an irresponsible Congress. Members of Congress evidently never imagined the extent of the abomination they approved.</p>
<p>I don't see why this is a federal or national issue. State colleges are funded by the states. It's not the business of people of other states or Congress to determine whether Texas (for example) should use taxpayer dollars to fund education for illegal immigrants.</p>
<p>It seems to me that offering a college education to people who want to live in your state is to everyone's advantage... college educated people are almost never on welfare, pay taxes.... what's wrong with it? Oh wait, is it that little "illegal" alien thing? We're talking minors here... perhaps it wasn't their choice to come?</p>
<p>I could have sworn illegal aliens can't go to college legally, seeing as how they have no valid social security number or any other type of documentation.</p>
<p>"It seems to me that offering a college education to people who want to live in your state is to everyone's advantage..."</p>
<p>I thought that the topic is tuition rates, not the "offer" of the education. If they've managed to be accepted, then supposedly they're considered "legal." (Or their illegal status was not a factor in their admission.)</p>
<p>It seems to me that the subject could involve several issues:
(1) the competition for public college admissions among both legal & undocumented populations in a particular state (since this does affect those legally entitled to reside in that state)
(2) the paid taxes of those supporting such state institutions (overwhelmingly supplied by those legally qualified to reside there, whether immigrants or not)
(3) the jurisdiction of the federal government in controlling terms of U.S. legal residency. If you are not a legal resident of the U.S.A., you are by definition not a legal resident of any state.</p>
<p>It's a good argument to raise the spectre of the new yellow peril, but with a total of 22 undocumented immigrants out of more than 50,000 students attending Oregon two- and four-year colleges, it hardly makes a difference, except that there are so few of them.</p>
<p>Since in Washington State there are often term-time vacancies in our four year colleges (except for the main campus of the UW), filling those slots--even at a dscount--would seem to be better than leaving them empty, from the point of view of the taxpayer.</p>
<p>In addition, taxpayer subsidies of education are one of the few areas where the return outstrips the investment. Better to pay for education now than welfare later.</p>
<p>OR and WA notwithstanding, the numbers of illegals in TX, CA, AZ, etc, are much higher. This will very well keep some legal citizens from attending as their slots are taken by illegals. Sorry. But that doesn't sit right. And this is a slap in the face to international and out-of-state students who are trying to come legally to attend and pay their fair share. It is time this country stopped making excuses for people who violate the law and then decide they aren't at fault and shouldn't be punished for their actions. As to repercussions and welfare, etc., they should not be eligible for that, either. dmd77, I agree that it's cheaper to pay for education, but taken to its logical conclusion, to avoid welfare, we should open all the doors and make education totally free to everyone. Then we can make college mandatory and then no one will ever be on welfare. That doesn't work, either. Amnesty is a travesty.</p>
<p>California, in the 60s, did make college free. Seems to me that led to an intellectual boom for them.</p>
<p>"OR and WA notwithstanding, the numbers of illegals in TX, CA, AZ, etc, are much higher."</p>
<p>So 50,000 workers pay their state taxes, rent homes upon which taxes are paid, buy stuff on which sales taxes are paid, and all of this to get reduced tuition for 22 residents?</p>
<p>Do the same numbers for TX, CA, AZ, and you'll get the same result. Undocumented workers are bankrolling the state university systems for everyone else (and paying for my mother's Social Security as well.)</p>
<p>mini:</p>
<p>I have seen research which shows that illegal immigrants help the federal treasury (and your mother's SocSec :) ), but have not seen any such research that indicate that illegal immigrants help state treasuries. Could you post a link or two?</p>
<p>The question was college education for illegal aliens. We know how many receive it (infinitesimal). We also know how much they pay in state taxes.</p>
<p>Undocumented workers do not help state treasuries primarily because of the shift of Medicaid and uncompensated hospital care away from the federal government and to the states (hence the surplus to the feds for my mom! ;)). However, this cost has nothing to do with the fact that the workers are undocumented, and everything to do with the fact that they (like millions of other workers, and millions of citizens, including their citizen children) lack health insurance. The cost of an uninsured worker to the state is exactly the same whether they are documented or not.</p>
<p>But that wasn't the question being asked.</p>
<p>true, it was not the question being asked, but I was seeking support for your comment: "Undocumented workers are bankrolling the state university systems..."</p>
<p>Interesting article. </p>
<p>To me it boils down to illegal aliens being treated better than aliens that follow the law. Any economics student will tell you that you can get what you want through incentives. In this case the incentives are to be an illegal alien.</p>
<p>I would say that the DREAM act is Looney Tunes but that would be an offense to Bugs Bunny. Perhaps I am not understanding the position of those that support the legislation but putting illegal aliens ahead of other US citizens and legal aliens seems just plain wrong.</p>
<p>mini: still looking for research to support your pov: "Undocumented workers are bankrolling the state university systems..."</p>
<p>Bluebayou: I believe mini was being ironic.</p>
<p>Mini: my BIL is on medicaid. There are citizenship requirements for medicaid in most states (perhaps all states). So it's not medicaid that's the issue with uninsured workers, it's local emergency rooms, where those of us with money but poor health insurance susbidize the uninsured workers. Recently my D had occasion to go to the emergency room with an ear infection (it developed quite rapidly around midnight). The bill? $561. Why so expensive? Well, I'd expect half of that is the hospital trying to break even. We have catastrophic insurance ($2500/year deductible), so we will pay that, but if everyone had health insuramce or there was a federal system, we'd have paid about $300 or so for that emergency room visit.</p>