<ol>
<li><p>We often forget that, by giving money to one set of individuals, we indirectly deprive it from another set.</p></li>
<li><p>Anyone, name just one crime a parent does for which the child does not suffer some consequence for.</p></li>
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<p>@bay Maybe you didn’t see my earlier post on page 11 directed at @cttp, but I am NOT living in the US illegally. I was born in this country and my parents immigrated here legally, not that it’s any of your concern. Furthermore, I will be attending a public university in Florida and receive in-state tuition rates beginning this fall. Now as to address your question, I never said that I support illegal immigrants in receiving in-state tuition rates. My previous posts have expressed my perspective towards successful students who are barred from furthering their education due to their parent’s mistakes. I sympathize with students in those situations and greatly believe that they should be granted more opportunities in order to receive a higher education, but I never said that they should qualify for in-state tuition rates. In my previous post on page 11, I merely stated that we should aid such students on the path to citizenship so that they can eventually receive in-state tuition and other benefits that this nation offers. I just believe that more should be done to help intelligent students like myself who are just as American as I am, except for their country of citizenship. In-state tuition may not be the most logical and fiscal solution, but I believe that we must devise other appropriate solutions to help students in those circumstances while also working to solve America’s immigration issue. </p>
<p>In case you all didn’t know, Florida is not the only state to devise legislation like this. Multiple other states currently offer in-state tuition rates to illegal residents, especially states with high amounts of illegal residents like California and Texas. Just an interesting discovery I made that I believe is beneficial to this debate. Here is a link for more information: <a href=“Policy Research”>Policy Research;
<p>I just came out of the U.S. Embassy this morning in GMTland, to get extra pages added to my passport. In the waiting room I could overhear snippets of visa interviews, including that of one young person being grilled over his application for a student visa. </p>
<p>What a fool this dude is to bring all this documentation to prove he has funds to go study in the U.S. If he was smarter he would just jump the queue and have his college education subsidized already, no questions asked. </p>
<p>Next thing you know, we will be subsidizing a college education for half of Korea, for “goose” families that come to America, not to work, but for the express purpose of putting their kids in American public k-12 school for free.</p>
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<p>No, the bigger issue is that people have to stop putting out that ridiculous strawman.
No one is “demonizing” them.
People are just saying they should not get benefits that they are not entitled to.</p>
<p>Well, they are receiving those benefits and whether we like it or not, it isn’t going to change any time soon.</p>
<p>If the program cost far more than expected, or if the number of illegal immigrants applicants spikes, expect the Florida legislature to revisit the law. Additional criteria could very well be added. On the other hand, advocates will now start pushing to make them eligible for Florida’s Bright Future Scholarships and other state grants/financial aid.</p>
<p>For now, in Florida, the next step is to wait and see what happens. </p>
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<p>It is not at all their only option.
There are a lot of other countries besides the U.S. A lot.</p>
<p>My husband has been offered a job in Florida, but can only accept it in two years after he is able to retire from his job here in NY. They have agreed to this. It is a private position. My daughter will graduate from a NY school in this two year time frame, but we will not be able to send her to UF or FSU with out-of-state tuition costs. Her permanent address will change to FL, so I don’t know what NY will say either. She wanted to go to FSU when she found out we were moving. And we have been paying taxes in Florida (and NY) as my husband has been traveling back and forth to do some work as time permits. In our NY school district, you can’t even sign up for HS without ID and residency. </p>
<p>Households headed by undocumented immigrants in Florida pay probably close to $1 billion annually in Florida state and local taxes…it’s not like they don’t contribute something. Sales taxes and property taxes as a component of rent add up. Florida has no personal income taxes…an undocumented immigrant living in a migrant camp in Immokalee pays as much in Florida income taxes as someone living in a Palm Beach oceanfront mansion…$0. Both pay the same approx. 7% sales tax on their taxed purchases in Florida.</p>
<p>The estimated $50 million absorbed by the state over 4 years of college (or $12.5 million/year) with the in-state tuition for undocumented immigrants is peanuts in Florida’s $77 billion annual budget this year.</p>
<p>Lizard, don’t we still have the Luxory tax? I haven’t bought a new car or property in years, but I think that is another way FL gains taxes from expensive purchases. (At least, it use to exist.)</p>
<p>I’m sure no tax expert…never paid any luxury taxes in Florida that I can recall. State taxes in Florida work out to about $4000/year for each man, women, and child in Florida…citizen or non-citizen. Approx. $80 billion/year state budget divided by 20 million Fl residents equals $4000 each. The tuition break for undocumented immigrants is what, about 75 cents/year for each Fl. resident…out of the $4000/year taxes per Fl resident? …peanuts.</p>
<p>Redeye, your daughter might be able to have the choice of NY or FL if either you or your husband establishes residency in FL a full year before she needs to start. If you already have a home here, change your residency, your DL, your voter registration, your car registration. There is no income tax in Florida, but you would have to pay taxes in another state if you work there.</p>
<p>Kids who have parents living in different states often get a double benefit for in-state tuition. My nephew graduated from a FL high school, so he has instate tuition here, but also had it in Colorado as his father lives there.</p>
<p>Your daughter could also take a gap year and start after your family has lived here one year.</p>
<p>@Lizard it is not peanuts if an illegal immigrant takes that money from someone else and takes the seat from a deserving hard working citizen.</p>
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But FL has high property taxes. Someone living in a Palm Beach oceanfront mansion is paying a bu++load in property taxes. There is something perverse about a citizen paying beaucoup bucks in property taxes on a vacation home in FL not being eligible for FL in-state tuition for child, while an illegal immigrant contributing a lot less in taxes is eligible. </p>
<p>In 2008, Florida’s illegal immigrant population cost state taxpayers more than $3.8 billion per year. The $3.8 billion annual price tag covers only the costs of K-12 education, medical care and incarceration of illegal aliens who have committed other crimes in Florida. The estimated taxes collected from illegal immigrant workers do not offset this fiscal cost, as the net cost to taxpayers is still more than $2 billion per year. </p>
<p>It’s true that the state budgets about $4K per resident, but funding comes from many different sources, of which general taxes makes up a smaller portion of the funding.</p>
<p>I was going to do a long write-up about general revenue vs. trust funds, but really, who cares. Bottom line, about 2/3 of the funding for the state budget does NOT come from general revenue, such as sales taxes. Comparing the $50 million dollar cost to the overall budget number isn’t really useful, it’s better, I would think to compare it against the overall all education budget (over $1 billion for state colleges and over $4 billion for state universities, lets say $6 billion).</p>
<p>Someone please explain this U.S. Dept of Justice logic for public K-12:</p>
<p>Apply for F-1 visa. Reside in U.S. LEGALLY:
<a href=“Kindergarten to Grade 12 Students | Study in the States”>http://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/students/k-12-students</a>
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<p>Reside in U.S. ILLEGALLY:
<a href=“Feds to schools: You must accept children of undocumented immigrants - CBS News”>http://www.cbsnews.com/news/feds-to-schools-you-must-accept-children-of-undocumented-immigrants/</a></p>
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<p>@GMTplus7 you are talking about a student coming here on a student visa, NOT a child of a legal immigrant worker here. Children of legal workers here go to public school for free just like all kids LIVING HERE. </p>
<p>Yes, I know legal immigrant workers are permitted to enroll their kids in public K-12; I have no issue with that. If you read the Dept of Justice link in my previous post, kids on F-1 visas who come for the express purpose of attending public high school, can only attend for one year and must pay for the entire cost.</p>
<p>The Justice Dept is now insisting that states enroll children of illegal immigrants in public K-12, no questions asked. </p>
<p>and I have no problem with enrolling the children of illegal immigrants in K-12, no questions asked. The alternative is? Having them go work in the fields, the lawn businesses, the hotel laundry? Are there no work houses?</p>