<p>"Actually, an illegal immigrant can have an SSN. Some examples:</p>
<p>a. Someone who worked in the US legally on a work visa has an SSN, and still has it even if his/her work visa is no longer valid and s/he has no other means of legally being in the US.</p>
<p>b. Someone may have been assigned an SSN as a dependent of someone paying US income tax, even if s/he never had any means of legally being in the US. "</p>
<p>You guys are kidding yourselves - the vast majority of illegal immigrants that are working use the ss# of another person. They pay ss withholding, but they make too little to pay income taxes. They do pay sales taxes on items purchased.</p>
<p>Some states will prosecute for identity theft, but most are just happy to have the ss witholding paid.</p>
<p>Maryland’s education policies have nothing to do with punishing or rewarding adults who break the law. They have to do with creating opportunities for kids who grow up, live and work in Maryland. Do we want our people to be educated or uneducated? I prefer they be educated, regardless of their parents’ histories.</p>
<p>The person who signs the I-9 for the employer is confirming that to the best of his/her knowledge the documents used for that purpose appear to be valid. There are many falsified documents floating around out there, so it is entirely possible for an honest employer to be fooled. Granted, some employers want to be fooled, but that is another story.</p>
<p>The SS department is working with the federal government to create systems that will make it easier for employers to validate potential employees’ SSNs, but the costs involved appear to be onerous (to date) for many smaller businesses. In addition the simple fact that a worker with a duplicate SSN pays into the system but will never collect means that there really is little incentive for SS to stop this practice.</p>
<p>And of course, none of that has much to do with finding the best solution for young people who were brought to this country by their parents, have been educated here, and who just want to do what their high school friends are doing - go to college or trade school. Some of these kids arrived as infants and barely speak the language of their country of origin. Many of them are not literate in the language of their country of origin, and even if they would return home have no hope whatsoever of pursuing a college degree. If the “Dream Act” will get them closer to employability, and put them on a path that leads to the chance of regularizing their immigration status it is a very good thing.</p>
<p>IMO won’t make much difference, and what difference would be very minimal. </p>
<p>B/C, If the Legals can barely afford the instate school tuition and only with federal Pell and guaranteed Staffords and PLUS, why then would the Illegals be able to afford our public colleges without these loans?</p>
<p>This is one reality. The other reality is that once these kids get their degree, they find that many avenues of work that their degrees would open up to them are closed because of their undocumented status. It’s a mess!</p>
<p>Enforcement-only solutions are politically popular but hinder what is needed–comprehensive reform.</p>
<p>You guys are analyzing how much an illegal pays in taxes etc but how about you guys analyze how many of these illegal teens actually go to college? VERY LITTLE. Most of them don’t even think about going to college. They have to work to help out their family. They are so busy working from an early age that they either drop out or barely graduate high school</p>
<p>Look up Alfredo Quinones, there are many illegal immigrants that have the potential to become like him but never have the opportunity.</p>
<p>Journey #30 “Our country needs the drive and talents that young immigrants bring” What does that mean? Our country needs to put the next generation of legal residents to work- the ones with college degrees already completed! The generation of kids who’s parents have paid taxes both income/state/special assessments/sales tax/supported k-12 education through private donations- you get the idea. These college grads are finding they and/or friends can’t get an entry level career job, but rather cobble together several part time jobs, oh, and my favorite, work unpaid internships after graduation. All without benefits.</p>
<p>Being an illegal immigrant does not = drive and talent. We have many, many college educated citizens 20-28 who do have drive and talent, the economy and the corporate incentives to create jobs outside the US (because of employment cost associated with a domestic work force) have created this vast unemployed/under-employed generation which will be felt for years to come in many ways.</p>
<p>Let’s have some respect for our younger generation of citizens who we better put to work in jobs with a future if we are expecting any kid of safety net for retirees, who increasingly have very little retirement savings. Need to employ our already educated youth before we subsidize illegals with the argument “they do jobs we don’t want too”. If that is true, than those jobs don’t need a 4 year University education subsidized by legal citizens. The next step you see here in CA is- because the illegal student is from low income, they get accepted, but the kids who come from the highest paying property tax schools are not accepted into the University system- no, they can start at the CC level evidently because they were born to their high income parents (read middle class) who pay boat loads of taxes- they have already had all the “benefit” they are entitled to have. They need to get to the back of the line. </p>
<p>I hope this generation of graduates keeps voting- they need too more than ever.</p>
<p>This is a bit misleading, as the students would be going to CC for the first two years, and the price difference there is not so great. And finally…</p>
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<p>Working out those details could change many things. I’m a resident of Maryland and feel ambivalent about this issue but I support the bill as it now stands. If there are substantial changes or loopholes added, I wouldn’t support it.</p>
<p>From the looks of things, Maryland’ll face another budget gap come this July. For those Marylanders who are celebrating this, when faecal matter hits the fan, don’t complain.</p>
<p>“the illegals”? Sorry if all of you are offended by the possibility of immigrants who had no choice of coming to this country and no life if they return to their own wanting to learn and be educated like others in this great country. Many of you are convinced that these “illegals” are just taking advantage of the system and draining your money, but many non-resident families including my own and every non-resident/citizen family I know pays taxes. Both the annual ones and are taxed on income. Most of you have probably never even done more than stare malignantly at an illegal immigrant, much less talk to one, so the fact that you completely throw away the idea that someone like me should have an easier pathway to higher education is extremely offensive to me, especially as I spend hours studying my ass off everyday until I break in tears, hoping that this country might provide me the opportunities that its citizens normally eschew. But no, I guess all of you must be right. I wasn’t born here, so even my hours of daily studying and academic and service-related determination should never outweigh the qualities of the average, low-achieving caucasian citizen. Why? Because he was born here. His birth in a specific geographic piece of land means he should get more opportunities to succeed in life and improve himself than I should. Looks like I was just born in the wrong place and wrong time and I should just DEAL. Right?</p>
<p>interficio… can understand your upset with comments. especially as it affects you and your family. i initially posted that the law upset me… and it is simply on the basis of economics. I understand that some children are here due to their parents decisions and do not have any choice (either in their place of birth or where they are now)… my argument was that if a “legal” student from another state wants to attend an oos school, they pay higher rates based on the fact that they do not pay state taxes…so my question was why then would “illegal” students have that reasoning waived.<br>
Posts subsequent to my initial post…say in fact that some “illegals” are paying taxes, may have special social security numbers (which i still dont understand), may be paying under another persons name etc. So i guess if they can prove they paid taxes then they could/should qualify for in state tuition. If they didnt, then imo they shouldnt. I will leave the whole argument of immigration aside.
It had nothing to do with place of birth or quality of candidate for me, it was simply based on why would the rules be changed. I wish that the costs of education could be addressed for everyone, but in all honesty my feeling is address them for “legals” first. (sorry)</p>
<p>So should kids of people in the bracket that doesn’t have to pay taxes(less than 5k from what I remember) be forced to pay out of state tuition since such people weren’t paying state income tax?</p>
<p>The funny thing about this is that there is no such thing as in-state tuition at our local CC. It is in-county and even kids from other counties have to pay a different rate. Perhaps that is an indicator of just how out of touch the poiticians are.</p>
<p>Well, yes. That’s the whole point of being a citizen–you get certain rights and responsibilities. I can’t enter another country and expect to be able to get all of the benefits that country gives its citizens. Especially if I entered that country in violation of its immigration laws (in other words, illegally).</p>
