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[quote]
On Thursday, the groups announced the recipients of a new college scholarship specifically for illegal immigrants, the first such program in the state, they said.</p>
<p>The program is financed by foundations and private donors, not public sources. But it has received crucial financing and support from the Fund for Public Advocacy, a nonprofit arm of the office of the citys public advocate, Bill de Blasio, a likely candidate for mayor in 2013.</p>
<p>...</p>
<p>The first round of scholarships, called Dream Fellowships, was open only to undergraduates in the City University of New York system. The program allocates $2,000 toward a semesters tuition per recipient. It also places the students in a leadership-development program and provides them with internships at immigrant-advocacy organizations across the city.
<p>I thought felons are barred from federal aid? But, maybe I’m wrong.</p>
<p>These scholarships for illegals are a bit crazy unless the person is going to get legal status so that they actually could WORK after they are educated.</p>
<p>Comparing felons to people who were brought here when they were young? Saying that it is “disgusting”? Look at yourself in the mirror. What makes you so much better than them? Why do you think that you’re entitled to judge them? They are human beings. You would all do the same if you were in their position.</p>
<p>I appreciate the logic of charging differnt tuition for a state’s residents vs. non-residents–it is a resident’s contibution via income state income taxes that fund public universities. So I am struggling to understand why illegal aliens should be entitled to state-funded scholarships. How can their families be paying income taxes without a social security number?</p>
<p>I feel for the kids. The defense I often hear is that it’s not these kids’ fault that they were brought here by their parents. But it’s also not my fault that I wasn’t born to billionaire parents.</p>
<p>GMTplus7, undocumented immigrants do pay taxes, whether in the form of property taxes or sales taxes and often even income taxes (using the same fake social security numbers that their employers got). In fact, some argue that undocumented immigrants pay on average more taxes than they receive back from the system:</p>
<p>Again, I do feel sorry for these kids. But as an American residing and working abroad legally, I had to jump through hoops to obtain residence and work visas. I cannot imagine living in my present country of residence illegally, then expecting that country to fund my kids’ university fees.</p>
<p>If it’s private money, then more power to them!</p>
<p>I guess the larger philosophical question is WHO should be eligible for in-state tuition and state-funded scholarships? Tax payers? Residents? What about residents who pay no taxes (i.e.welfare families) or taxpayers who are not residents (i.e. people who pay property taxes via vacation homes but are not year-round residents)</p>
<p>But if you’re illegal, then you can’t legally work in the US – so how exactly does it help someone to give them an education for a job they will never LEGALLY be allowed to take? And if the idea is that they should LIE and take the job illegally, then doesn’t the scholarship essentially abet them in the commission of a crime? (Wouldn’t it be like buying a drug dealer a new car so he can go about making his drug deliveries?)</p>
<p>fine that the scholarships are privately funded.</p>
<p>not fine if they get instate tution…because at that point they are getting a tax-payer 'scholarship"</p>
<p>And, the arguments that that illegals pay more in taxes than in services they use are flawed. Any illegal family that has their kids in the public schools system and likely getting free breakfast/lunch and maybe other benefits aren’t likely paying more than they are receiving. Just having 2-3 kids in K-12 is costing the taxpayer $20k-30k per year (plus free meals).</p>