Here's an idea, why don't you try and become an American citizen and live the American dream legally. Victoria, you are the kind of people we want to immigrate here legally.
Posted on 02/14/2007 12:41:46 PM PST by Graybeard58
HARTFORD -- Victoria Perez traveled to the state Capitol Tuesday to ask for a future.
Perez, a senior at New Haven's Wilbur Cross High School, aspires to go to college next year to prepare for a career in criminal justice. But she has no idea how she'll foot the bill.
The problem: She's in the United States illegally, and therefore doesn't qualify for in-state tuition rates at Connecticut's public colleges and universities. Out-of-state tuition costs three times as much.
To Perez, a native Mexican brought to the United States at 3 years old, that simply isn't fair.
"We're all created equal. I mean, we're all humans," the soft-spoken 18-year-old said.
Perez and dozens of immigrant-rights activists gathered in Hartford on Tuesday to support a bill to change that policy and extend in-state tuition rates to all residents, regardless of immigration status, at the University of Connecticut, community colleges and other public schools.
"There is no group as disenfranchised in the education system as undocumented students," said Rep. Felipe Reinoso, D-Hartford, a sponsor of the measure.
Ten other states have passed similar laws.
Those favoring the idea list numerous advantages, from improving the quality of the state's work force to extending basic decency to ambitious young people who, in many cases, did not personally violate the law.
"These kids were brought here, sometimes without any choice or against their will," Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said.
Supporters also note that federal student aid is off-limits to illegal immigrants.
The bill has no formal cost estimate, though it's certain to impact taxpayers, who subsidize in-state seats at public colleges. Some supporters estimate no more than 250 students would take advantage of the discount each year.
Regardless, Blumenthal said, the price would be fully justified, calling it "an investment that will repay itself many times over."
The idea also faces plenty of opponents, and a similar bill was narrowly defeated by the legislature two years ago. Since then, the issue has become far more polarized as immigration has accelerated.
About 11 percent of Connecticut's population was foreign-born in 2000, according to the U.S. Census, up from 8.5 percent in 1990, a difference of about 91,000 people.
During Tuesday's hearing before the higher education committee, Sen. Dan Debicella, R-Shelton, called the bill "a massive subsidy" for illegal immigrants.
"If someone has not followed the laws of the U.S. to become a citizen, why do they deserve to get the same level of tuition as legal residents?" Debicella asked.
"This seems to reward behavior that we seek to deter," the senator said.
Rep. Pamela Z. Sawyer, R-Bolton, worried the measure could hurt the state's aspiring college students by heightening the competition for admission. Many community college students are single mothers struggling to make ends meet, she said.
"There are a lot of pressures on education dollars currently in the state of Connecticut," Sawyer said.
Though several religious and civil liberties groups support the measure, it's certain to face opposition from critics of illegal immigration. Connecticut Citizens for Immigration Control, a group based in Darien, mobilized significant opposition to the idea when it last faced a vote in 2005.
Rep. Selim Noujaim, R-74th District, a member of the higher education committee, said he would support the bill only for undocumented students who were brought to the United States by their parents.
"If they entered the country illegally, I would not want any part of it," said Noujaim, who was born in Lebanon and moved to the U.S. legally in 1971.
Nadia Minor, one supporter of the bill, counts herself among the lucky.
A Mexican and a cousin of Victoria Perez, she was brought to the United States at 7 years old. Though the 20-year-old graduated in the top 5 percent of her New Haven high school class, she said, she expected her illegal status to block her from college. She didn't even apply.
But Perez eventually won legal residency, thanks to her mother's native-born husband, and now attends Central Connecticut State University. She wants her cousin and her friends to have the same opportunity.
"I feel like we're paying for mistakes we didn't make," said Minor, who hopes to attend law school. "We didn't choose to come here."
Ping.
Wouldn't it be nice if whenever illegals were identified, such as in this case, they were immediately deported?
This makes my blood boil.
go back
We didn't choose to come here...you're 18 you can go back to mexico or wherever you came from and go to college there.
So fix the mistake. Leave the country and go back to yours. This ditz wants to go to law school ? She needs to learn logical analysis first.
"To Perez, a native Mexican brought to the United States at 3 years old, that simply isn't fair."
BS.
If illegals are given in state tuition rates, then my son should be able to go to any college without paying out of state tuition.
He could argue that it wasn't his fault that he grew up in the state that he did. That was my choice.
I am so sick of these people telling us what their "rights" are.
The logical LIBERAL solution is simple: Nobody is given in-state tuition breaks.
The correct solution is also simple: Illegal aliens are deported or prosecuted (as appropriate), with repeat offenders sliding right up that scale. if prosecuted, they are sentenced to hard labor - perhaps polishing septic tank liners?
Is it just me or does anyone else see something wrong with an illegal pursuing a career in criminal justice. I think she should turn herself in just to make a point.
"We're all created equal. I mean, we're all humans," the soft-spoken 18-year-old said.
...shutup! You're under arrest.
Well, double do do. Isn't that just terrible!?!?
She's in illegally. She's a criminal. I'm sure the University of Mexico will let her in. WA state passed this godawful legislation giving illegals in-state tuition. We the Taxpayers have been paying for it ever since. Bad idea!
LMAO!!! Does anyone else notice the irony that an ILLEGAL alien wants to pursue a career in "CRIMINAL JUSTICE"? What's next, Bill Clinton wants to teach an sexual abstinence class?
I got news for Victoria: If you want to pursue "criminal justice" and make sure its enforced properly, you can start by reporting yourself to the feds and be sent back to Mexico to get your "college education" there.
Here's an idea, why don't you try and become an American citizen and live the American dream legally. Victoria, you are the kind of people we want to immigrate here legally.
No we're not,sweetie.There's no way in hell that I could get "in state tuition" (or anything else) in Mexico if I was residing there illegally.
And that's as it should be.
I thought you would give them the option of gaining citizenship by joinging the military. This is the one exception I would grant.
The University of Washington tried to offer in-state tuition to illegals who graduated from local high schools. They didn't anticipate the uproar from the Asian students who also graduated from local high school, while here on either green cards with their families or student visas. The Asians took the issues to the courts and the university was forced to refund the difference between the in-state and out of state tuition to all the Asian students who also graduated from local high schools. A friend of my son's was one such student.
Was this from DU?
These ILLEGALS have rights?
God help the USA.
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