Posted on 01/28/2002 11:09:47 AM PST by mykdsmom
DURHAM -- Andrea Bazan Manson, executive director of El Pueblo, often asks Hispanic parents about college plans for their children. Many -- especially those who lack visas or other legal permission to stay in the United States -- tell her it’s too expensive.
The issue of in-state tuition rates for longtime immigrant residents has become a top educational priority for the Raleigh-based El Pueblo and other groups that lobby the Legislature on Hispanic issues, Manson said.
A movement is afoot in the Legislature to allow some students who are illegal immigrants into public universities at in-state tuition rates. North Carolina would follow California and several other states in providing the tuition break usually reserved for legal residents.
"We’re not asking for a handout but for an opportunity to help improve the state," Manson said. "We believe some of the Latino students are North Carolinians. Some have had their entire education in the state. And their parents are here working and they are paying taxes through their work, even though they may not have citizenship."
A legislative study commission plans to look into the issue before the next legislative session and have a report and possible draft legislation ready this year for the next "short" session, which starts at the end of May.
"It’s definitely something North Carolina should address," said state Sen. Bill Martin, a chairman of the study commission and a Guilford County Democrat. "There is an increasing population of not just Hispanics but immigrants generally. There are a lot of students who drop out because they don’t see the possibility of going on to higher education."
The state community college system already allows them to take classes.
In-state tuition, Manson contends, is intended as an incentive to students who plan to work in North Carolina after graduation.
"Every time we have meetings with our parents or our youth, this is one of the main issues. … We have bright kids who would benefit the state and the community," she said.
"These are North Carolinians; they’ve been here many years. We’re not asking for it for someone who just moved here. We’re asking [the Legislature to outline] how they can prove they’re going to stay here for a long time," she said.
California last year decided to offer in-state tuition rates for an estimated 500 to 1,500 new undocumented students a year. The students have to have graduated from a California high school, attended school in the state for at least three years and be applying for legal residency.
"California has the same situation, and they were able to work though it," Manson said. "I do think if we looked at the whole picture it makes sense economically and it makes sense ethically to help these kids, if they have that talent and that interest."
Over the past decade, more than 15,000 Hispanics have moved into Durham County and even more into other Triangle areas. Some children of immigrants who moved here illegally have spent more time in the state than in the country where they were born.
Some say making higher education more affordable for such children could yield a better-educated and more productive population. But others say that taxpayers should not subsidize higher education for illegal immigrants.
"It’s not an idea that’s uniformly accepted among all citizens," Martin said. "There are some who feel we should not offer in-state tuition to anyone who is not a legal citizen. The thing I believe is, you have a lot of children who graduate from school in North Carolina who, because their parents are not citizens, would be denied an in-state tuition."
An editorial in The Technician, the N.C. State University student newspaper, argued against tuition breaks.
"If the state allows illegal residents in-state tuition benefits, where does it draw the tuition line?" the editorial said. "Thankfully, legislators do not have to answer the question of where to draw this line when it comes to illegal residents. The government has already drawn the line for them; it’s called the national border."
But advocates say such a position ignores reality. They see little difference between an undocumented youth who has lived here for years and someone else who has lived the same amount of time in the state but is a U.S. citizen.
State Sen. Wib Gulley, a Durham County Democrat, said that approving new money in such tight budget times would be difficult to get through the Legislature. But he said if undocumented students have been attending public school here for years, they should have the same rights as their high school classmates.
"The question is, shouldn’t they be treated the same way?" he said. "In this economy I’m not sure how much of anything that costs us a significant amount of money we can do. But I think there’s a growing awareness and appreciation of the critical role Hispanics play in the economy and the other contributions Latinos make in communities across North Carolina."
Even though I've lived in NC and payed NC taxes for over 6 years, my daughter who lives in MI with her dad and graduated from HS in MI would have to live in this state for a year before we would qualify for in-state tuition rates.
By all means, lets keep rewarding people for breaking the law.
MKM
... And their parents are here working and they are paying taxes through their work, even though they may not have citizenship ...We didn't get this stupid over night, damn it. It must have taken us years to achieve this level of slack-jaw'd idiocy.
MKM
BTW, did you all realize that Al Sharpton has opened up an office for his "organization" in Durham?
BUMP!!
I have chosen this very matter as an action project for my college Ethics class. If you or anyone else have any links regarding this topic I would be thankful for you posting them.
Best Regards!
EOTS
Hey, MKM... did you happen to catch WRAL's morning news today?
Their "Tarheel Trivia" question was "Name one of Governor Mike Easley's three hobbies".
Not sure how the avg. viewer was supposed to know that, but I tried like hell to get through.
The answer I was going to give? Raising taxes!
Boy, I bet that would've stirred up some $hit!
Big Al came out to Princeville, NC after it was wiped out by Hurricane Floyd, and boy, were we relieved! /sarcasm.
That's a whole different story that really gets my blood pressure up.
Too bad you didn't get through.
MKM
MKM
I believe one of our fellow posters, NavyBlue, has mentioned that it is legal, per the IRS, to claim dependents living in Canada or Mexico. How many of these illegal immigrants claim 10 dependents in Canada or Mexico? How would the IRS verify the information?
Can you still claim to be a taxpayer, if you get every dollar, you paid in, back at the end of the year?
>sarcasm<
So, a U.S. citizen, who's ancestors fought, bleed and sacrificed to make this country great, has no more claim than the children of outlaws. I guess they think my child has no more claim to my home, upon my death, than an illegal immigrant.
But he said if undocumented students have been attending public school here for years, they should have the same rights as their high school classmates.
Translation- We forced the taxpayers to educate these children, now we us that as justification to make them pay more. IMHO, that's like the rapist telling his victim; You didn't fight me hard enough so you shouldn't complain when I rape you again tomorrow.
And then some.
Summary Figure 3. Effective Federal Individual Income and Social Insurance Tax Rates, by Income Quintile, 1997 
SOURCE: Congressional Budget Office. NOTES: The effective tax rate equals tax liabilities as a percentage of total income. Quintiles, or fifths, of the income distribution contain equal numbers of people. a. Payroll taxes financing Social Security, Medicare, and federal unemployment insurance.
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