August 30, 2007

Va. Lawmakers Propose Banning College Admission of Illegal Immigrants

Republican leaders of Virginia’s General Assembly announced this week that they planned to press for legislation next year that would prevent the state’s public colleges from enrolling illegal immigrants, even if they had attended high school in Virginia, according to today’s Washington Post.

The legislators, whose party now controls both the Virginia Senate and the House of Delegates, said they feared that some U.S. citizens living in Virginia were being shut out of some state institutions because illegal immigrants were taking their spots, the newspaper reported. The proposed bill would require public colleges to prove that an applicant was a legal resident or held a valid student visa.

Northern Virginia Community College and some other two-year institutions allow illegal immigrants to enroll. But many of the state’s four-year institutions, including the University of Virginia, say they already reject those individuals. In 2004 a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit that challenged the admissions policies of seven colleges in the state, ruling that they have the right to deny admission to applicants who are living in the United States illegally.

Gov. Timothy M. Kaine, a Democrat, was quoted in the newspaper as saying that he was eager to work with Republicans to curtail illegal immigration. But he said he was waiting to read the findings of a state commission, expected to be released in October, that is studying immigration issues before taking a position on the Republicans’ college-admissions plan. —Sara Hebel

Comments

1. I completely agree!!! Why are so many catering to ILLEGAL immigrants? Individuals who are US citizens, born and raised, who do something illegal get less sympathy from fellow citizens than those who are in this country by evading the law. We should certainly crack down on this issue!!! I don’t understand why so many people fight it when it’s ILLEGAL!!!

   — Sarah    Aug 30, 03:42 PM    #

2. If a young person is brought to America before (s)he is eighteen, then the parents are the ones performing the illegal act. It is unethical to force children to pay for their parents’ crimes.

   Moreover, the education will benefit the young student significantly more than the illegal immigrant parents. Virginia lawmakers need to closely examine the unintended effects of their proposal.

   — Michael    Aug 30, 04:16 PM    #

3. I keep thinking of the profile WIRED magazine did of those four sons of illegal immigrants whose high school robotics team beat out MIT students in a nationwide competition. A year later they were hanging sheetrock because their status prevented them from attending college (or, at least, from qualifying for affordable tuition or aid).

   I know we don’t want to “reward” illegal activity, but how many of these children made the decision to come? They are suffering for the acts of their parents. If the child of illegal immigrants is smart, ambitious, and talented, I see little value in refusing to offer him or her any access to public postsecondary education.

   There may be many debateable topics about where they should be admitted, under what circumstances, and what aid they qualify for. But outright barring any access whatsoever is a pretty extreme step, IMO.

   — Saddened    Aug 30, 04:33 PM    #

4. This is a great day. Now if they only pass this bill into law. While I do feel sorry for the children, the parents chose to put their children is such a position. They did not have to come hear illegally. If a child has been here for 10 years and attended public schools, I have to believe that child has cost the taxpayers of Virginia possibly a hundred thousand or more. That is stealing my money. It was illegal for these children to be here, that is the bottom line. I would have to believe these children have also cost us billons in other services that we, the legal Americans, have to pay for. There is no argument here. If a person is illegal they should be denied all public benefits and any public services. I have been a democrat all my life. I am 59. I have changed in the last few months to a republican soley based on the illegal immigrant stance.

   — bennyy    Aug 30, 05:34 PM    #

5. And Bennyy, if you are not descended from slaves who were brought here against their will, how did your ancestors get here? (Even Native Americans migrated here, as you know.) Why is it so very difficult for us to be generous, once we ourselves have benefitted so handsomely from the decision our grandparents made to come to this country? Evidently you don’t feel sorry enough for the children, and I hope one day you may find greater generosity in your heart.

   — Second generation    Aug 30, 06:21 PM    #

6. I do not have a problem with allowing children of illegal immigrants to attend college. What I DO have a problem with is giving them in-state tuition. Why should children of illegals get a benefit that children of American citizens from other states do not get?

   — Ergum Soloff    Aug 30, 08:07 PM    #

7. To answer Second Generation, I don’t know about anyone else in this discussion, but my ancestors came here LEGALLY. That’s the difference. I’m a proponent of managed immigration—it can only make us a stronger country. It is the fact that we allow this widespread illegal activity (illegal immigration) to go on that undermines our country and its laws. I too feel sorry for the children, but I also recognize, as bennyy said, the blame falls on their parents, not the US government. Like it or not, their being in the country IS illegal.

   — linda    Aug 31, 08:48 AM    #

8. The highest ethical standards must prevail in dealing with all students seeking higher education.

   William Allan Kritsons, PhD
   Professor
   PhD Program in Educational Leadership
   Prairie View A&M University
   The Texas A&M University System

   — William Allan Kritsonis, PhD    Aug 31, 09:31 AM    #

9. In part the entire premise of denying admission may be unnecessary. How is an illegal resident different from a foriegn student who would be expected to pay out-of-state tuition? And if schools have the right to deny admission to anyone, why is legislation needed? Another question, is there a path to citizenship for these young people? Wouldn’t it be wise to give them a way to achieve the very respectable goal of a college education? It would benefit their community and ours.

   — Drake    Aug 31, 09:47 AM    #

10. They have been here all this time and no one has noticed they are illegal? Come on. The Federal Government has known about the immigration problem for decades, and they have overlooked it. It’s not the students’ fault. And in many cases, it’s not the parents’ fault either. We let them stay here for so long, worked them, got the benefits of their economic contributions. Give these students education visas, charge them as international students, and if anyone has anything to say, they can thank our lax Federal government.

    — kgotthardt    Aug 31, 10:00 AM    #

11. America needs maids, construction workers, grape pickers, and sheetrock hangers.

    If those kids go to college, who will do the dirty work in your home and neighborhood? Keep those kids out of college to ensure the college educated have a plentiful supply of servants.

    — justa    Aug 31, 10:27 AM    #

12. Not every child of illegal immigrants cost the states money. Some of those parents work harder than some “legal” citizens. If there was more assistance or quicker responses with filing paperwork, then maybe some of those may have already achieved citizenship status. I have worked closely with such students that have benefited from higher education services that have been available to them in Texas. It has not only helped them make the decision to go to college, but it has also made them more determined to be successful. Why should access to education be considered a “privilege”? It should be a right given to everyone. After all, we will all benefit from it if our population continues to become more educated. Like it or not, they are here already.

    — RR    Aug 31, 10:37 AM    #

13. To Justa: I do not think you have to worry. There will always be a plentiful supply of those who prefer doing manual labor, and a college education does not necessarily imply that one will be weathly enough to afford a “plentiful supply of servants;” but, hilarious statement, nonetheless, amidst all the emotion and drama here.

    — Tom    Aug 31, 11:20 AM    #

14. A few things to bear in mind. Behind the rhetoric supporting this bill is a simple fact – no Virginia students are losing space to any undocumented or out of status students. In Virginia, undocumented and out of status students are designated as out of state residents, regardless of how long they have been in the state, how much tax they and their families pay, or whether they graduated from a Virginia high school. At worst these students are taking space away from another out of state applicant. At best, their tuition is offsetting the lower and lower support for Virginia’s public institutions from the legislature. It is the height of hypocrisy that the legislature handed out a 5-7.5% cut across the board to Virginia’s post secondary institutions, and them offer a bill that will limit access to those who pay the out of state rate. If the legislature is really concerned about access, they should fund the schools and financial aid appropriately and try to steer clear of such obvious red herrings.

    There is no reason to believe that any but the most qualified and talented undocumented or out of status students would earn a competitive slot…are those really the students we want to turn away? The wilingness to cut off our proverbial noses to spite our hypothetical faces in order to pander for votes is truly amazing.

    — deanF    Aug 31, 11:33 AM    #

15. Justa, I do hope that you are being facetious. I know plenty of “maids, construction workers, grape pickers, and sheetrock hangers” with college degrees. Some even make a better living than us educators.

    Our college campuses are a microcosm of our society. I think it would benefit all students on their campus to have all diversity present. It may even teach “Mommy and Daddy’s” kids some values, much needed in today’s society. Dr. Kritsons said it best!

    — BF    Aug 31, 11:46 AM    #

16. The first thing to do is adjudicate their state residency. Once that’s settled—-based on existing laws and findings—everything else can proceed in an orderly manner. The Republican/NeoNazi front against illegal aliens cannot trump the law.

    — marci    Aug 31, 12:17 PM    #

17. What’s the point of having laws if we’re never going to enforce them because we feel sorry for the guy who suffers?

    As for smart illegal immigrants not being able to go to college because there isn’t enough money… that happened to the Irish when they came over, and they were legal! I don’t know it for a fact, but I’m sure it happened to the Italians and all the other migrant groups.

    Yes, through out its history, America has allowed people to come from all over the world. But it’s a fact that the new migrant group would start out AT THE BOTTOM and work its way up.

    The Irish and the Italians etc were all eventually successful, but the first couple generations hung the dry wall and washed the dishes. In doing so, they developed a strong work ethic that then allowed them to be successful and productive citizens.

    Coodling never helped anyone.

    — Becky    Aug 31, 01:01 PM    #

18. Key words--This proposed law will push for the prevention of Virginia State’s public colleges from enrolling illegal immigrants. Did anyone read those words, public colleges. So they will just go to the private colleges, DUH.....

    — Tascha Chalmers    Sep 1, 12:24 AM    #

19. It is fair that public colleges prevent enrolling illegal immigrants, even if they had attended high schools in Virginia or elsewhere. Is it fair to ask out of state American citizens and legal residents from other states to pay out of state tuition? We are encouraging more illegal traffic by providing them all benefits.

    — Kan Chandras    Sep 1, 10:27 AM    #

20. Here’s a question none of those Va. lawmakers appear to have considered: exactly how are they going to determine whether or not a person is legally, or illegally present in the U.S.? Immigration regulations are, to say the least, a tad bit complicated. Determining legal status not at all simple – especially if the student has an immigration application in progress or an appeal pending.
    Can’t wait to see the first lawsuit for wrongful refusal to admit – based on a school’s incorrect assessment of the student’s immigration status.

    — C.S.Nunis    Sep 4, 10:00 AM    #

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