Representative Carl Wimmer has filed a bill to end Utah’s special in-state college tuition program for students who are illegally in the United States.
Wimmer’s bill balances compassion for students brought to the United States illegally by their parents with fairness for foreign students who play by the rules, Utah students who are trying to get into college and get the courses they need to graduate and for Utah taxpayers.
The bill also encourages the proponents of illegal alien students to step up and help illegal aliens fund their education without committing employment-related felonies (document/Social Security fraud, perjury on I-9 forms and even identity theft).
While Wimmer’s bill denies in-state college tuition to illegal aliens who graduate from Utah’s high schools, it does not prohibit them from attending any of Utah’s taxpayer supported higher education institutions as long as they pay the same tuition as foreign students who are legally in the United States and as American citizens from other states.
The Utah state legislature originally passed the special in-state tuition program with the understanding that it would not enter into effect until the DREAM Act was enacted by Congress. (Click here and see pp. 489-492 for a history of this bill and the sponsor’s assurance that the bill wouldn’t go into effect until the DREAM Act passed).
Delaying implementation of the Utah bill until the DREAM Act went into effect was necessary so the students would have legal status and be able to legally work both during the time they were going to college and once they graduated.
The DREAM Act was never passed; however, higher education officials supported by Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff still moved ahead with implementation of the program.
This resulted in students working illegally in order to fund their education and not being able to use their diplomas to get jobs once they graduate because they cannot work legally in the United States.
In the 2009-10 academic year, 643 illegal aliens were enrolled in Utah’s colleges and universities at an estimated cost of more than two million dollars to Utah taxpayers.
In addition, a number of Utah’s colleges and universities currently have soft enrollment caps in place which means that illegal aliens are attending college while Utah students are turned away or cannot get the classes they need to graduate.
Under Wimmer’s bill, higher education officials may still continue to enroll illegal immigrants while turning away Utah citizens and not being able to provide the courses legal residents need to graduate if they so desire.
Polls have shown that more Utahn’s support abolishing the program than keeping it in place. In 2008, 63% of respondents to a Deseret News poll supported the termination of in-state college tuition for illegal aliens. Salt Lake Tribune polls in 2008 and 2010 showed that the majority of those taking a position supported ending the program.
Proponents of illegal alien students have expressed strong opposition to the bill and shown no desire to voluntarily help meet the financial needs of the illegal alien students so they won’t have to commit job-related felonies to pay for their education and so taxpayer funds currently used to educate illegal aliens can be redirected to Utah students.
Comments
ILLEGAL alien students have been getting cheaper tuition than American citizens also. A citizen from Colorado pays out of state tuition while a legal foreign student pays even higher international student rates. This is insane and just plain evil! I have had it with the cry baby Latinos getting special rights over all of us! Police can pull me over for not wearing a seat belt but not them or its racial profiling! They have got a lot from America from crying racism any time anyone disagrees with them but that doesn't hold water with me anymore because 99.9 % of the time its total BS. If anyone is racist its the Latinos and their organizations like La Raza (The Race). That outfit is the Latino version of the KKK.
Enough is enough...I'm ready to start fighting in the streets for my country to get these leeches and blood suckers out of here. They bring NOTHING positive or good to this nation! Some of these jerk politicians keep spouting diversity and multiculturalism is good. To hell with that. Besides flooding the country with millions from one group of people is not diversity! It's an INVASION!
Anywhere in the world, millions of foreign nationals illegally invading a sovereign country is an act of war! A small number of treasonous politicians are betraying the American people. Americans must demand our laws be enforced and our borders secured. We can end illegal immigration forever if we hold our politicians accountable.
Well, glad to hear this, Utah. It is my belief that no illegal alien should be using any of our schools starting with K. When you talk about comperhensive immigration reform, this is one of the things that should end. Free medical care for illegal aliens should also end. Let's hope the new Congress can change some of these things and crack down on this illegal immigration.
As always, well said Maya !
Perhaps a 3- or 4-tiered tuition and fees structure would better reflect reality. In-state US citizens, out-of state US citizens, legal aliens, and illegal aliens.
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