Illegal Immigrants get cheaper in-state tuition

[pauldun170]

Originally Posted by karl_1052

This is where I have a problem. Because I was born in Canada, I got no breaks for school. My parents paid taxes(and so did I for 8 years before going into a post secondary education). When I applied for student loans, they refused me, because my parents made too much money(it did not matter that i was not even on speaking terms with them at the time).

Some yahoo from Ethiopia gets off a boat, gets a full medical exam, and and needed meds, gets a monthy cheque, is supplied a place to live and gets a free or discounted education.

I think it is great if they want to educate illegals willing to stay and contribute to society, but to give them a discount on the tax dollars of the populace is wrong.

Your inabilty to get student loans or the mystery ethiopian has nothing to do with someone qualifying for in-state tuition.


Someone shows to school administration with proof of residency (bills or forms proving they have lived in the state for the mandatory amount of time)


though its popular to paint all illegal immigrants as 80 freeloaders living under one shack milking the system that does not appear to be the case. Having an "illegal" status does automatically mean you do not pay taxes. It simply means that you have not gone through the immigration process.
I'm sure if a census were to be done on illegals you will find a lot of individual taxpayer identification numbers. You kind of need things like drivers licenses, bank accounts, credit cards etc etc if you want to get around in this country and ITI give illegals that ability. The trade off is that they pay taxes just like everyone else if they work at a "real job" vs standing on the corner waiting for the landscaping truck to come by. Of course you are going to have the ghosts who exist nowhere and live in a shed but with the amount crossing the border I find it hard to believe that every single illegal operates outside of the norm.
That being said, those who do pay taxes do not get a free ride and pay a cost since they do not get all the benefits. Considering that colleges require things like medical records, tax payer IDs or social security #'s for all students I'm going to say that any illegal going to college has at least an INI number. In order to qualify for student loans, you need proof of income (tax records).
If they do not have those they need to pay cash out of pocket which means it does not effect you as the tax payer and her qualifying for in state tuition has nothing to do with you. If the student can prove that they are a resident, can provide all documentation required to go to the school then what does it have to do with you? What affect does it have on you whether they are there with a green card or are there illegally. If they are getting an education in the state chances are they are smart enough to know that being a legal resident is the way to go.

If you want state university systems to answer to the INS ten that's your opinion. If the state decides to put the burden on universities to handle immigration investigation then you will surely be paying a hell of lot more as universities are forced to pass on the cost of handling immigration policy to every student. I will say that will be a hell of lot more than the cost of some students attending school with questional status.