College Subsidy

"In-state tuition" is the college tuition that a resident pays to a public college or university in their home state. This is a subsidy which is typically much less than the tuition charged to students who come from out-of-state. Allowing an illegal alien student to pay less than an American student is wrong, yet this is currently being promoted in Congress under the DREAM act and in a few states.

Under U.S. law, illegal aliens may not hold a job in the United States. Thus, tax dollars expended on higher education illegal aliens to prepare them for professional careers only draws more illegal aliens to those states offering in-state tuition.

When an illegal alien is granted in-state tuition and admission to a state university, he or she is directly competing with American students for that educational slot. This competition is unfairly biased against American students in other states who must pay out-of-state tuition to attend the university, while the illegal alien student is given in-state tuition preference.

In-state tuition for illegal aliens is a violation of Federal Law. Federal Law Title 8, Chapter 14, Sec. 1623 states:

"an alien who is not lawfully present in the United States shall not be eligible on the basis of residence within a State... for any postsecondary education benefit unless a citizen or national of the United States is eligible for such a benefit."

Additional points

In-state college tuition for illegal aliens gives benefits to adult or nearly-adult children over the age of 18 whose parents are also illegal aliens. Recipients of the rewards are not grade-school "youngsters". Taxpayers pay the difference.

A 1996 Federal law mandates that if instate rates are given to illegals, those rates must also be given to all applicants to Florida's colleges and universities from the other 49 states. Although the law is not actively enforced, giving in-state tuition to illegal aliens is a clear violation of federal law.

In-state tuition for illegals is in fact an amnesty disguised as an educational initiative.

College entrants slots are fixed and limited. In-state tuition for illegal aliens places U.S. citizens in direct competition with adult illegal aliens for limited slots and tuition benefits.

Giving in-state college tuition to adult illegal aliens would unfairly give them benefits not given to American citizens in other states ( e.g., war veterans).

Providing in-state tuition to illegal aliens tells legally applying foreign students they are suckers for not becoming illegal aliens.

Illegal aliens now pour in from all over the world at a rate of more than 80,000 a month. The Wal-Mart immigration sweep of October, 2003, netted large numbers from Mexico, the Czech Republic, Mongolia, Brazil, Poland, Russia, Uzbekistan, Georgia, Lithuania and some from from African and Asian countries. Because of virtually no internal enforcement, illegal aliens typically bring their entire families into the U.S. There is a potential for a vast number of illegal aliens to receive in-state tuition at taxpayer expense. Thus, instate college tuition for illegals would give an adult illegal alien from Uzbekistan and all the nearly 200 countries of the world benefits that would be denied to American citizens - an absurdity.

Florida's elected officials are now voting on issues influenced by illegal aliens and their supporters residing in the districts of the state elected officials. Democratic representation of Florida's citizens is being eroded by ethnic pandering that emphasizes illegal aliens.

Standard argument and reasoned response

Claim: "Yes, but children of undocumented workers should not be punished for what their parents did."

Response: So, Florida's and America's citizen students should be punished for the illegal acts of illegal-alien parents residing in Florida?"

- Since when is the state government in the business of coming to the rescue of adults whose parents committed illegal or imprudent acts?
- Those adult illegal aliens need to go back to mom and dad and hold them accountable.
- In the case of Mexican adult illegal aliens, they can easily return to Mexico to receive a virtually free college education at the University of Mexico.

A dream or a NIGHTMARE?

For illegal aliens, there are revered stories of breaking into the U.S. and then being rewarded with all kinds of goodies and freebies. But for Susan, who lives with her family  in Nebraska, that story is a nightmare.

A bill currently working its way through Congress, the NIGHTMARE Act, would deny Susan, a veteran and Purple Heart recipient, the opportunity to go to college in Florida at in-state rates. But it would give those rates to illegal aliens from every country in the world. Currently, federal law requires that if illegal aliens are given in-state rates, the same must be given to U.S. citizens from the other states. The proposed bill would eliminate that provision.

Hundreds of thousands of U.S. citizens would be denied in-state rates while illegal aliens, such as Maria X, a Mexican illegal alien whose parents illegally sent her north to mooch a free K-12 education, would be awarded that benefit. As a Mexican citizen, Ms. X, who is eligible for a virtually free college education in Mexico, would get the chance to attend Florida colleges at in-state rates.

Such a measure would fulfill Maria's parents' dream, but it would mean a financial nightmare for Susan's parents, fourth-generation Nebraskan family farmers. "Out of common sense and fairness, our laws should allow United State citizens at least parity with illegal aliens not to mention the outrage that American citizens would not be given first priority," words Susan says she wishes but doesn't expect to hear from the Hispandering president of the United States.

The NIGHTMARE Act would allow illegal aliens, who unlawfully entered the U.S., to be eligible to receive in-state tuition rates and a six-year, temporary legal resident status, which could lead to U.S. Citizenship. The illegal-alien student could become a permanent legal resident if he or she completes two years of school toward a degree.

But until this absurdity is resolved in favor of U.S. citizens, Susan and her like are trapped in a kind of no-citizen's-need-apply, void, sandwiched between right and wrong. "I get tired of people asking if I am an illegal alien," Susan said with frustration. "I feel bad that I have to lie to be accepted, but maybe with a return to some common sense, I will be able to get at least some of the benefits handed out to illegal aliens," she added.

For Susan and others like her, that would only be fair. And while greatly disheartened and not terribly optimistic, Susan's resolve to bring some sense to the nonsensical remains steadfast. "We must wake up from this nightmare and get real," said Susan, having just returned from a long 12-hour day attending to livestock and mending fences. Removing her dusty hat and wiping the sweat from her brow, she paused and rhetorically sighed aloud, "Is this my reward for serving my country?"