Tuition for illegal immigrants targeted

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article said President Barack Obama introduced the DREAM Act, but the most recent version of the act was introduced by U.S. Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill. The story has been changed to reflect this.

In North Carolina, an estimated 1,500 illegal immigrants graduate each year from public high schools.

But they cannot receive in-state tuition at public universities.

And despite efforts to amend this policy, the Republican party’s platform could block all state universities from granting in-state tuition to illegal immigrants.

Thirteen states offer in-state tuition to illegal immigrants who graduated from state high schools. North Carolina is not one of them.

Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach spearheaded the Republican party’s platform, which was voted on last week before the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla.

Justin Gross, a UNC political science professor, said Republicans aim to open up more jobs for citizens with stricter immigration regulations.

In North Carolina, illegal immigrants can’t receive state or federal financial aid and are treated as out-of-state students.

Joni Worthington, UNC-system spokeswoman, said in an email that the system has followed these guidelines since 2004.

“Our campuses could not charge in-state tuition rates to undocumented students without a change in state law,” Worthington said.

As a result, access to higher education is difficult for many N.C. students who immigrated illegally, said Jose Torres-Don, an organizer with the N.C. DREAM Team.

The DREAM team, which advocates for immigration reform and the expansion of rights for undocumented youth, adopted its name from the U.S. DREAM Act.

The most recent version of the act, introduced by U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., last year, would offer citizenship to some illegal immigrants who came to the U.S. as children and graduated from high school.

Torres-Don helps coordinate forums for immigrant youth in Chapel Hill that include many Orange County high school graduates.

“They could’ve gone to excellent schools, but because of cost, they have to attend community college, which was not their first choice,” Torres-Don said.

He said the GOP’s stance is a concern for Latino students nationwide.

“It’s an attack on education,” he said. “It’s stopping America from moving forward and is undermining the mission of universities.”

Bennett Vass, co-chairman of Amnesty International UNC, a group that advocates for human rights, said in an email that revoking federal funding from universities is a drastic move.

“It seems to be punishing an institution for reaching out to those who would have no other way to study at the college level,” he said.

But he also noted that illegal immigrants do not pay state or federal taxes.

“The university has an obligation to provide quality education, and this cannot be accomplished without federal and state funding,” he said. “(Illegal immigrants) could be seen as taking advantage of the system.”

But Gross said the GOP platform on college tuition for illegal immigrants will only further alienate Latino voters.

Gross is the chief statistician for Latino Decisions, a polling firm that analyzes the Latino vote. His recent estimate predicts that 77.4 percent of registered Latino voters will vote this November — mostly for Obama.

Obama dominated the Latino electorate in 2008 by a margin of more than two-to-one, earning 67 percent of the Hispanic vote. John McCain, his Republican opponent, earned 31 percent.

But Torres-Don said he’s not satisfied with Obama’s efforts to lower tuition for illegal immigrant students.

Obama’s deferred action policy, which took effect in August, allows eligible undocumented youth to temporarily remain in the U.S. for school or work, but does not help finance their education.

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has stated that he would veto the DREAM Act, though he would consider granting citizenship to illegal immigrants serving in the military.

Torres-Don said the GOP’s stance might limit opportunities for illegal immigrants.

“It’s an economic imperative that as many students as possible have access to education,” he said.

Contact the desk editor at state@dailytarheel.com.