ERIC Number: EJ766031
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2007-Apr-13
Pages: 1
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0009-5982
EISSN: N/A
State Legislatures Debate Tuition for Illegal Immigrants
Keller, Josh
Chronicle of Higher Education, v53 n32 pA28 Apr 2007
With plans for a sweeping federal immigration bill stuck in Congress, Arizona and a growing number of states have decided to try to deal with the in-state-tuition issue themselves. This spring lawmakers in at least 22 states have already considered or are debating legislation concerning in-state tuition to illegal immigrants. In about half of those states, including Connecticut and New Jersey, the legislation would allow any students who graduated from high schools in the state, whether or not they were legal residents, to qualify for the lower tuition. The other states, including Missouri and Kansas, would explicitly ban the practice. Support for the tuition legislation does not always fall along partisan lines. Instead, the debate often turns on how the issue is framed: whether legislators and voters picture the recipients of in-state tuition as students, or as illegal immigrants. As a result, opponents of offering in-state tuition to illegal immigrants in several states are following Arizona's lead, and wrapping the provision into broader anti-immigrant measures. State legislators on both sides of the debate say a new federal law would alleviate much of the divisiveness over in-state tuition. However, they also say that given the issue's history and complexity, they are pessimistic about the likelihood of federal action, despite the shift in Congressional control.
Descriptors: Undocumented Immigrants, In State Students, Public Colleges, State Legislation, Tuition
Chronicle of Higher Education. 1255 23rd Street NW Suite 700, Washington, DC 20037. Tel: 800-728-2803; e-mail: circulation@chronicle.com; Web site: http://chronicle.com/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Arizona
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A