Tuition Equality for Illegal Immigrants?! Let's Discuss (Portland, Hillsboro: health insurance, home) - Oregon (OR) - City-Data Forum

RunTheDistance476 · 02-14-2013, 05:34 PM

First of all, I am a Seattle resident (former Missouri resident) and I will say that I am all for equal pay this that and the other. I probably vote 90%+ on democratic issues.

When I was reading KATU.com earlier and saw a story that talked about granting illegal immigrants in-state tuition, I wanted to shoot myself.

First and foremost, I think doing that would be absolutely positively a huge kick in the ***** for everyone who comes here legally. Secondly, if people that aren't even suppose to live in this country are getting in-state tuition and I would have to pay a higher rate than they would...that would be the ultimate smack in the face.

Now, I have heard a lot of discussion about "its not their fault they were brought here by their parents". True, so I think we should give them some options:
-Serve in the Military, come back and be granted citizenship.
-Move back to your legal country
-Raise the cost of tuition to a middle ground (around $18,000) so that everyone pays the same amount of money whether you are from Oregon or Antarctica.
-Simply say "sorry, life isn't fair" and guess what, it really isnt.

Now, I am happy to say that so far Oregon is one of the only states lately that has been talking about doing this, but I am not an Oregon resident.

For those of you who are, what do you think?

EnricoV · 02-14-2013, 07:20 PM

Seems to me that if they are residents of the state, they ought to be able to pay in-state tuition. It's not the university's job to police illegal immigrants.

But why is this in the Portland Forum? There are much better places for it ... the Oregon Forum at the very least.

AndyAMG · 02-14-2013, 10:02 PM

If you aren't a US citizen then you can not be a resident of a state because you are here illegally (apparently our government feels differently). Therefore, no state should offer in-state tuition rates because these illegal immigrants are not citizens or residents .

If a student comes from Germany to go to PSU they pay an International Student rate, that is even higher than the out-of-state tuition rate. But....if a Mexican hops the border then manages to hide out in Hillsboro or Woodburn for 12 months they get in-state tuition rate. THAT IS NOT FAIR.

How many Germans are in America illegally? Germany accounts for it's citizens and just to get on an airplane you have to play 21 questions with the authorities and produce all of your documents before you can even enter the US. Furthermore, they have to show their passport, proof health insurance, financial resources, proof of English fluency, info from the university about the program, and enroll in ESTA. My German friend was telling me she was 3 days late reporting to ICE and they came looking for her in person. So ICE can crack down on Germans here legally but god forbid we can ever report a Mexican here illegally.

Minervah · 02-15-2013, 12:34 AM

I knew a student from Germany who actually was facing deportation because her papers were not in order. It was a technicality that could have been straightened out but she said forget it and decided the hassle wasn't worth it. And they were really giving her a hard time because of their red tape. No fault of hers. But she got tired of going from department to department trying to go through the proper channels and doing the right thing.

She decided to move to New Zealand instead where she was very happy. It was our country's loss because she was very intelligent, a hard worker and was in the sciences. She would have been an asset to any scientific field she had chosen.

So no, life isn't fair. And sometimes it is just plain stupid.

ak-rev · 02-15-2013, 02:40 AM

who cares you don't see deer carding each other at the border the fact that people do is stupid. Education should be free to everyone as its in the best interest of the community to have educated residents, but hell i believe in communism so my opinion is not even worth .02 cents.

Larry Caldwell · 02-15-2013, 09:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AndyAMG

If you aren't a US citizen then you can not be a resident of a state because you are here illegally (apparently our government feels differently). Therefore, no state should offer in-state tuition rates because these illegal immigrants are not citizens or residents .

The federal government has no control over who a state decides is a resident. If the feds want to deport someone, let the feds take care of it. They have the whole immigration issue totally screwed up, but there's no reason Oregon has to get sucked into their mess.

Steve Pickering · 02-15-2013, 11:43 AM

The magic words are "Legal" and "Illegal".

EnricoV · 02-15-2013, 03:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AndyAMG

If you aren't a US citizen then you can not be a resident of a state because you are here illegally (apparently our government feels differently). Therefore, no state should offer in-state tuition rates because these illegal immigrants are not citizens or residents .

If a student comes from Germany to go to PSU they pay an International Student rate, that is even higher than the out-of-state tuition rate. But....if a Mexican hops the border then manages to hide out in Hillsboro or Woodburn for 12 months they get in-state tuition rate. THAT IS NOT FAIR.

How many Germans are in America illegally? Germany accounts for it's citizens and just to get on an airplane you have to play 21 questions with the authorities and produce all of your documents before you can even enter the US. Furthermore, they have to show their passport, proof health insurance, financial resources, proof of English fluency, info from the university about the program, and enroll in ESTA. My German friend was telling me she was 3 days late reporting to ICE and they came looking for her in person. So ICE can crack down on Germans here legally but god forbid we can ever report a Mexican here illegally.

You seem to be hung up on illegal immigrants from Mexico, in particular. Do you think those are the only ones here illegally? And is it only those that you want to deny a higher education (though I'd guess you don't think they deserve an elementary education either)? And you can go ahead and report all the illegal Mexicans you want. Just don't think that you can require that I do it.

Personally, I think the whole in-state out-of-state tuition is a little silly, other than I do get that the in-state ones are more likely to have paid taxes to the state. Maybe. But the cost doesn't change whether you lived here or not. I do think in-state students ought to be given first shot at admission, though. And Minervah is right. Someone (wherever their origin) educated in the state is more likely to remain here, and become a productive, tax-paying member of society.

Doesn't sound like a bad deal to me.

Steve Pickering · 02-15-2013, 03:09 PM

With the amendments added today this can not affect more than 34 students this year and about 80 next year. That is all that will meet the requirements. And that assumes all will apply for college admission.

Leisesturm · 02-15-2013, 11:48 PM

As I understand it. The "illegal" part is a technicality. These are young people that were in utero or at most, infants, at the time their parents brought them to the United States against their will. The U.S. is the only home they have ever known. There are conditions of residency and other details in the program that I have not bothered to understand because they aren't relevant to my life. However, I too, fail to understand the vast disparity between in state tuition and out of state and foreign? That is a whole other magnitude of cost increase. Amderican kids should get the first dibs, but when the foreign students pay 3x the out of state tuition rate... ... for the exact same program... admissions directors are only human after all.. greedy, profiteering, so and so, humans.

H