Is Georgia the New Arizona?

[Donnachaidh]

http://motherjones.com/mojo/2010/06/georgia-new-arizona-search-colleges-illegal-immigrants-colotl


Georgia's Board of Regents joined the national debate on illegal immigration this week by announcing plans for its public colleges to review every student's immigration status and identify those who are undocumented, the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports. While illegal immigrants are allowed to attend Georgia's public colleges, they aren't allowed to enroll at the less expensive in-state tuition rate. And because undocumented students can't work legally, the higher out-of-state tuition rate is something most can't afford.

The Regents began discussing a policy change last month when authorities learned of Jessica Colotl, an undocumented Kennesaw State University student paying in-state tuition. Like many undocumented college students, Colotl entered the US illegally when she was just a child, a 10-year-old who arguably had no control over her ability to come or to stay. There are currently nine states that allow students like Colotl to pay in-state tuition rates lawfully.

(Ultimately, Colotl's school status may be the least of her worries: There's a groundswell of support in Georgia to kick her out of the country. "If I were to be deported, I'd have to start all over again," she told CNN. "I'm hoping for the best.")

Though the board's new policy is "well within the law," says Burns Newsome, the state college system's vice chancellor of legal affairs, it raises questions about what the colleges will do once they've identified an undocumented student paying in-state tuition. Will they force that student to pay the higher rate, or turn the student over to authorities for deportation? The regents have not yet answered this question, but if the latter becomes their prerogative, Georgia's policy will be no more equitable than Arizona's hotly-contested immigration law.


More at the link ---

[NoNothing]

1. That's a fair policy, in my opinion

Otherwise, you actually punish people who immigrated legally to a different state. You don't want to make it any harder and more expensive to do the right thing than it already is.

[EFerrari]

4. Wait, what? How does denying in state tuition to students

who are in state punish anyone?

[NoNothing]

7. Because they haven't verified legal residency

Which means they could claim in-state tuition in *any* state, something a person who follows the law can't do.

[EFerrari]

11. These people live, work and pay taxes in state.

They can't claim they live anywhere. Residence is the issue because local taxpayers fund the school.

[davidinalameda]

2. how does one prove that they're legal

birth certificates can be forged

I was born in the US and the copy of my birth certificate looks like it was made by the same people who make all those nifty certificates kids get at school

in other words, cheap

[kctim]

3. If an employer, school etc...

have identified an undocumented student, they should be required to notify the proper authorities or suffer huge fines and criminal prosecution.

[EFerrari]

5. Right. We can't have any of these criminal SCHOLARS threatening our society.

LOL

[kctim]

8. Threatening?

Who said anything about illegal immigrants being threatening? If a business knowingly puts or discovers an illegal immigrant on their books, they should be required to notify the proper authorities. And if they chose not to, they should be fined and held responsible for their actions.
I thought this was one of the ways that have been discussed as being a way to stop the flow of illegal immigrants?

[undeterred]

6. Arizona's the new Georgia.

[ecstatic]

9. Yep. I guess GA is desperately trying to reclaim the throne

Perdue has done such a horrible job at running the state that people are looking for a scapegoat.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

10. Arizona is the new Alabama circa 1963