Oregon In-State Tuition for Illegal Aliens as Diversity Enrollment … So Much for the term “Illegal”

The underlying topic of the 2008 Presidential race is illegal immigration and how the United States will go forth with this issue.

What part about “illegal” in Illegal Aliens doesn’t out education system get? We are supposed to reward those that break the laws of the US and grant “illegals” the same status as a US College student. The State of Oregon is proposing to allow illegal aliens to get in-state tuition for people in this country illegally. If that’s the case then why don’t these same colleges allow every one in the United States to get in-State tuition. At least those students are in the country legally. Which begs the question, why would these schools even have an in or out of state tuition if they would allow people who should not even be in this country, let alone the state? What do you think would happen to a college student from Iowa that illegally stated he lived in Oregon to get the benefit of the decreased in-state tuition. But some how that’s different.

Why are we providing benefits to those that are “ILLEGAL” when this country cannot provide benefits to its own citizens?

PORTLAND, Ore. —  A panel of students, faculty and administrators is proposing charging in-state tuition for undocumented immigrant students at Oregon’s public universities.

The idea didn’t get to the last Legislature but is being discussed through Friday by the State Board of Higher Education as a way to diversify enrollment.

Tuition is three times higher than in-state rates for the undocumented immigrants, which prevents many high school graduates from attending college.

“It seemed to us that it was a reasonable position to take,” said Dalton Miller-Jones, a state board member and Portland State University professor who heads the panel.

The issue of taxpayer subsidies for undocumented students is part of the larger immigration debate expected to be a factor in the presidential race.

About 10 states, including California and Washington, already allow undocumented students to pay in-state tuition.