Elected Officials Want Illegal Aliens to Pay In-State Tuition
The General Assembly is filled with incompetent legislators, so I'm usually not shocked by ridiculous bills. With that said, I heard about one today that I find disturbing on many levels. Representatives Grace Diaz, Joseph Almeda, Thomas Slater, Edith Ajello, and Elizabeth Dennigan are cosponsoring a bill that would allow illegal aliens to pay in-state tuition at URI, RIC, and CCRI. Students would need to have attended a Rhode Island high school for 3 years, graduate, and submit an affidavit stating they have filed or will file an application to legalize their status.
I read a lot of articles about those who are undocumented. For the record, they will be referred to here as illegal immigrants or illegal aliens, because they're illegal. They are trespassing in our country, breaking our laws, and burdening our public services, yet our elected officials are trying to find a way to reward this behavior. We should not be making life easier for illegal aliens. There need to be roadblocks set up to make life in the United States as difficult as possible. That's why I supported Governor Carcieri's executive order, and why I believe we should have a bill requiring businesses to use e-verify. If illegal aliens know they won't be able to find a job, and their status will be checked if they have a problem with the law, they will be less likely to come to Rhode island, which will save us money in the long-run.
Speaking of money, let's look at the costs of this bill. At a time when the state is running massive deficits and our public colleges and university are constantly raising tuition to cover costs, why are we being asked to subsidize people who came here illegally? Also, if we provide reduced tuition for the law-breakers, won't that provide an incentive for illegal aliens from nearby states to relocate here? This would be even more of a burden to local school districts and our urban communities. Although, the sponsors of the bill probably wouldn't worry about that. They would just raise our taxes.
State rep. proposes tuition break for immigrants
http://newsblog.projo.com/2009/02/diaz-proposes-i.html#445900
Full Text of Bill H 5167
http://www.rilin.state.ri.us/BillText09/HouseText09/H5167.pdf
I read a lot of articles about those who are undocumented. For the record, they will be referred to here as illegal immigrants or illegal aliens, because they're illegal. They are trespassing in our country, breaking our laws, and burdening our public services, yet our elected officials are trying to find a way to reward this behavior. We should not be making life easier for illegal aliens. There need to be roadblocks set up to make life in the United States as difficult as possible. That's why I supported Governor Carcieri's executive order, and why I believe we should have a bill requiring businesses to use e-verify. If illegal aliens know they won't be able to find a job, and their status will be checked if they have a problem with the law, they will be less likely to come to Rhode island, which will save us money in the long-run.
Speaking of money, let's look at the costs of this bill. At a time when the state is running massive deficits and our public colleges and university are constantly raising tuition to cover costs, why are we being asked to subsidize people who came here illegally? Also, if we provide reduced tuition for the law-breakers, won't that provide an incentive for illegal aliens from nearby states to relocate here? This would be even more of a burden to local school districts and our urban communities. Although, the sponsors of the bill probably wouldn't worry about that. They would just raise our taxes.
State rep. proposes tuition break for immigrants
http://newsblog.projo.com/2009/02/diaz-proposes-i.html#445900
Full Text of Bill H 5167
http://www.rilin.state.ri.us/BillText09/HouseText09/H5167.pdf
Posted by Damien Baldino at 2/5/2009 6:11 PM 
Categories: Education, Illegal Immigration, Rhode Island
Categories: Education, Illegal Immigration, Rhode Island
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