College Board wants more help for illegal immigrants

WASHINGTON (AP) — Wading into the politically charged immigration debate, a group of colleges and universities is urging Congress to give illegal immigrants tuition aid and a path to citizenship in light of efforts in several states to block them.

The College Board, made up of 5,000 schools and best known for its SAT college admission tests, released a report Tuesday that cites a need for federal legislation that would open up in-state college tuition, financial aid and legal status to many illegal immigrants in the United States.

...... read more Aid then "The 9 states which offer in-state tuition to illegal immigrants are California, Illinois, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, NEW YORK, Texas, Utah and Washington. New Jersey is now reviewing whether to offer in-state tuition, while California is considering whether to allow immigrants to compete for financial aid."


I will chime in and say I completely against it unless they prove they pay taxes. There is a way if your illegally here that you can still contribute in taxes depending on your situation. But the vast majority do not and i feel it's bad enough they get a free ride in overburdened school districts prior to entering college. If they go they could turn into potential money making/tax paying/legitimate citizens or they could just get their education and go back to their home country after their education is completed and return nothing back into our system.



New York state

Re: College Board wants more help for illegal immigrants

Argh

Sorry, but can someone please tell me how an illegal immigrant pays taxes without a SS#?

And obviously most of them are NOT paying taxes. So, what, our tax money now goes towards their secondary education instead of improving our schools, hospitals, and other institutions?

I have SO many problems with this.

Re: College Board wants more help for illegal immigrants

I think it would be a great thing,simply because I'd rather see someone get an education instead of sitting at home doing nothing, or working a dead end job. I agree with having them pay taxes, but many of them fear deportation so they want to stay under the radar so to speak.

Re: College Board wants more help for illegal immigrants

If you can go to college, why can't you become a legal citizen?

Re: College Board wants more help for illegal immigrants

Nope sorry!

My main reason is that it will bring more illegal people into the country and put more stress on the system-

Additionally, what is to stop someone from benefiting from our education system and then taking that back to their own country- if they pay for it, that wouldnt bother me, but if we (the american taxpayers paid for it)- I would be furious- how is it a benefit to us?

Re: College Board wants more help for illegal immigrants

i hope that once chris christie takes office he will put a stop to this nonsense here in NJ....

it is hard enough for us tax payers to send our own children to college and now these azzhats want us to pay for illegal non-contributing people to go to college at our expense and the expense of our children????

Re: College Board wants more help for illegal immigrants

I am so curious - does anyone on here think it would be okay for a person who lost their job here to just pick up and move to another country - say, England - and get another job without so much as a work visa?

Because no matter WHERE these illegal immigrants are from, what they are doing (coming here without a work visa) is illegal. NOT legal. Wrong. Plain and simple. WHY should they benefit from the taxes we pay???

Re: College Board wants more help for illegal immigrants

Re: College Board wants more help for illegal immigrants

I voted "other" because I think this is a much more complicated issue than it appears to be.

I went to a public institution in California (community college) where I know many of the students were illegal. This issue came up every once in a while when I was going to school. In theory, I do agree that people should benefit from in-state tuition if they are residents and they or their parents are paying taxes (if they are dependent).

However, a reform like this would be very difficult and take a long time to iron out at the college level. These students are already there. The money they do pay in fees is supporting salaries, programs, a whole economy at these institutions. So, if the states decide to just across the board deny them admission to these campuses, they also need to figure out they are going to address the shortfall they will have once the new policy goes into effect. Will they still accept these students if they are willing to pay non-resident tuition, or are they going to demand proof of citizenship?

I think there is a different problem at the elementary/high school level. What do you do with those kids if you don't let them attend school? I am not happy with the school taxes I pay on LI, but is that tax money just going to be shifted to pay more to police and other public safety salaries to deal with the problems that will come with that change?

I don't think it's so black and white.

ETA - I am very much against offering financial aid to non-citizens, period.

Message edited 1/7/2010 3:06:46 PM.

Re: College Board wants more help for illegal immigrants

as a side question, which goes along w/ the theme of this post,
do you feel the same about healthcare as you do about paying for illegals' college tuition?
if the dems get this bill passed, will you be just as angry that our tax money will pay for non-tax paying illegals to get free healthcare at our and our children's expense??

Re: College Board wants more help for illegal immigrants

Posted by headoverheels

Argh

Sorry, but can someone please tell me how an illegal immigrant pays taxes without a SS#?

Re: College Board wants more help for illegal immigrants

Posted by MrsPJB2007

Posted by headoverheels

Argh

Sorry, but can someone please tell me how an illegal immigrant pays taxes without a SS#?

Just wanted to inform how this is possible.

Its called an ITIN -- Individual Taxpayer Identification Number. Its starts with a "9" and is the same amount of digits as SS #.

You can apply for one with the W-7 form, and a valid passport, and you must file taxes with the application.

The government understands that there are immigrants here who are working illegally, and the ITIN is so that they can report this income and pay some type of tax on it.

Someone with an ITIN can file a Schedule C and just claim they were paid in cash for a job and pay their taxes, or they can even submit a W-2 with a false SS# on it and report that income from that. (I.e.--They give their employer a fake # and work all year, they use that W-2 and let the government know that the money being reported to the fake number is actually their earnings.)

An ITIN does not mean you are legally allowed to work, but you can file taxes. They are not qualified to get Earned Income Credit, but they can get Child Tax Credit.

Re: College Board wants more help for illegal immigrants

Re: College Board wants more help for illegal immigrants

Re: College Board wants more help for illegal immigrants

Posted by InfinitiGal

It's becoming difficult for American citizens to get financial aid in this economy, why should illegal immigrants who do not pay taxes be able to apply and possibly GET aid?

When are we going to start worrying about our own in this country?

Re: College Board wants more help for illegal immigrants

Why can't someone apply for a visa?

Why does this "poverty" thing has to influence people?

There is a due process on studying in the US. It's called a student visa. You find a school, you probably have to show your TOEFL score, etc...

This is an insult to all of us who "came here" the "proper way". Why was it OK for me to wait 6 months with constant trips to the US embassy to get my visas. Waited in 2-3 hour lines, spent money for trips to the Embassy. It's not a "hard" process. But it's very time consuming. It took many of us, years to be legal.

So this is what I have to say.... I am tired of people playing the "pity me" card. There are rules and Laws in every Countries. Nowhere will you see that it's just "OK" to just show up in a Country, expect other people to speak your language, DEMAND financial help when you clearly should not have it based on your immigration status.

Get a number and get in line. Like all of us "legal" immigrant did it. Because all us knew there were rules. And if some of us came here illegally, we sure did not make wave and raise attention to ourself and start showeling in other people face that we were illegals and EXPECT people to do things for us.

Talk about sense of entitlement this World is coming to. Even illegal immegrants start feeling entitled now.

Re: College Board wants more help for illegal immigrants

It is to better immigrants children so that they can be contributing members of society.

Re: College Board wants more help for illegal immigrants

Heck no! The help colleges give to struggling American citizens is hardly enough-help our own kids.

If we do this, why not just lay a red carpet on the borders for the illegal immigrants to come in? So this way, we can pay for higher education, give driver's licenses, etc. And more importantly, what is the incentive for these people to come here legally or try to become citizens? Being illegal=no taxes. Becoming a citizen=taxes. Which would one pick?

They can easily go to school on a visa. Many kids do it.

Re: College Board wants more help for illegal immigrants

Key Word= ILLEGAL.

Become a citizen. Become legal. Then you can get help.

Until then they should get NOTHING.

Like someone else said- this country needs to start worrying more about it's LEGAL citizens.

Re: College Board wants more help for illegal immigrants

the best way to rid this country of illegal immigrants is to prosecute the businesses and private people that employ them.

they wouldn't come in droves if they couldn't find work.

but if there is some sort of tacit societal acceptance (sure you can rant and rave about illegals, but when you happen to see the cooks and bus boys in the kitchen of your favorite restaurant, do you get up and walk out? do you slam the door on the kid who delivered your pizza or chinese? probably NOT.

I think that if people can provide proof of tax paying, they (or their children) should be allowed to pay the in state tuition for sure, since they are most certainly providing a service and taxes to their community.

I am torn about financial aid...but its also b/c I think of these people working for PEANUTS..far below minimum wage for crazy hours right here in our own country.

Re: College Board wants more help for illegal immigrants

No way!

My kids won't get in state rates in the other 49 states but someone from a different country can?

nfw

Re: College Board wants more help for illegal immigrants

Wait, I thought as of a couple of years ago you needed a SS # to register for college?...nevermind getting Financial Aid...

Re: College Board wants more help for illegal immigrants

Re: College Board wants more help for illegal immigrants

Re: College Board wants more help for illegal immigrants

I agree 100% with Ophelia IMO, this isn't a cut and dry issue. There is much to be discussed. The process of becoming a legal US resident can take up to ten years. My Granny never became a US citizen yet she worked here and died here. In fact she is buried with my Grandfather in a National Cemetery!! Uncle Sam is making it easier to become a US citizen by allowing the US Military to open their doors to some immigrants who hold an H-1B visa and who have lived her for two years. So NO to college but YES to war.