Commenters on the AJC Get Schooled blog tackled one of the most controversial education issues in Georgia: Should children of illegal immigrants be treated as residents for purposes of college admissions and tuition? Earlier this month, the state Supreme Court took up the question and is expected to issue a ruling in the spring. Here is sampling of reader comments:
Marker: Are you a legal resident of the state of Georgia? Yes or no. It's as simple as a judge asking if you were speeding: Yes or no?
Cal: Children of legal immigrants aren't denied in-state, taxpayer subsidized tuition rates. All others share the same status our own children would at Mexican or Central American universities were they applying in those countries.
Gatz: Legalized citizenship should be a precursor prior to college admittance or use of public funds for anything. There is only so much to go around. If you are a legal citizen, you are entitled to proper access to all resources.
TCope: I wish we would do away with all "in-state" tuition restrictions nationwide. It is flawed logic to assume just because a kid went to a high school in Georgia and graduates from Georgia Tech, he will stay in Georgia for his career. It creates a flawed market for higher education. Illegal aliens should not be receiving any charitable benefits from the government of our city, state or country.
Prof: The rationale behind denying these students admission to Georgia's five most selective universities is that the state did not wish to give illegal immigrants spaces that might have been taken by legal residents instead. The rationale for denying them the option of paying in-state tuition at the other state schools was that their parents had not been paying state income taxes. Originally, there was the move to deny them admission to state schools altogether, but the compromise was reached of charging them the same as international students or out-of-state residents.
Astro: We wouldn't have to worry about this if Mexico (and the rest of Central America) would change their policies and stop being corrupt semi-fascist dictatorships. The kleptocrats who run Mexico are kept in power because of the safety valve that an open border with the United States gives them. If these young men and women would work for change in Mexico instead of Georgia, they wouldn't have to come here and go to a decent university.
Star: If an adult or older teenager enters the country illegally, OK, treat them as "illegal." If kids are brought by their parents as preteens, the kids have become an American by the time they're ready for college. Their situation is not their fault; it's their parents' fault. By this logic, American kids born out of wedlock should be treated the same way, as they're illegal as well — the product of a violation of Georgia's law against fornication.
Strake: I wonder how many other Western industrialized nations allow children of undocumented illegals to get a special tuition college rate?
