Dear Editor,
Last Tuesday, I was sitting at my desk in the House Ways and Means committee hearing room watching and listening. The hearing room was crowded with people spanning from special interests organizations, to lawmakers, to citizens, statewide, all present for a single purpose – House Bill 1236.
As many already know, but for those who do not, House Bill 1236, entitled Higher Education – Tuition Charges – Maryland High School Students would establish that illegal aliens shall be exempt from paying nonresident tuition at public institutions of higher education in the State of Maryland. The bill would take effect July 1, 2008, and require the governing board of each public institution of higher education to adopt policies to implement this bill.
Although the language specifically contained within the bill defines “specific individuals” as “individuals, other than a student within the meaning of Title 8, § 1101 (A) (15) of the United States Code”, it does not clearly articulate who these “specific individuals” are. In the most, simplest terms; the most basic definition, they are “illegal aliens”.
To permit illegal aliens to receive free public education in the United States has been a highly debated and controversial issue ever since the U.S. Supreme Court’s historical decision twenty-six (26) years ago. In 1982, the U.S. Supreme Court, in a 5-4 majority, issued a decision that held a state statute that denied free public education to illegal alien children violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth (14th) Amendment, because denial on the basis of alienage did not further a substantial state interest. The case was Plyler v. Doe, 457 U.S. 202 (1982). In Plyler, the Court determined that the Texas law was “directed against children, and impose[d] its discriminatory burden on the basis of a legal characteristic over which children can have little control” — namely, due to the fact that their parents had brought them into the United States, illegally.
Since ‘1996’, federal immigration law has prohibited illegal aliens from obtaining a postsecondary education benefit; however, States have found a means around federal law. State Legislatures, including, California, Illinois, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, and Washington, have all successfully enacted legislation that provides in-state tuition benefits for “illegal aliens” based on where a student went to high school, not immigration status.
In Maryland, the ‘2003’ General Assembly passed House Bill 253, entitled, Higher Education – Resident Tuition Charges – Immigrant Students and United States Military Personnel and Dependents. The bill permitted illegal aliens to receive in-state tuition at a public institution of higher education in Maryland; however, former Governor Bob Ehrlich vetoed the legislation shortly thereafter.
In his veto letter, the Governor gave several policy reasons for vetoing the bill. Foremost, to grant in-state status to illegal aliens would violate the federal law enacted in ‘1996’, and would reward illegal behavior. Governor Ehrlich also addressed the fiscal cost to the State could be potentially large. He also opined that additional community college students included in the enrollment counts would increase the State’s obligations under the Senator John A. Cade funding formula. Finally, the Governor raised concerns that the bill would allow undocumented immigrants to take in-state slots from legal Maryland residents.
Despite the former Governor’s position, the very same legislation that was vetoed in ‘2003’ was resurrected last year during the ‘2007’ General Session. State legislators that were proponents of the bill believed that it would have better success in becoming Maryland Law as a result in the change of administrations. House Bill 6, entitled Higher Education – Tuition Charges – Maryland High School Students, was only successful in passing in the House.
After two (2) unsuccessful attempts to enact said legislation, the Democratic Leadership of the Maryland General Assembly has once again re-introduced the same legislation during this year’s General Session. House Bill 1236, entitled Higher Education – Tuition Charges – Maryland High School Students was heard before the House Ways and Means Standing Committee on Tuesday, March 5, 2008.
As I sat in my chair bearing witness to the same testimony that I heard in 2007, and now in 2008, I could not help but wonder why so many of my Democratic colleagues are so adamant to make this legislation become Maryland Law. Much to their displeasure, in my humble opinion, I share the in same unanimous position as my constituents and the citizens of Maryland, that this legislation is unnecessary and unwanted.
According the analysis conducted by the Maryland Department of Legislative Services (MDLS), if House Bill 1236 were to become law, the effects on Maryland’s General fund expenditures for the Senator John A. Cade funding formula would “increase by at least $418,500 in FY 2011 due to an increase in the enrollments of qualified in-state students at community colleges. General fund expenditures for Baltimore City Community College could also increase minimally beginning in FY 2011.”1 (emphasis added) Moreover, the MDLS projected by fiscal 2013, the additional general fund expenditures resulting from this bill could exceed $1.2 million.2
| (in dollars) | FY 2009 | FY 2010 | FY 2011 | FY 2012 | FY 2013 |
| Revenues | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| GF Expenditure | $0 | $0 | $418,500 | $918,700 | $1,243,400 |
| Net Effect | $0 | $0 | ($418,500) | ($918,700) | ($1,243,400) |
Note:() = decrease; GF = general funds; FF = federal funds; SF = special funds; – = indeterminate effect3
These numbers clearly substantiate the very same reasons represented in Governor Ehrlich’s letter after he vetoed the legislation in ‘2003’. Furthermore, the money generated to fund this egregious benefit would ultimately derive from the wallets of every citizen, legally residing in the State of Maryland – yet, another burden that the General Assembly and Governor O’Malley may place upon the shoulders of every Maryland taxpayer.
Secondly, in Plyler, the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision addressed the fact that the state statute imposed a discriminatory burden on illegal alien children that were brought to the United States, illegally, by their parents. They had little or no control over their own decisions or lives at that time. Unlike here, the individuals that House Bill 1236 attempts to aid are not children, they are grown adults that are fully capable of making an educated decision on whether to become a United States citizen that will allow themselves to receive the rights and privileges under the United States and Maryland Constitutions or to remain a criminal.
As to the States that have already passed legislation that provides in-state tuition benefits for “illegal aliens” based on where a student went to high school, not immigration status, some are having trepidations on their decision. According to a report from the National Conference of State Legislatures notes that at least four (4) of the states that have passed laws providing in-state tuition benefits to illegal aliens have since considered repealing the laws.4
Without forgetting to state the obvious, these individuals are living in the United States illegally. To permit these individuals to have the same rights and privileges as a United States citizen or a person lawfully present in the United States under federal law is unconstitutional and unlawful. Yet, while they reside in our country, breaking our laws – our State Government finds it tolerable and wants them to receive a benefit of free higher education.
When an individual breaks a federal, state, or local law they are considered a criminal punishable by the law. An illegal alien is committing a criminal act by illegally residing within the borders of the United States, so why when it comes to the issue of higher education does the Maryland State Legislature continue to digress from enforcing the laws on illegal immigration and strive to reward these individuals who violate our laws, daily. If we fail to enforce our laws now, we stand to lose everything in the future.
To pass this legislation or any other form of its kind goes against the very fibers of our Constitutions (United States and Maryland), the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Plyler, and the federal Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996.
It is for these reasons, I oppose House Bill 1236.
J.B. Jennings
Member, House of Delegates
7th Legislative District
What a great article,its all about right and wrong and its wrong to reward illegal behavior.
Cricket 23-It’s NOT an article, it’s a letter the Dagger published. Big difference.
Thanks to Del. Jennings open letter to the people, and thanks to him for choosing the Dagger.
But rewarding lawbreakers? We stand to lose everything in the future?
THAT is the best you can come up with?
Your assumption that we are all such dummies that all you need to do is bang your sword on your shield about what “we stand to lose” is insulting.
Next you’ll be talking about who we want our daughters to marry.
You actually WANT to create an undereducated underclass? Yeah, that’s worked out pretty well for America in the past.
Your outrage at the “loss” of $1,243,400 (round it up as much as you’d like) would eventually cost the state billions of dollars paying support for people who could have supported themselves.
My favorite part?
“In my humble opinion, I share the in same unanimous position as my constituents and the citizens of Maryland, that this legislation is unnecessary and unwanted.”
That you’d start that sentence with the word “humble”, man, it’s breathtaking.
Josh,
Here are my thoughts on the matter. If the illegal immigrant meets the minimum residency requirements and have the grades to get in, then they should be allowed to receive state-sponsored financial assistance, with a caveat…
One area in which I’m kinda gray is whether the illegal alien should have graduated from a MD high school. Should this be a requirement to receive assistance? My problem with the illegal immigration debate is the naturalization process is broken, like much of government. An illegal kid excelling in high school, working towards becoming a citizen, shouldn’t have the broken process be the reason they are denied access to state-based financial aid. Obtaining a diploma from a MD high school could help identify kids worthy of the state’s investment.
Joshua
Look at the cost to just teach them English!
Quote:
New Report Finds that Limited English Proficient
> Student
> Enrollment is Surging Nationwide
> 4.5 Million LEP Students May Cost Taxpayers in
> Excess of $4 Billion a Year
>
> Washington DC – A new study by the Federation for
> American Immigration Reform (FAIR), Limited English
> Proficiency Enrollment and Rapidly Rising Costs,
> finds that between 1995 and 2005, the number of
> children in our nation’s public schools listed as
> Limited English Proficient (LEP) increased by some
> 1.2 million. In 2005, approximately 4.5 million K-12
> children in public schools around the country
> required special educational programs to help them
> master basic English, a 38 percent increase over a
> decade earlier. The total bill to the taxpayers for
> LEP programs likely exceeds $4 billion annually,
> finds the report.
>
> Continued large-scale immigration, particularly
> illegal immigration, is the primary factor in the
> increase in the LEP student population. FAIR
> estimates that some 3.5 million children of illegal
> aliens now attend K-12 schools around the country.
> Most of the costs for educating LEP students fall on
> state and local governments that are already
> straining to provide educational resources to their
> populations. Between 1995 and 2005, 11 states saw
> their LEP student enrollment double, while eight
> more saw enrollment triple.
>
> “Education is by far the largest cost associated
> with mass immigration generally, and illegal
> immigration in particular,” commented Dan Stein,
> president of FAIR. “These mounting costs for basic
> education and special LEP programs come at a time
> when polls show that the public is increasingly
> concerned about the overall quality of public
> education in our country. While every politician in
> America promises to improve public education,
> government immigration policies continue to compound
> the challenges faced by our schools.”
>
> The surge in LEP enrollment became a nationwide
> phenomenon between 1995 and 2005, as virtually all
> regions of the country experienced a rapid growth in
> immigrant population. However, six states still
> accounted for 69 percent of the LEP student
> population in 2005, with California leading the way.
> More than a quarter of California students were not
> fluent in English in 2005.
Or Texas!
Quote:
“While city officials can draft ordinances to address their concerns about
illegal immigration, a 1982 U.S. Supreme Court ruling requires public
schools to educate all children, regardless of immigration status.
State and federal accountability requirements pressure schools to improve
the performance of all students.
“Although we do it by the law, we do it because philosophically we think
it’s the right thing to do,” said Charles Cole, assistant superintendent at
Carrollton-Farmers Branch.
But in the Farmers Branch city government, some have cited the burden on
schools as a reason to crack down on illegal immigrants. At a recent City
Council meeting, Councilman David Koch said that was partly why he was
voting for the latest version of the rental ban.
“If you don’t think it’s costing every citizen, just stop and think that in
the average year it cost approximately $10,000 to educate a student. If
there are 100 illegal-immigrant students in this school district in Farmers
Branch, that’s over $1 million a year. That’s if it’s just 100” students, he
said.
Actually, it costs the Carrollton-Farmers Branch district $5,196 per
student, but economist James Smith says Koch is on the right track.
Smith, with the RAND Corp., a California think tank, said illegal
immigration’s impact on schools — not on hospitals or welfare — is what
costs taxpayers so much. He said illegal immigrants are a financial burden
on schools because they usually have more children than other families but
typically are too poor to pay much in the property taxes that fund schools.
In addition to the greater number of children, there are extra expenses for
educating illegal-immigrant students. For example, the stipends Irving pays
to bilingual teachers add up to about $1.5 million annually. It’s a
significant sum, but it’s only a fraction of the $215 million budget.
“I’m not going to say that that $1.5 million is not a lot of money. It is,”
Assistant Superintendent Neil Dugger said. “But it is also the price of
doing business.”
Opponents of illegal immigration sometimes focus on the results — or test
scores — and find fault that they attribute to illegal immigrants.
Among those with that view is Tim O’Hare, the Farmers Branch councilman who
champions his city’s stance against illegal immigration.
He said the schools would do better without illegal immigrants, and he
pointed to the district’s state rating, which dropped last year from
recognized to acceptable because of low science scores among Hispanic
students.
“Is there any doubt in anyone’s mind that if you took the illegal immigrants
out that everyone would pass?” he said.
And how do they repay us!
Quote:
Tri-Valley Herald reports:
Jose Ruiz is like many college students.
He’s outspoken. He’s politically active. And, most importantly, he wants
to make sure as many people as possible hit the polls come Election Day.
Why? Because he can’t. Ruiz is an illegal immigrant.
Buoyed by Super Tuesday’s record Latino voter turnout, a San Jose State
University student group – made up of both legal and illegal residents – is
planning a widespread, grass-roots campaign to register voters, especially
those who can speak for them at the polls.
“I don’t need to live in the shadows anymore,” said Ruiz, a 24-year-old
San Jose State student whose mother brought him from Mexico on a tourist
visa when he was a child.
The campaign is already sparking some controversy, with immigrant
advocates applauding the students’ efforts and opponents arguing their
efforts could have grave consequences for U.S. citizens. No matter the
reaction, though, it’s another step forward for the group known as Student
Advocates for Higher Education, which has challenged lawmakers to pass a
bill granting certain illegal immigrants a pathway to citizenship if they
graduate from college.
Group members have repeatedly made headlines during the past year. First
they took part in a weeklong fast last summer to draw attention to the
Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act, prompting
conservative radio host Michael Savage to suggest they starve to death. They
also rallied outside House Speaker
Advertisement
Nancy Pelosi’s office to draw attention to a failed congressional vote on
the DREAM Act.
Such activism is nothing new, but experts say this movement, led by
illegal immigrants enrolled in college, is the latest phenomenon to grow
from marches held across the country in 2006 to call attention to
immigration reform.
Or L.A. County!
Los Angels County:
10% of Los Angeles County residents are illegal aliens (the highest percentage of county residents in the country)
Illegal aliens cost the county greater than one billion dollars per year in taxpayer costs, not counting education.
Breakdown:
$444 million for welfare and food stamps
$400 million for health care
$220 million for correctional services, law enforcement and other public safety costs
New statistics from the Department of Public Social Services reveal that illegal aliens and their families in Los Angeles County collected over $37 million in welfare and food stamp allocations in November 2007, which is up $3 million dollars from September.
Children of illegal aliens receive 25% of welfare and food stamp money.
—Mike Antonovich, LA County Supervisor
ok cricket, but there’s more to this issue than meets the eye.
in college i worked at a restaurant, and the back of the house was completely staffed by illegals. granted, they had papers–so the management took the blind eye approach and didn’t ask why they were called different names than their paperwork indicated. it’s important for me to say that about 90% of them worked 2 jobs–going from one 8 hour kitchen shift to the next, 6 days a week.
i got close to some of them, and they trusted me to ask questions. how were they able to get papers? i found that many were using the social security numbers of dead citizens. when the government caught up with them (through inquiries with the employers) they would switch jobs or switch papers. it happened all the time.
so i asked them: with 2 full-time jobs at between $8 and $14 an hour–which put them in a tax bracket to be almost fully reimbursed–what happened to their tax money? they can’t file, they told me. they pay the taxes of citizens on their income, and never get any of the money back.
now, since you are attaching articles, i hope you will look at this article outlining the amount of money illegals pay in taxes each year. i think it’s important to note. the article was originally posted on reason.com, which conducts nonpartisan policy research. i think it may open your eyes a bit about the amount of money that immigrants are contributing.
http://www.reason.org/commentaries/dalmia_20060501.shtml
i’m not saying that i think it’s fine that they were here against the law. but i do know that there is a very human face to this issue that people don’t acknowledge, because it’s easier to play the blame game. the majority of the illegals that i have known have always worked multiple jobs, shared small living quarters to save money, sent most of their money home to their families, and beyond doing what it took to get a job–did not try to capitalize on any american benefit for fear of blowing their cover. we need to remember that we are talking about humans, not numbers–many who enduring horrific conditions and life-threatening situations to get just half a shot at our american dream.
Steve, I see your point. And maybe a valid high school graduation would be a good litmus test for illegals. But only if the high school system itself was at all capeable of fairly handling these students, which of course it is not. And the way I see it, maybe the ones most worthy of assistance are the ones who have slipped through the system.
If you want an example of what happens when a population is segregated and denied adequate schooling for a few generations, see Baltimore, City of.
I don’t want to give illegals financial aid for their education just because it’s the right thing to do. I want to do it so that they, or more likely their kids, won’t stick a gun in my wife’s face to get her purse.
There’s an opportunity here to invest a few billion dollars and educate an entire class of people, who then can support themselves and their descendents forever. These times will not come round again.
And as for Cricket23, wow, three copy and paste comments in 6 minutes, nice work. I’m drowned under your copy and paste powers.
And if it’s a QUOTE it must be true.
Of course there’s no source for the quotes, so as far as I know they could all be from the Minutemen website.
I love how there’s some kind of cosmic system of fairness for some people, they obsess that someone (probably a darker skinned person) out there is getting more then they deserve!
And the illegals repay us by trying to register to vote? The un-American BASTARDS!
joshua ,It would appear that you can’t read!
Mike Antonovich, LA County Supervisor
Tri-Valley Herald reports:
RAND Corp., a California think tank,
Washington DC – A new study by the Federation for
> American Immigration Reform (FAIR)
Joshua Illegal aliens and their families receive free basic Medical care,their children receive a free education,which includes Translators and free lunches.(both covered under Federal law.) Now who do you think pays for those benefits? Oh,they American tax payer,but don’t worry it only costs around 45 billion dollars a year! At the same time,they send 20 billion dollars a year back to Mexico.
Another Quote:
Source: Inter-American Development Bank, March 2006 report, “Remittance 2005”. Mexico remains the largest recipient of remittances, at over US$20 billion, followed by Brazil and Columbia which for the first time reached over US$6 and US$4 billion respectively. Central America and the Dominican Republic combined to reach over US$11 billion; and the Andean countries totaled almost US$9 billion.
http://www.iadb.org/mif/v2/files/guemez_remitforum05.pdf
As much as 50% of remittances are unreported. As published in the Development Prospect Group Briefing #3, “This amount only reflects transfers through official channels. Econometric analysis suggests that unrecorded flows through informal channels may add 50 percent or more to recorded flows. Including these unrecorded flows, the true size of remittances, is larger than foreign direct investment flows and more than twice as large as official aid received by developing countries.”
http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTPROSPECTS/Resources/334934-1110315015165/MigrationDevelopmentBriefingNov2006.pdf
The inscription at the base of the Statute of Liberty concludes, “I lift my lamp beside the golden door!” It says nothing about welcoming people who bypass our entry doors by climbing walls, swimming rivers and sneaking under border fences.
Joshua,just for you!
Quote: While cities across the nation pass ordinances to seek relief from the devastating toll of illegal immigration, the nation’s public school districts will continue suffering from the influx thanks to a federal law that says they must provide a free education to all children regardless of immigration status.
There are an estimated 1.5 million school-aged illegal immigrants in the United States and the government spends an estimated $12 billion annually to educate them. The biggest chunks are spent by California ($7.7 billion) and Texas ($3.9 billion), where the situation has become a public education crisis with no end in sight.
The Lone Star State’s public schools have seen a huge increase in illegal immigrant Hispanic students with dismal Mexican and Central American education histories that are contributing to an overall lowering of academic standards across the board.
Case in point: The Irving School District, located mostly in Dallas. It has suffered one of the nation’s largest increases—63%–of illegal immigrant students in the last year compared to a 33% increase in 1995. Irving’s superintendent says it’s tough to bring so many students with such poor schooling up to state and federal standards.
Mexican government statistics reveal that only 58% of Mexicans 15 and older have some elementary school education and working with them requires slowing down and teaching the very basics. Many of the kids that attend Irving District schools haven’t been in a classroom for years and educating them is an ongoing uphill battle that has depleted public resources in many Border State districts.
Besides spending nearly $6,000 a year to educate each student, the districts also spend more than $1.5 million annually to pay bilingual teachers extra because they are hard to find and have additional credentials. Illegal immigrants are well aware of the free education perks and admit they are a big incentive to enter the country illegally.
A family of illegal immigrants living in Irving says it has greatly benefited from the U.S. taxpayer-financed free education, which makes living in the country illegally worth the risk. The 35-year-old mother took free English classes offered by Irving schools so that parents can help their children with homework and her children speak English fluently thanks to their free topnotch U.S. education.
If the family gets deported, the illegal immigrant mother said, they could use their new language in the tourist industry in Mexico. Otherwise, they have no plans to return to Mexico.
Cricket23, it would appear that you can’t stay on topic. This “Letter to the Dagger” from MD state delegate Jennings is about the state providing in-state tuition assistance for college education to illegal immigrants.
It’s not about how much California and Texas spend on their ESL programs.
It’s not about Medical Care being covered by U.S. citizen’s tax dollars.
Everything you have been posting are issues that should be discussed, but in another thread or another forum.
well put steve, it is easy to get thrown off with these charged issues. i got a little side-tracked myself, in an effort to counteract the effect of cricket’s stats and numbers.
josh, i like reading your posts–thought-provoking with a good balance of knowledge and outrage. i think you are right about this being a unique opportunity in this country to curb the trickle-down effects of inadequate education and neglect that can be seen in pockets of the african-american community. as you mentioned, baltimore city is a good example. if the problem is addressed in this population at the root, then later we don’t need to play catch-up with controversial programs aimed at closing a gap that could have been bridged with education.
and one last thing for cricket…if you are going to use your cut and paste skills, please be accurate. if you had copied and pasted the entire passage on ms. liberty, you will see it could be argued that those “who bypass our entry doors by climbing walls, swimming rivers and sneaking under border fences” are exactly what our country originally meant to welcome. poor, wretched refuse, and tempest-tossed sound a lot like underprivileged populations searching desperately for a better life through that golden door.
“Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me.
I lift my lamp beside the golden door.”
Steve,Joshua and Another look. It must be nice to pick and choose which of our state and federal laws you would obey! An Steve,I was pointing out and correctly so the total impact that illegal aliens and their children have on our social programs, after all it is our tax dollars.
Federal Immigration and Nationality Act
Section 8 USC 1324(a)(1)(A)(iv)(b)(iii)
“Any person who . . . encourages or induces an alien to . . . reside . . . knowing or in reckless disregard of the fact that such . . . residence is . . . in violation of law, shall be punished as provided . . . for each alien in respect to whom such a violation occurs . . . fined under title 18 . . . imprisoned not more than 5 years, or both.”
Section 274 felonies under the federal Immigration and Nationality Act, INA 274A(a)(1)(A):
A person (including a group of persons, business, organization, or local government) commits a federal felony when she or he:
* assists an alien s/he should reasonably know is illegally in the U.S. or who lacks employment authorization, by transporting, sheltering, or assisting him or her to obtain employment, or
* encourages that alien to remain in the U.S. by referring him or her to an employer or by acting as employer or agent for an employer in any way, or
* knowingly assists illegal aliens due to personal convictions.
I recommend a daily limit on cut-n-paste posts…
Let’s not jump the shark here, people…
Cricket23, so what’s your soloution? YOUR soloution, not the one you googled. We’re here to talk, not link each other to death. Give me a concievable way that illegal immigrants in this country can be excised.
I try and obey the laws as best I can. But it’s my responsibility to call the rotten laws rotten, and more importantly, the ineffective laws ineffective.
I’m repeating myself from a discussion a few months back, but the illegals are here. The chance to keep them out passed decades ago. That’s a done deal, pal.
So the choice is what do we do now. I say educate them and make them one of our strengths.
Joshua,that was tried before and it didn’t work,you only encourage more illegal aliens to enter our country when you talk about amnesty and that’s what it is.
Go to the heart of the problem,secure the borders (North and South) and crack down on the employers that exploit them.They get cheap labor and the rest of us pay for their
benefits which the employers won’t pay. No job’s, no illegals.
Read those two quotes from Kennedy below and tell me where I’m wrong.
Hart-Celler Act hearings 1965 Quote: Senate immigration subcommittee chairman Edward Kennedy (D-MA.) reassured his colleagues and the nation with the following:
“First, our cities will not be flooded with a million immigrants annually. Under the proposed bill, the present level of immigration remains substantially the same … Secondly, the ethnic mix of this country will not be upset … Contrary to the charges in some quarters, [the bill] will not inundate America with immigrants from any one country or area, or the most populated and deprived nations of Africa and Asia … In the final analysis, the ethnic pattern of immigration under the proposed measure is not expected to change as sharply as the critics seem to think.”
Sen. Kennedy concluded by saying,
“The bill will not flood our cities with immigrants. It will not upset the ethnic mix of our society. It will not relax the standards of admission. It will not cause American workers to lose their jobs.” (U.S. Senate, Subcommittee on Immigration and Naturalization of the Committee on the Judiciary, Washington, D.C., Feb. 10, 1965. pp. 1-3.)
“This amnesty will give citizenship to only 1.1 to 1.3 million illegal aliens. We will secure the borders henceforth. We will never again bring forward another amnesty bill like this.”
— Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy on the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986
Comment: That was 3 million that we granted amnesty to, now that are 12-20 million more waiting for their amnesty.
Dell I agree,how about 10?
We are not talking about 40 year old amnesty programs here (not so subtle way of sneaking in a Kennedy slam, big surprise, you don’t like Ted Kennedy). We are talking about House Bill 1236, entitled Higher Education – Tuition Charges – Maryland High School Students that would establish that illegal aliens shall be exempt from paying nonresident tuition at public institutions of higher education in the State of Maryland.
But I’ll take up your point. So where do the illegals go? Where do their kids go? Kids born here, kids who went to school here. Your 20 million people, where do they go?
You say “no jobs, no illegals”. So ok, let’s say no jobs. Do you really expect that they’ll leave then? Do they shrug their shoulders and head south, take their kids back to a dead end country and maybe try a little farming.
I get the feeling they won’t want to leave. What then? Do you get the Guard to round them up at riflepoint? All 20 million. What Guard we have left in the country, that is?
You could secure every border airtight right now, forever, and you are still stuck with 20 million people who can either be educated to fend for themselves or conditioned to spend their lives living on the dole.
Yeah, it’ll cost money. Taxpayer dollars, yup. Our hard earned cash. So what.
It’s an investment.
while i see what your motive is, you are still not addressing the question of education here. you are still not providing a viable solution. deport em’ and put the country on lockdown? that’s simply not an option at this time–when, as you pointed out–the immigration numbers are so high.
keeping populations uneducated and below the poverty line only costs taxpayers MORE in the long run, cricket. consider the possibility that making a population capable of contributing to society could help you lower many of the figures you keep cutting and pasting.
how about 2???
How about 5?
Guys, The facts
are that illegal aliens do come across our borders
illegally and get jobs with stolen Social Security
numbers.They then sent 20 billion dollars a year back to
Mexico, at the same time holding out their hand for public
assistance.When an illegal alien female has a child here in
the United States the baby is an American Citizen and
entitle to the same benefits as other Americans,with the
stolen Social Security card illegal aliens can access those
same benefits.Under Federal law illegal aliens are entitle
to basis medical care,also by Federal law their children are
entitle to an education in our public schools It costs the
American tax payer around 45 billion dollars a year to pay
for those benefits, Free medical care,WIC, Rent
assistance,Food stamps, and Translators and free lunches for
their children in our public schools. American cities along
our Southern border provide free emergency medical care for
Mexican citizens, and what do the pregnant Mexican women do
in return ? They come across the border to have their babies
( American Citizens). How about Elvira Arellano and her
child,she was deported came back,had the child and return to
work with a stolen Social Security number,she also had been
in our country for 10 years,but had to have a translator at
her news conference! Earlier last year illegal aliens
demonstrated in the streets of our cities demanding amnesty
by flying the American flag upside down below the Mexican
flag and carrying signs saying “this land is ours Gringo”
Those same Mexicans didn’t stay in their own country and
fight the injustice they face there.
. I would ask you the same question I ask Ruben Navarrette
The Hispanic Columnist (which he has refuse to answer) what
do you tell the millions of immigrants waiting in other
countries around the world that want to come here the legal
way? You don’t take your first step to become an American
citizen by committing an illegal act! Just because we share
a common border that illegal aliens can wade across to get
here,does not give them the automatic right to American
Citizenship It’s worth more than that. The bottom line is I just don’t think that we should reward illegal behavior.
I do enjoy exchanging opinions on the subjects at hand without resorting to name calling or abusive language. I thank you for that and close by saying it’s nice to be able to agree to disagree.
Oh Joshua,my feelings are the illegal aliens got here without our help,they can go home the same way.
Do you suppose concentration camps might help. Worked in Europe for a while. Oh but wait, then their economy went bad too. Maybe we need something really draconian. Let’s try calling them names as long as we don’t call them human beings.
Gee Cricket- only 45 billion a YEAR? For medical care and education for poor people? To give some folks a leg up in life? Seems like a bargain to me compared to the other ways our dollars are being spent:
“In 2008, its sixth year, the war will cost approximately $12 billion a month, triple the “burn” rate of its earliest years, Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph E. Stiglitz and co-author Linda J. Bilmes report in their book The Three Trillion Dollar War.
Beyond 2008, working with “best-case” and “realistic-moderate” scenarios, they project the Iraq and Afghan wars, including long-term U.S. military occupations of those countries, will cost the U.S. budget between $1.7 trillion and $2.7 trillion — or more — by 2017.
Interest alone on money borrowed to pay those costs could add $816 billion to that bottom line, they say.”
Hmmmm. But then just think what we get for all that dough? Middle East instability, terrorist recruitment par excellance, dysfunctional dependant foreign governments, soaring energy costs, a recession, the disrespect of the world, corporate welfare, a country of refugees,yadayadayada- oh and all those dead people…
OH YES PLEASE! Spend my money that way!
NOT.
Cricket,
It seems as if you don’t have any friends on here. Well you have one here. These Democrats that are posting on here are willing to give away the farm. I don’t understand the mentallity of democrats………where do they get such ridiculous ideas?
Joshua posted at 2:15
I try and obey the laws as best I can.
It sounds like former Gov. Spitzer (another dem….imagine that.)
If you vote for Hillary she will garuntee a socialist republic for every american…….except rich democrats.
Rich democrats…now theres an oxymoron!
Our Governmet needs to stand up and not support illegal aliens receiving legal residents benefits. That is UN-AMERICAN as it gets.
Since this thread has gone from simply commenting on in state tuition for illegal immigrants, to illegal immigration as a whole, to an indictment of US forign policy (really, curious?), I figure the water is warm enough to jump in now.
They’re here, get used to it. While amnesty doesn’t work, it’s time to find something that does. How about an automatic application for citizenship following honorable service in the military? Serve MY country for four years, get your DD214, and *poof* it’s YOUR country too.
And, hey, sign up for that GI Bill while your in…Uncle Sugar will pay for your college, too.
Too old for service, you say? Give us your sons and daughters. Let them become citizens, then they can sponsor you.
I’m all for allowing someone, willing to lift themselves up on their own, to better themselves. But, do it the right way. If you have to pay a little more, say, out of state tuition rates, that is your lot. Don’t want to do that, get your legal status right? There has to be some consequence.
Curious, I agree with your comments on the war in Iraq. I serve two tours in Vietnam,1966 & 69 and came home both times to being spit at and called baby killers.It was so bad that I took my uniform off and flew home in civilian clothing.
I only hope we treat our returning soldiers from this war better.
First off, we REALLY try and keep the Dagger political party free. Mostly because it’s boring boring boring. It’s no fun, you’ll bring up Ted Kennedy, I’ll bring up Rove, you’ll bring up Spitzer, I’ll bring up Bathroom Craig, on and on, diminishing returns, and nothing gets discussed.
An example, I’m pro education for illegal aliens, so I’m unfathful to my wife? C’mon now. Attack me for MY hare brained opinions, not what party you assume you can associate me with.
It’ll be more fun that way, watch.
Cricket23, my friend, you are right when you say they have committed illeagl acts. No arguement there. I am not saying that we reward illegal behavior. It’s not a reward. It’s a decision to invest in a solution to a situation that, however unfair to American taxpayers or immigrants following the proper channels, exists. The situation exists, and in my eyes the only viable and benificial solution to the future of this country is assimilation. And giving them a break on college educations hastens that assimilation.
And I hate it when people bring up what I’m going to say next, because it always seems phony or contrived, or worse pandering. But I personally met a young man whose parents had illegally came into this country with him when he was a boy. He was not a US citzen. He was however, an infantry soldier who had been called back to Iraq for his third tour. Understand, it wasn’t that his unit had been called back. HE had been called back, because of his experience and skills in combat there.
He studies for his citzen test over the internet. You want to raise my taxes to keep people like that here, go ahead.
Look at that Joshua, we agree again! Five DEMOCRATS in a 12 line post. Sounds like the beginning of a Lewis Black joke.
Of course, since I completely toppled you in the last immigration debate we had here, I won’t till old ground:)
Some day I will even get you to come around to the idea that subsidies like the tuition break you’re advocating are wrong.
Toppled? The way I remember it, I let you off easy with a warning!
My recall is a little fuzzy, the older I get…
Anywho, if illegal aliens are given in-state tuition, when they aren’t “legal” residents, why have a different rate for out of state “legal” residents at all? Tennessee is a lot closer than TJ. My logic is undeniable!!
I’ll accept immigrants from south of the border. But Tennessee? Now thats where I draw the line.
BTW, someone should start a band with the name “Illegal Alien Female”. Melissa, I’m looking at you…