conner_condor
11-24-2007, 04:17 PM
Huckabee plan would give aid to illegal aliens
Gov. Mike Huckabee is proposing extending eligibility for state-funded college scholarships to illegal aliens who graduate from Arkansas high schools — an idea that several legislators predicted will go nowhere.
Huckabee said it’s "terribly unjust"for a child who arrived in Arkansas at a young age and graduated from high school to be denied state-funded college scholarships because of a "a status that he had no control over." "Do we want to change the future for these kids? Then let’s give them the opportunity. Let’s not say that our doors are open but our opportunities are closed,"Huckabee said Tuesday in his State of the State Address to the General Assembly.
The governor never used the words "illegal alien"in his speech but referred to high school graduates’ "status,"which confused some lawmakers. "We think he’s talking about illegal aliens, but we don’t know,"said Sen. Dave Bisbee, a Republican who said he opposed the idea.
Huckabee’s spokesman, Rex Nelson, confirmed that Huckabee, also a Republican, was referring to illegal aliens.
Bisbee said he thinks his hometown of Rogers has done a better job welcoming Hispanic immigrants to its community than others in Arkansas. "So I’m not coming from a position of prejudice,"Bisbee said. "But illegal is illegal... and even if the child came here when he was 3 years old or 4 years old, he’s still undocumented."
Rep. Denny Altes, R-Fort Smith, said citizens’ children should come first in college scholarship eligibility. "What kind of message are we sending to the people south of the border, you know?"Altes said. "Are we saying, ‘Yeah, come on,’ or are we saying, ‘No. There’s still a border there. ’"
Rep. Joyce Elliott, D-Little Rock, said she had already planned to file a bill granting instate status to the children of immigrants who live in Arkansas and have applied to state universities. "It’s nice to know we will have an ally in the governor’s office,"said Elliott, chairman of the House Education Committee. "I did not know that was coming."
Several states allow immigrant children, regardless of their legal status, to pay in-state college tuition, including California, Illinois, Oklahoma, New York, Texas, Utah, Washington and, most recently, Kansas. Proposed federal legislation would grant such students temporary legal status and arrange for their expedited citizenship if they maintain a good record.
In-state tuition rates are cheaper. In many states, including Arkansas, students who aren’t citizens and can’t prove their legal immigration status have to pay out-of-state tuition.
R. Shawn McGrew of Rogers, director of the Arkansas chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens, said he didn’t know about Huckabee’s proposal but that his group had hoped to find a sponsor for similar legislation. It probably would include a time element as to how long a student should have been in the public school system to be eligible for in-state tuition or scholarships, say, three to six years, he said. "It’s good to encourage these students who want and have the will to continue their education,"McGrew said. "In the long term, we’ll have a more educated society."
Otherwise they end up paying what an international student would pay, and that deters them, McGrew said.
In his speech, Huckabee mentioned an unnamed high school graduate from El Dorado who was one of the top students in his class but was denied scholarships and grants because of his legal status.
Nancy Varnell, the coordinator for El Dorado’s English as a Second Language program, said the student Huckabee referred to is about 24 now and working in a plant that makes molding. "He’s brilliant, really smart,"she said of the student, whom she wouldn’t identify because of his illegal status.
Varnell said she was surprised and "thrilled to death"that Huckabee would include the proposal in his legislative package. She said she has been writing letters to officials about the issue for several years. "It’s not by their choice that they’re brought into this country,"she said of the illegal alien students.
The Department of Education’s latest count of "language minority"students in the state’s public school system is 26,803, or about 6 percent of the student population.
Bisbee said the real solution is to change the immigrants’ status, as President Bush has proposed. "We need to make these people legal. That’s the way it should be done.... Change their status, but don’t give illegal people scholarships,"Bisbee said. "I mean, what kind of example does that set for our children?"
Rep. Keven Anderson, RRogers, said that if the state had an unlimited pot of money, he might feel differently. As it is, he’s against Huckabee’s proposal. "You’re potentially taking these scholarships away from someone who is here legally,"Anderson said.
http://www.nwanews.com/story.php?paper=adg§ion=News&storyid=104629
This was back in 95
Gov. Mike Huckabee is proposing extending eligibility for state-funded college scholarships to illegal aliens who graduate from Arkansas high schools — an idea that several legislators predicted will go nowhere.
Huckabee said it’s "terribly unjust"for a child who arrived in Arkansas at a young age and graduated from high school to be denied state-funded college scholarships because of a "a status that he had no control over." "Do we want to change the future for these kids? Then let’s give them the opportunity. Let’s not say that our doors are open but our opportunities are closed,"Huckabee said Tuesday in his State of the State Address to the General Assembly.
The governor never used the words "illegal alien"in his speech but referred to high school graduates’ "status,"which confused some lawmakers. "We think he’s talking about illegal aliens, but we don’t know,"said Sen. Dave Bisbee, a Republican who said he opposed the idea.
Huckabee’s spokesman, Rex Nelson, confirmed that Huckabee, also a Republican, was referring to illegal aliens.
Bisbee said he thinks his hometown of Rogers has done a better job welcoming Hispanic immigrants to its community than others in Arkansas. "So I’m not coming from a position of prejudice,"Bisbee said. "But illegal is illegal... and even if the child came here when he was 3 years old or 4 years old, he’s still undocumented."
Rep. Denny Altes, R-Fort Smith, said citizens’ children should come first in college scholarship eligibility. "What kind of message are we sending to the people south of the border, you know?"Altes said. "Are we saying, ‘Yeah, come on,’ or are we saying, ‘No. There’s still a border there. ’"
Rep. Joyce Elliott, D-Little Rock, said she had already planned to file a bill granting instate status to the children of immigrants who live in Arkansas and have applied to state universities. "It’s nice to know we will have an ally in the governor’s office,"said Elliott, chairman of the House Education Committee. "I did not know that was coming."
Several states allow immigrant children, regardless of their legal status, to pay in-state college tuition, including California, Illinois, Oklahoma, New York, Texas, Utah, Washington and, most recently, Kansas. Proposed federal legislation would grant such students temporary legal status and arrange for their expedited citizenship if they maintain a good record.
In-state tuition rates are cheaper. In many states, including Arkansas, students who aren’t citizens and can’t prove their legal immigration status have to pay out-of-state tuition.
R. Shawn McGrew of Rogers, director of the Arkansas chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens, said he didn’t know about Huckabee’s proposal but that his group had hoped to find a sponsor for similar legislation. It probably would include a time element as to how long a student should have been in the public school system to be eligible for in-state tuition or scholarships, say, three to six years, he said. "It’s good to encourage these students who want and have the will to continue their education,"McGrew said. "In the long term, we’ll have a more educated society."
Otherwise they end up paying what an international student would pay, and that deters them, McGrew said.
In his speech, Huckabee mentioned an unnamed high school graduate from El Dorado who was one of the top students in his class but was denied scholarships and grants because of his legal status.
Nancy Varnell, the coordinator for El Dorado’s English as a Second Language program, said the student Huckabee referred to is about 24 now and working in a plant that makes molding. "He’s brilliant, really smart,"she said of the student, whom she wouldn’t identify because of his illegal status.
Varnell said she was surprised and "thrilled to death"that Huckabee would include the proposal in his legislative package. She said she has been writing letters to officials about the issue for several years. "It’s not by their choice that they’re brought into this country,"she said of the illegal alien students.
The Department of Education’s latest count of "language minority"students in the state’s public school system is 26,803, or about 6 percent of the student population.
Bisbee said the real solution is to change the immigrants’ status, as President Bush has proposed. "We need to make these people legal. That’s the way it should be done.... Change their status, but don’t give illegal people scholarships,"Bisbee said. "I mean, what kind of example does that set for our children?"
Rep. Keven Anderson, RRogers, said that if the state had an unlimited pot of money, he might feel differently. As it is, he’s against Huckabee’s proposal. "You’re potentially taking these scholarships away from someone who is here legally,"Anderson said.
http://www.nwanews.com/story.php?paper=adg§ion=News&storyid=104629
This was back in 95