University Of California Under Fire

[Amelia]

University Of California Under Fire

Lawsuit Says Illegal Immigrants Get Unfair Advantage

By Nannette Miranda

Dec. 14 - A lawsuit was filed Wednesday that aims to change the way the state of California charges out of state students to attend college. It claims that illegal immigrants pay less for a state education than out-of-state citizens.

U.C. Davis student Chaning Jang has had it.

The Hawaiian native is tired of paying $20,000 dollars more in out-of-state tuition than undocumented immigrant students pay. Those immigrants pay the same as Californians.

Chaning Jang, UC Davis student: "It's pretty ridiculous how much more we pay, considering they're giving these kinds of tuition kickbacks to illegal immigrants that aren't even going to get to work here after they're done with college."

Jang is one of some 60,000 students represented in a class-action lawsuit filed today. They claim the tuition difference is unfair and even discriminatory.

Kris Kobach, students' attorney: "California taxpayers right now are providing subsidy in excess of $50 million dollars a year to provide for the in-state tuition for illegal aliens."

Three years ago, California was one of the first states that granted in-state tuition to undocumented immigrants, as along as they met residency and graduation requirements.

Jeannette Zanipatin, California Immigrant Welfare Collaborative: "These are students, like I said, who have lived here for three years, have graduated from a high school and but for the tuition would not be able to continue their education."

The lawsuit upset many Latino students throughout U.C., Cal State and community college campuses.

Francisco Tostado is a U.S. citizen, but his three college siblings are not.

Francisco Tostado, college student: "I think it's anti-immigrant. I don't think it's fair for our students who, all they want to do is get a better education and become a better person."

Assm. Ray Haynes, ® Murrieta: "It's not anti-immigrant. It is saying treat U.S. citizens like you treat illegal aliens."

Jang and his fellow students want the law changed and a refund.

Chaning Jang, UC Davis student: "Hopefully we'll get some of our tuition back because it's really unjust."

[Jeannieb43]

The issue of illegal immigrants in California is a major one. They cross the border illegally, then find work here under false SSNs or false driver's licenses. Usually they send all the money they earn back to their home country. But then they marry and have children in the U.S. who are thus U.S. citizens. Even if they bring children with them here, the kids get free public school educations.

The University of California [appropriately] charges California residents lower tuition than out-of-state residents (because it's assumed the California residents are already supporting the UC system through their taxes). But the illegal immigrants don't own property here, so don't pay any property taxes. They should not be given preferential treatment when they attend UC schools; in fact, if they're not legally in this country they should actually be charged more than the out-of-state students are paying.

The illegal immigrants are straining California's infrastructure. The Mexican immigrants are very industrious and usually get jobs so don't apply for welfare benefits. However, the Middle Eastern immigrants (who usually are not technically "illegal" but who get into the country on Refugee status by claiming religious persecution in their home countries) do collect welfare. They buy groceries with food stamps and then drive off in their brand new Mercedes Benz autos.

The honest, tax-paying American citizens are being gored.

[Dr. Shane]

Quote:

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But the illegal immigrants don't own property here, so don't pay any property taxes.

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Do they pay sales tax? What about the fuel surcharge tax when they buy gasoline? Energy taxs attached to their electric bill? If they rent property, do their landlords use a portion of their rent to pay taxes? Is there any communications tax in their telephone or cable bills? Does California have an income tax they pay into?

If we want to stop illegal immergrants let's build a wall or secure fence at the border and be done with. If they are here already it is better to have them in school than in a street gang. College tuition is cheaper than room and board in prison.

[Jeannieb43]

The issue is not whether the immigrants pay any tax, but whether they pay property tax. It is the property tax revenue which supports the state educational system.

Other tax revenues (from sales tax, gas tax, etc.) are used for other state, local, or county government services.

The topic here was the University of California.

[Dr. Shane]

That be as it is. If I pay rent, my landlord uses a portion of my rent to pay the property taxes.

As I mentioned, the issue of illegal immergration needs to be dealt with at our borders and shores. Once the immergrants get in we do not want to embrace any policies which encourage them to join gangs or break laws. Denying them an education does excactly that.

[CyberGuy]

The immigration problem has always been a sore point in california polictics. We have Mexican families who move into the neighborhood who are very hardworking but who have the whole clan living with them. Aunts uncles and every relation move it. My parents have one family who have 20 or so people living in a 4 bedroom house. They are even living in the tool shed in the back yard and even in the garage. About 12 cars service that house and the car parking problem on their street is bad. This violates the city ordinance of one family one house ordinance.

We have a Mexican family living our on street that has several families living with them. Must be 12 in that 4 bedroom house with six cars. A great family who are hard working but, It just makes the neighborhood very crowded with so many in one house.

[Dr. Shane]

The solution to that is easy. The City enforces its ordinance. That simple.

If we can find the illegals, we can deport them. The problem is finding them. If we pass laws saying that doctors must turn in illegals, the illegals will quit going to the doctor and we will have people dying from simple infections that could be treated with antibiotics. If we say schools need to turn in illegals, illegals will quit going to school and join gangs and prostitution rings.

[CyberGuy]

The city has done what they could. They have ticketed excessive cars for that house etc. Trouble is proving the people who are at the house are living there and not just visiting as the occupants are claiming. Visiting for how long? Years?

One solution proposed is to not grant people citizenship by just being born in the USA. Many countries have it so that a person has to be one or second or third generation born in the country before they can be a citizen. Some propose that one cannot become a citizen of the USA just by being born in the USA but has to have one or both of the parents who are born in the USA as well before citizenship is granted. Many times a illegal comes across the border in labor to have their kid to be born in a US hospital so that their kid will be a US Citizen. How does the hospital turn away a mother in labor who is about to give birth. A hard ethical decistion.

Of course doing that would mean modifying the constitution of the USA. That presents a whole new set of problems.

This is not an easy problem to solve.

[Dr. Shane]

The local police can notify INS if they suspect the immergrants are illegal. I live right on the border in Texas and it is not uncommon for the INS or Border Patrol to be avised by local police of illegals living in a specific area.

Illegal immergrants can still be deported even if their children are born in the US. My wife and I know some in Mexico that have been deported that have children born here.

[CyberGuy]

It is estimated that in 20 years more people in california will be speaking spanish than English. Already one Hispanic California State Legislature man has advocated succeeding from the US and joining Mexico as California was stolen from Mexico at the point of the Gun in 1848. He advocates large Hispanic Families so that in 20 years or so the Hispanics will be the majority and can do what they want to do with California. This is the more radical element we deal with here in California. Freedom of speech dictates we have to allow him to speak his mind. I doubt even the Hispanics want to join Mexico as they left Mexico to come to the US for a better life they did not get in Mexico.

As to informing the police we have many local city governments that are hostile to that. The Mayor of LA is against cooperating with INS on this point. He is Hispanic and is for open borders with Mexico. I read where 20 percent of LA's economy is based on Cash only wages. That way the companies avoid taxes and benefit and retirement payments. It is the underground ecomony that is very strong in our large cities with a large Hispanic population. I see 20 to 30 Hispanics lined up by the Home Depot looking for work for the day. It is obvious they are not legal US Citizens. As I said we have a large Hispanic Population that is hostile to cooperating with the INS and many are legal US Citizens and voters.

[Dr. Shane]

Hispanics are the majority in Texas and no one is talking about joining Mexico. Most of them came here to get away from Mexico.

Immergration enforcement is a federal responsibility, not a local one. The local police can inform INS or border control if they desire to but are not obligated to do so. G.W. Bush and Clinton before him have been soft on immergration issues. We can solve the problem if we want to, but it is a federal issue.

[CyberGuy]

This guy is the only one advocating california joining Mexico. So I am not concerned. Yes I know immergration is a federal job but as I pointed out some Police Departments due to local polictics are forbidden from informing to the INS where the illegals are located.