There is a small announcement just below to the right of the article announcing the new bill in the Virginia Legislature presented by state Republicans that would keep all undocumented students from attending college. It shows an image of the top left corner of the Jefferson Memorial. The announcement says "JEFFERSON'S VISION, in 1785 the cornerstone for the Virginia Capital was laid.."
How ironic that Jefferson's Vision accompanies an article that describes a law that will take away the basic right of education for undocumented college students. Maybe its there to remind everyone that basic rights are only for a select few in this country.
What a way to start the semester.
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Va. Republican Bill Would Bar Illegal Immigrants From College
By Tim Craig
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, August 30, 2007; Page A01
RICHMOND, Aug. 29 -- Virginia Republicans announced legislation Wednesday that would prohibit public colleges and universities from accepting illegal immigrants even if they attended a public high school and were brought to the United States at an early age by their parents.
...Del. David B. Albo (R-Fairfax), chairman of the Courts of Justice Committee, said the House would focus on the proposal outlined Wednesday because the GOP leadership is confident it would be upheld in court.
But the issue of denying a public college education to an illegal immigrant will probably be controversial.
...In past sessions, the House of Delegates and more moderate Senate have failed to agree on proposals to deny in-state tuition rates to illegal immigrants.
Howell and Stosch say they are ready to go much further.
Under the GOP proposal, a public college such as Virginia Tech or George Mason University would have to prove an applicant is a legal resident or has a valid student visa.
Northern Virginia Community College allows the admission of illegal immigrants, but they must pay out-of-state tuition.
But most four-year colleges prohibit illegal immigrants, advocates and college officials said. "We don't enroll illegal aliens," said Jeff Hanna, a spokesman for the University of Virginia. "A student who applies and is accepted must produce documentation." In 2004, a federal judge in Alexandria upheld the right of U-Va. and six other Virginia colleges and universities to deny admission to illegal immigrants. The suit was brought by illegal immigrants upset that they were being denied entry.
O'Brien couldn't present any evidence Wednesday that illegal immigrants are gaining access to Virginia's colleges.
But GOP leaders offered statistics showing that 36 percent of applicants to a four-year public college in Virginia were rejected last year. They couldn't say how many of those denials occurred because the applicants weren't academically qualified.
In some cases, students at Virginia public schools do not have legal status -- even though their younger siblings do -- because they were brought into the country at a young age by their parents. In those circustances, O'Brien said, it would be up to "the parents of that child to seek legal presence for that child."
for complete article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/29/AR2007082901619.html?hpid=topnews
cartoon: http://www.conservatives.com/UploadedFiles/GRAPHIC/PHOTOTHUMB/thumb-cartoon-education4.jpg
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