Maryland Breaks Ranks - Not Every State is Like Arizona

Maryland moves closer to extending tuition breaks to Illegal  [undocumented]  immigrants

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By Daniel de Vise, Thursday, April 14, 8:22 PM - Washington Post

With anti-illegal-immigrant sentiment rising in the United States, a growing number of states are considering legislation that would forbid public universities from offering in-state tuition breaks to illegal immigrants....
devised@washpost.com

In-State Tuition for Maryland DREAMers is Unlikely

Posted at 03:07 PM ET, 04/11/2011

Md. Senate puts in-state tuition bill in jeopardy

By Ann E. Marimow

The fate of a bill to give in-state tuition breaks to undocumented immigrants hung in the balance Monday as Senate lawmakers refused to sign off on House-backed changes to the measure.


With the legislative session concluding at midnight Monday, it was uncertain whether supporters could revive the bill that would allow illegal immigrants who have graduated from Maryland high schools to pay in-state tuition at the state’s colleges.


Sen. Joan Carter Conway (D-Baltimore) said the Senate’s action had effectively killed the bill.
After a series of narrowly decided votes, Senate lawmakers sent the bill to conference committee because of fresh concerns that it would not do enough to ensure that the parents or guardians of the undocumented students are Maryland taxpayers. Republican lawmakers, and some Democrats, said the House-backed changes permitted a sizeable loophole to the tax requirement.


“Let’s be clear,” said Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. (D-Calvert). “It’s not the minority party that is killing this bill. It’s Democrats … who are no longer comfortable with the bill.”


When it became clear that Democrats could not round up the required 29 votes to cut off a Republican-led filibuster, legislators moved to confer with House lawmakers to try to work out the differences between the two chambers.
Senate Majority Leader Robert Garagiola (D-Montgomery) said he thought legislators could move quickly to keep the bill alive before the session ends.

By Ann E. Marimow  |  03:07 PM ET, 04/11/2011              

Left and Right Immigration Caucuses in Maryland

Two caucuses have formed in Maryland. One is the New Americans Caucus (pro-immigrant) and the other is the Citizen's Rights and Immigration Caucus (anti-immigrant)... It is expected that the Citizen's Right's group will lose because of not enough Republican representation in the Maryland Legislature.

The WP:

"Citizens' Rights and Immigration Caucus next week.

The caucus will reflect the goals of a "citizens' rights" movement that McDonough said will focus less on those here illegally than on politicians and policies that offer services to the immigrants. In the absence of federal action to secure the country's borders, "we're attacking the [state] politicians for violating federal immigration laws," McDonough said. He cited as a prime example a Democratic-sponsored measure to award in-state college tuition to children of illegal immigrants, which enjoyed broad support in the House last year but stalled in the Senate."

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GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Blocs Form on Both Sides of Immigration Fight

By Lisa Rein

Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, January 30, 2008; Page B06

Maryland lawmakers on both sides of the potent immigration issue are forming new coalitions to push their agendas, emboldened by Gov. Martin O'Malley's rejection this month of the state's long-standing policy allowing undocumented immigrants to drive...

New Americans Caucus. The members, who represent some of the most diverse parts of Montgomery and Prince George's counties, say they are determined to push back against a national anti-immigration mood they see seeping into the legislature...

...a "citizens' rights" movement that McDonough said will focus less on those here illegally than on politicians and policies that offer services to the immigrants. In the absence of federal action to secure the country's borders, "we're attacking the [state] politicians for violating federal immigration laws,"..

The Republican bills have little chance of passage because the GOP has so few assembly members...

At the center of the debate is O'Malley, who two weeks ago rejected a recommendation from his top transportation officials to comply with a federal security law by devising two tiers of driver's licenses. One would have maintained driving privileges for undocumented immigrants, who can get licenses now...

for complete WP article click the title of this post