Non-Citizen Immigrants Eligible For In-State Tuition

Undocumented immigrants that meet certain criteria still will be eligible for in-state tuition at Oklahoma public colleges, according to a policy adopted today by the State Regents for Higher Education, The Oklahoman reports today.

Students that have lived in Oklahoma for at least two years and graduate from high school will remain eligible for in-state tuition if they have filed an application with the federal government to legalize their immigration status. Those students will no longer be eligible for state-provided scholarships such as Oklahoma's Promise and the Oklahoma Tuition Aid Grant.

Last year only 244 undocumented students attended Oklahoma colleges, mostly at Oklahoma City Community College and Tulsa Community College. While they cost the state $112,000 in tuition waivers and state aid, they contributed $238,785 in tuition and fees, said Rep. Shane Jett, R-Tecumseh.

"Whatever aid was given has been a minute part of the whole budget,” said Jett. "They do not take away seats from those students who are native-born.”

The new policy was necessary to comply with the state's new immigration law that takes effect November 1st and applies to colleges starting in the spring semesters, a spokesman said. Regents voted 5 to 1 in support of the policy, with three regents abstaining.

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Inhofe Praises DREAM Act Failure

Senator Jim Inhofe today praised the failure of the Senate Democrats’ most recent amnesty legislation, the DREAM Act (S.2205).

“Though Americans across the political spectrum weighed in on this issue during debate on the immigration bill in June, Senate Democrats once again overlooked the will of the people and attempted to push through a path to amnesty for illegal immigrants. This bill undermines the rule of law by expediting the path to citizenship for some of the illegal immigrants in our country. As I’ve said before, any shortcut provided to illegal immigrants is simply an injustice to those immigrants who have gone about the citizenship process legally. Furthermore, the attempts by some on the other side of the aisle to cloak this legislation as a ‘humanitarian gesture’ were simply disingenuous.”

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Illegal Immigrants Can Get Free Flu Shots

A new state law that creates barriers for undocumented immigrants to receive public benefits will not prevent them from receiving free flu shots, says an attorney for the Oklahoma Department of Health. Illegal immigrants are eligible for the shots, said Charles Broadway, assistant general counsel for the Health Department. The immigration law, House Bill 1804, goes into effect on November 1st but will not apply to flu vaccinations, Broadway said.

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How Funny Is This?

Tulsa ~ At an informational meeting that was already planned for Monday night at East Central High School, American Dream Coalition President Victor Orta II said the fight against HB 1804 will continue. "We're planning for the long haul, and we've already planned the next step," Orta said through a translator.

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New York's Spitzer Raises Eyebrows With Action

New York Governor Eliot Spitzer raised some eyebrows today when he handed a landmark victory to a half-million illegal immigrants and at the same time handed potential terrorists an easy source of identification.

The state will no longer require proof of citizenship for driver's licenses.

"We're changing our policy with respect to getting more people out of shadows and into the system so people don't hide they're here," Spitzer said.

He said the current restrictions on non-citizens have filled the roads with unlicensed drivers five times more likely to get into accidents. But the also called it a matter of justice.

"As long as I'm governor we won't pretend they don't exist, cut them off from society," Spitzer said.

The action triggered a bitter response from some 9/11 family members, who said the governor would be providing identification for potential terrorists.

It also drew the scorn of some Republican lawmakers from NewYork. Rep. Randy Kuhl, R-N.Y., said the new policy “undermines the preventive measures that protect our country from national security threats. The September 11, 2001 hijackers had at least 35 licenses,which helped them to rent cars and open bank accounts.”

“This policy encourages people to flood New York State and wreck havoc on our social services, schools, and hospitals,” he added.

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Get The Message?

American public to President Bush and Congress: Do you get the message?

Hat tip to blogger Ron Black

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Inhofe Reintroduces Immigration Bill

U.S. Senator Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) today once again introduced his immigration legislation aimed at addressing the ever-increasing influx of illegal immigrants to the United States. Inhofe’s ENFORCE (Engaging the Nation to Fight for Our Right to Control Entry) Act (S.1269) increases U.S. border security, emphasizes greater enforcement of existing immigration laws and would prevent amnesty and other shortcuts for illegal immigrants.

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