NC Board of Community Colleges Defies Governor

New admission policy will allow illegal immigrants to attend degree programs

NC EDUCATION NEWS -- The NC Board of Community Colleges, in a meeting last Friday, changed its policy to allow illegal immigrants to attend its degree programs. These students would be required to pay out-of-state tuition.

In adopting this policy the Board ignored and defied the people of NC and Governor Perdue. Polling has consistently indicated a large majority in this state reject educational benefits to illegal aliens. Governor Perdue expressed her opposition as recently as last week, "It's hard for me to understand how the state of North Carolina can educate people when they can't work legally in the state after they're educated."

The State Board refused to consider all costs to NC taxpayers in adopting the new policy. A study commissioned by the board did not attribute any value to the campus real estate or buildings in establishing the financial burden of educating illegal immigrants. The policy does not account for the thousands of illegal immigrants who take unaccredited courses at the expense of taxpayers. Yet the state board's "spin doctors" continue to assert that all costs were considered.

Republican House Leader and Representative of Wake County, Paul Stam said, "This decision to admit illegal aliens to our community colleges is an affront to the people of our state who value the rule of law. The board has defied Governor Perdue and the majority of North Carolina citizens. We have no objection to those of other nations studying at our colleges, if they have a proper visa. But the state cannot ignore the law."

Republican House Leader Paul Stam called on the board earlier last week to consider all costs prior to making a decision on admitting illegal immigrants to attend community college degree programs.