No DREAM for Undocumented in Virginia

Legislation barring undocumented immigrants from Virginia public colleges won the endorsement of the state’s House Education Committee last week.

The panel sent the bill, sponsored by Republican Del. Frank D. Hargrove Sr. of Hanover County, to the House of Delegates floor on a voice vote. Similar legislation cleared the House last year but was killed by a Senate committee.

Claire Guthrie Gastanaga, a lobbyist for a coalition of Hispanic organizations, argued that the bill unfairly punishes young immigrants who had no say over being brought to this country by their parents.

“We’re saying to a bunch of kids who largely have been here their whole lives that they don’t have the opportunity to move forward with their education,” Gastanaga told the committee.

But Del. Jeffrey M. Frederick, R-Prince William, suggested the legislation is a matter of fairness not only to U.S. citizens but also to legal immigrants.

“When we give spots to those who are illegally here, we’re giving up spots for those who worked hard, waited their turn in line and followed the rule of law,” he said.

Del. John S. Reid, R-Henrico, added that the Supreme Court has ruled only that states must educate undocumented immigrants through high school.

“It’s an awfully big leap to believe that . . . we have a further obligation to educate them through college,” Reid said.

The committee was not swayed by Gastanaga’s economic arguments against the bill. She said it would cost Virginia’s public colleges as much as $7 million to determine whether students currently enrolled are in this country legally. The measure also could prompt lawsuits from students who are kicked out, she said.

If Hargrove’s legislation becomes law, another bill endorsed by the committee will be moot. That bill, sponsored by Reid, would deny in-state tuition to undocumented immigrants attending Virginia’s public colleges.

Source: Associated Press, Jan. 31, 2006

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