Public Divided Over In-state Tuition For Illegal Immigrants
A new survey by the Pew Hispanic Center showed that a slight majority of Chicago residents favored affording illegal immigrants who graduate from high school in Illinois the same reduced college tuition rates as state residents.
Fifty four percent of poll respondents said unauthorized immigrants should be allowed to pay in-state tuition, while 41 percent said they “don’t think so.” Five percent didn’t know.
The results support the Pew study’s overall findings that while most Americans do not believe illegal immigrants should receive social services, a majority do stand behind affording them educational benefits.
“This demonstrates how divided some people are on this issue,” says Gabriel Escobar, associate director for publications at the center. “But clearly there is this perception that children of illegal immigrants should not be punished for the actions of their parents.”
Illegal immigrants are still unable to receive federal financial aid, however states are required to provide K-12 public education as a result of the 1982 Plyler v. Doe Supreme Court decision.
Nationwide, state legislators have been tackling the thorny issue of whether illegal immigrants should receive in-state tuition rates, which can be as much as 75 percent less than regular tuition rates and are supplemented by taxpayers.
