Raleigh, N.C. — North Carolina’s community colleges should drop a lenient admissions policy for undocumented immigrants and return to more restrictive rules that follow federal law more closely, the state Attorney General’s Office said.
The 58-college system now admits undocumented immigrants who are 18 years old and high school graduates — and others allowed under federal guidelines — to all campuses under a policy it adopted in 2007. A spokeswoman for the nation’s third-largest community college system said officials would take the contents of the letter, dated Tuesday and released Wednesday, under advisement.
The stricter guidelines “would more likely withstand judicial scrutiny,” said JB Kelly, general counsel for the Attorney General’s Office.
The state should revert to that policy because the Department of Homeland Security hasn’t assessed the more lenient policy, he said. Leaving the door open for lawmakers to act, Kelly said the state would need to rely on federal advice unless the Legislature passed a law on admission standards.
Kelly did not immediately return phone calls and an e-mail seeking comment.
In November 2007, the community colleges’ attorney decided that the schools must admit undocumented immigrants as long as they were 18 years old and high school graduates. That ruling updated a 2004 rule that left the decision up to individual campuses.
Martin Lancaster, who was system president at the time of the 2007 ruling, said Wednesday that the decision disappointed him.
