Requiring undocumented students to pay the out-of-state rate at SLCC would likely mean most of those students would have to drop out, said Deneece Huftalin, vice president for student services. Currently, in-state students pay $1,201 for a full-time semester, while out-of-state students pay $3,759.

Alex Segura, who heads the Utah Minuteman Project, said he sees it another way. "It discriminates against American citizens who want in-state tuition," he says, to allow undocumented immigrants to pay the in-state rate.

However, denying students that access sets a double standard in the state, Doty said, by encouraging undocumented students to succeed in public education, where federal law allows them access, no questions asked, but then telling them they are "persona non grata" once they graduate from high school.

"It's heartbreaking to send that kind of a message to a student who has worked hard," he said.

Can they work?

But during a recent House committee hearing on the bill, lawmakers took heed of arguments favoring the repeal and voted to advance HB224 to the House floor. A key argument was that in order to work after graduation, the undocumented immigrants wouldn't be able to work, unless they commit identity theft.

"Illegal immigrants cannot work, period," said Rep. Glenn Donnelson, R-North Ogden, sponsor of the proposed repeal. He pointed to a Washington Post article about Texas graduates, including a petroleum engineer, whose undocumented status has barred them from finding work.

Doty, however, said there are many ways a student could become a legal citizen while in Utah earning a degree. Most students' hopes lie in a change in federal law that would allow them to stay in Utah and contribute to the economy legally.

"In the worst-case scenario, let's say they still are undocumented when they graduate from college. We would hope that they would still be a better, more responsible adult with a college education," Doty said. "Hopefully you're a better employee, parent and less of a drain on social services."

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E-mail: estewart@desnews.com; dbulkeley@desnews.com