Bill would bar illegal immigrants from colleges

ATLANTA — A legislative committee chairman said Tuesday he's gotten about a thousand emails and a thousand phone calls on a bill to bar illegal immigrants from attending Georgia's state colleges, universities and technical schools and wants more time to consider differing viewpoints before allowing any vote.

House Higher Education Committee Rep. Carl Rogers, R-Gainesville, said after a committee meeting that he wants to consider communications from constituents and consult with the university system and the bill's sponsor. He anticipates a vote in two or three weeks.

The legislation would bar illegal immigrants from all 35 of Georgia's state colleges and universities, as well as the state's 25 technical schools. It passed out of the same committee last year but never made it to the House floor for a full vote. Rep. Tom Rice, R-Norcross, said the bill was pushed off until this year because the focus last year was on a broader, comprehensive crackdown on illegal immigration that passed and was signed into law.

The intent of the bill is to clarify the fact that postsecondary education is a public benefit and, consequently, should not be available to those who are in the country illegally, Rice said.

"Any situation in which there's a possibility of limiting the access for a Georgia citizen or a Georgia student to the university system in my estimation, and in what this bill says, ought to be restricted by the laws of Georgia," he said.

University system Chancellor Hank Huckaby told the committee that he does not believe the legislation is necessary, adding current board policy is sufficient.

"Even for those who are here through no fault of their own, it makes sense to me that we should educate them to the highest level possible," he said. "It helps our state economically, culturally, and educationally."

Technical College System of Georgia Commissioner Ronald Jackson echoed the chancellor's sentiments.

Already, illegal immigrants are effectively barred from the most competitive state schools by an October 2010 Board of Regents policy that prohibits any school that has rejected academically qualified applicants in the previous two years from accepting illegal immigrants.

That includes five Georgia colleges and universities: the University of Georgia, Georgia Tech, Georgia State University, Georgia Health Sciences University and Georgia College & State University. Illegal immigrants may still be admitted to any other state college or university, provided that they pay out-of-state tuition.