Comments about ‘Repeal in-state tuition’

590 students paying out-of-state tuition won't solve the budget crisis facing higher ed. Indeed, it can be argued that these illegals residing in Utah pay taxes (they work and pay income taxes, buy stuff and pay sales taxes, pay property taxes either through home ownership or rent to landlords, etc.) and therefore have paid for the right to attend state schools.

Illegal immigration is a problem -- that isn't the issue here, however, when it comes to higher ed's financial woes.

I agree. We should be subsidizing our own, legal residents, not illegals.

I don't know all the facts about this issue, and I'm betting it isn't as represented by this letter, but people who live and work here do pay taxes, even undocumented workers.

Your facts are a little muddled.

Are there really droves of people living here "illegally" (show me the law) milking our in state tuition rates? I doubt it.

I am tire of funding illegals for anything. My tax dollars and I have no say!

The reason repealing in-state tuition would not be good policy is because these kids grew up here. They attended schools with our kids. The only differece is they were not born here.

To them, the country of their birth is a foreign country. Do you think of Mexico as a foreign country? Well so do they. Do you think of Utah as your home? They do too.

Most of these people will continue to live here, and it is to their and our benefit that they become educated, not have their hopes dashed and become alienated.

Nothing like education and opportunity to keep people and their kids out of gangs. If we want to fight gangs, fund education, not only for these children but for all of us.

There is a penalty for breaking any law. The penalty for being born somewhere else and having your parents drag you here, does not include being denied in-state tuition.

Actually being here for these people is not illegal. The US law states it is illegal to come here illegally. Not to be here undocumented.

Therefore these kids never did break a law, their parents did, and to punish them for the law breaking of their parents would be unfair.

Not sure how they are being favored over legal residents. Sounds as if they are being treated the same.

Charging them out of state tuition doesn't mean the Colleges will get more money, it just means it is far less likely that they will go to college. Does keeping them uneducated make them more or less likely to contribute to society? There are many reasons to provide as much education as possible.

We're talking about educating kids that can't get legal jobs in the US. Isn't that like throwing good money after bad?

If illegal kids want to get educated, maybe the State can help pay for them to go back to the country they are citizens of.

Just because they did not come here illegally doesn't mean they are here legally. It just means they did not break the law here to get here. But they are still here illegally.

Don't blame the U.S. for them being here illegally, blame their parents. Also once they are old enough to fix their parents mistakes it then becomes their mistake. Then if become their fault they are here illegally.

No excuses, the law is the law.

I don't get an excuse if I get a ticket for speeding. Why should they get an excuse for being here illegally.

For those that say we need them and it would cause harm to use if they where not here, then work to change the laws. But until then it is illegal and they should be punished just like I would be for breaking the law.

Mr. Wren has an excellent point here. Utah needs to take down the "Illegal Aliens Welcome to Utah," sign. The cost of illegal alien subsidized instate tuition is only about 2-3 million dollars per year now but that will increase over time, because many of those that commented here are so sympathetic to illegal aliens that they would invite the poor from the entire planet to Utah.

One issue not mentioned is that Utah is in violation of Federal law. Check Title 8 Chapter 14 Section 1623 of the U.S. Code. You will see that it is against the law to provide subsidized college tuition to illegal aliens unless it is also offered to Americans from all of the other 49 states.

Out of state students also pay sales tax and other taxes in Utah, why should they pay the out of state rate? In the fall when colleges and universities apply enrollment caps, there are gong to be angry Utahns that won't understand the need to provide a college education for illegal aliens that are unable to use it in the United States, and will be unable to pass a background check.

Paul | 5:41 p.m. March 6, 2010
We're talking about educating kids that can't get legal jobs in the US. Isn't that like throwing good money after bad?

But they do work here, and so we do get a return on the educational investment. Education is the best investment, we don't lose anything.

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re They are breaking the law | 9:01 p.m. March 6, 2010

So if you are in a car, the driver is speeding, no excuses for you either? After all you were exceeding the speed limit too.

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Seems we are all willing to place hard conditions on others, but when it comes to us, we go soft.