North Carolina Colleges Become Battleground on Excluding Undocumented Students

12/6/07

The general counsel for the North Carolina’s community-college system has said its 58 campuses of must admit undocumented immigrants. As of 2005, 21 of these colleges barred undocumented immigrants. As could be expected in these times, this has created angry anti-immigrant rhetoric in the state.

Previous to this ruling, individual campuses decided whether to consider applicants’ immigration status. The lawyer, David Sullivan, wrote that, “notwithstanding any policy of the local board, colleges should immediately begin admitting undocumented individuals” as out-of-state residents based upon a 1997 opinion by the North Carolina Attorney General.

All five leading Democratic and Republican candidates for governor condemned the decision after it became public last week, and residents have been calling politicians and college leaders. The current Democratic governor and the community college system president,, however, defended the practice of admitting undocumented students who qualify and pay out-of-state tuition rates. The North Carolina community college tuition rate for full-time non-residents – including undocumented students — is $7,464 per year, compared to $1,344 for in-staters.

Will this controversy lead to a movement to ban undocumented immigrants from any colleges? Why stop there? Let’s deny them food, water and shelter! That's why we're the greatest country in the world.