COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- Dozens of protestors gathered on the Texas A&M campus Wednesday while the student government erupted in a heated debate over a student bill opposing in-state tuition for illegal immigrants.
“I think it means we’re working on issues that really matter to people,” said Justin Pulliam, a student senator who proposed the bill.
He said it’s just a matter of fairness.
“It just isn’t fair that someone who’s in this country illegally gets in-state tuition, when legal US citizens living outside of the state have to pay thousands more,” he said.
In fall of 2009, records show Texas A&M had 317 students without Social Security numbers paying in-state tuition -- roughly $5,152 for undergraduates.
Meanwhile, the university’s 7,026 out-of-state students paid a higher rate, about $19,552.
Freshman Stephanie Monjaraz says it’s the only way impoverished, illegal immigrants can afford an education.
“I saw my parents trying to make me successful,” she said.
A legal immigrant from Mexico, Monjaraz struggled to learn English when she arrived in the fifth grade. She eventually became a U.S. citizen, but sympathizes with those who can’t.
“I feel bad because they don’t even get a chance,” she said.
The student government plans to do further research on the student attitudes before putting the bill up for vote. If it does pass, they’ll send a group to Austin to lobby state lawmakers to change the rules.
The existing law does require immigrants to meet certain criteria before getting in-state tuition, including having lived in Texas for at least three years.
