Contrary to what its critics say, the 2004 law allowing eligible children of undocumented immigrants to pay in-state tuition is not a handout. The kids pay tuition, like any other graduates of Kansas high schools. Because of it, 243 students are in the state higher education system, mostly at community colleges. Unfortunately, the lawsuit over the law is costing taxpayers — more than $160,000 so far, to a Kansas City, Mo., law firm hired by former Attorney General Phill Kline to defend the law, according to the Lawrence Journal-World. And it’s not over yet. Kris Kobach, the plaintiffs’ attorney when he isn’t chairing the Kansas Republican Party, may ask the U.S. Supreme Court to consider the case, despite the refusal of the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver to rehear a challenge of the law. If Kobach is serious about wanting the state to spend less money, he can do his part by shutting down this losing lawsuit.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
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37 Comments
243 students TODAY..how many will it grow to if this lawsuit is not filed?
Calling illegal aliens “undocumented immigrants” is like calling drug dealers “unlicensed pharmacists”. They are ILLEGAL, period, and do NOT deserve any special perks, priveleges or support.
I wouldn’t have such a problem with this if illegal alien children paid out of state tuition, since they’re obviously not legal residents of the state. It gripes me that criminals get to pay lower rates than American kids.
“undocumented immigrants to pay in-state tuition is not a handout. The kids pay tuition”
Do they really pay? I am trying to imagine the income the parents of these illegal children have. Or the income these students have on their own accord.
I am going out on a limb here, but having sent ALL my children through Kansas K-12 and state college (go KU), I know what it takes to “pay tuition”. It’s not just tuition: It’s books, room and board, fees, and other expenses. I know. I paid on average 15K a year. My children graduated without any debt. Mom and Dad paid (which is probably too much, but that’s another story).
At any rate, we filled out the FASFA form. You include all your income, investments, and financial resources – you give the government all your personal information, for a determination of eligibility for things like Pell Grants and low interest student loans. Bottom line is: most colleges use this form/results to determine eligibility for any of THEIR discounts/loans/grants.
I’m guessing the illegals come from very low income families, or have low income themselves. They then qualify for grants and loans which AMERICAN CITIZENS are funding. AMERICAN CITIZEN children are also competing for these loans/grants.
It is wrong that the criminals can attend at in-state tuition rates and wrong for them to garner ANY federal/state aid..
The ten states are becoming the “safe harbor” states for illegals. Like a magnet, they are attracted to the states which support them – and leaving the states which are starting to crack down on them.
Kansas will be an espanol state when it is all said and done.
Might was well start a spanish WEBLOG…..
Anyway, my point is – I doubt they pay themselves, and WE the Kansas taxpayers and federal taxpayers are funding their IN state education costs.
Why is this even a lawsuit? Illegals have no rights and our public schools should not be dealing with this issue. Send them all back to where they came from and when they come over legally we will let them play in our system. I am so tired of hearing about illegals. They can work just as hard becoming legal as they do staying illegal.
Why are we even letting illegals into our school systems? I am getting tired of the whole issue of us educating and taking care of the whole world.
As the matter of fact, I am getting tired of the whole system! Why is it now that the Wichita school system thinks it needs more money to build more buildings? I have an idea that I will file a law suit about it! I don’t have any children in school. I am retired and my kids are out of school. I have paid my share and a bunch more besides. I don’t think I, being on a fixed income, should have to pay for YOUR bratty kids education, free breakfast, etc.
I paid for my kids schooling and they are productive citizens. Now, since I don’t have any kids in school, I shouldn’t have to pay any more. If the money that goes to education was taken off my property tax would be less than half what it is now! All these kids in school now are just sucking off the system and costing me money. I don’t owe them anything and I could sure use the money.
Let’s make it a pay as you go system, kindergarten through college! If you can’t afford the kids why did you have them? If you can’t pay, lump it! It must be because you didn’t work hard enough!
While I understand that we all have to be taxed to support our local infrastructure, y’all let this stew for a few:
You, as an American Citizen under the current system, shall never own property. Not one single day in your life will you ever be able to stand on a patch of dirt and claim it yours. Large or small, financed or paid off, it will NEVER BE YOURS. You merely rent it.
Don’t believe me? Don’t pay your property taxes for a few years. Guess what? The Gov’t will promptly take away ‘your’ property.
Take back America. Vote Ron Paul.
I don’t think I, being on a fixed income, should have to pay for YOUR bratty kids education, free breakfast, etc. Fred.
And I don’t think, being on a fixed income, I should have to pay for YOUR social security you old fart. Or your medicare, or your prescription drug benefit. Or your senior citizen discount.
Same rule should apply upstream in the life line don’t you think?
“And I don’t think, being on a fixed income, I should have to pay for YOUR social security you old fart.”-American Way
I just have to say, I love your comment! Funny yet soo true…
Interesting read on Self deporting illegals.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/01/02/navarrette/index.html
Someone has to remind these old farts that someone was paying for their way – when they had kids in school too. Now that they are old, someone is paying their way again.
I’m someone in the middle, paying for both.
If Fred is really that upset he should, well – move.
Find a nice home in a rural county which does not have a demand for a big school district. Kansas is ripe for that. In fact, some small communities are advertising for people to come.
Find a home outside city limits and avoid paying city taxes. If the county has a declining population, perhaps the schools are not anxious to throw away perfectly good (but old) buildings for new modern ones (that won’t last as long as the old solidly built ones).
Kansas doesn’t tax retirement and I am hearing Social Security taxes. Fred doesn’t know how luck he is!
This thread is about illegals..not the general educational taxation system. But, it is obvious that we are paying a LOT just for education for LEGAL student..why must we be burdened with paying for ILLEGALS as well?>?>??
SEND THEM BACK TO MEXICO!
Kansas doesn’t tax retirement and I am hearing Social Security taxes. Fred doesn’t know how luck he is!
Posted by: American Way
Not entirely accurate. Kansas does not tax govt retirement pensions and a few others, but it does not extend to most other retirees. Social Security has been taxable for a while if your combined income, including SS benefits exceed a specific amount.
True USERRA. I fall under the former. But I did here that the legislators are acting on removal of SS from earned income entirely?? I’ll have to look it up. Read/heard it over the holiday period.
The ‘tuition’ that parents pay for children in secondary educational systems is just a fraction of the cost of their education. The taxpayers pick up the rest. I host an Asian student who is here legally on a student visa. He cannot go to a public high school, because our system says the American taxpayers should not have to pay to educate a student whose parents don’t pay taxes here. He goes to a private school and his parents pick up the tab – 100% of the cost of his education. He pays for medical insurance, housing, etc., etc., etc. So why is the American taxpayer picking up the biggest share of the cost of educating students who are not here legally? We have to turn this around.
WAR, oops. I had forgotten that the state funds the state colleges. So we are spending even MORE of OUR MONEY on these rascals.
But we CAN do something about it. I have contacted my state representatives and there was movement toward ending this break for illegals. Unfortunately, I think the effort will die because not enough Kansas citizens are voicing their opinions.
All of you who agree with ending the IN STATE tuition break for illegals should please contact your representatives and write some letters to the editor. You might have to get mean. Threaten them with removal from office.
That seems to be the only thing which motivates our representatives.
Everybody that has contributed to this blog condemning giving illegals in-state tuition rates and burdening our K-12 schools with illegals, thereby robbing our own children in the process, PLEASE email Representative Brenda Landwehr. Tell her Thank You for her patriotic efforts in curbing illegal aliens from coming to Kansas, as we are fast becoming a sanctuary state with this in-state tuition bill and our lack of enforcement of employment of illegals.
Then email your own Rep. and Senator and ask for there support in enacting new legislation that helps curb the high influx of illegals.
The link to their email addresses are below:
House: http://www.kslegislature.org/legsrv-house/searchHouse.do
Senate: http://www.kslegislature.org/legsrv-senate/searchSenate.do
I don’t think people are crossing the border illegally just to spend thousands of dollars for higher education when they can get an education cheaper in their home countries. Brenda is just playing the xenophobia card to appeal to small minded voters.
We just need our borders secured and workable processes put in place to eliminate the MAGNETS, which followed the disaster of the 1986 AMNESTY when we only had 2.7 million ILLEGAL Aliens in the United States. WE now have over 10 times the number of ILLEGAL ALEINS we had PRIOR to 1986 because we did nothing to SECURE THE BORDERS AND REMOVE THE MAGNETS.
Once that is done, I would be one of the first to promote blending current ILLEGAL ALIENS into our society as LEGAL IMIGRANTS.
Benefits of any type to ILLEGAL ALIENS is a MAGNET to draw more ILLEGAL ALIENS.
In Mexico you have to prove citizenship and residency in order to attend school there.
boy are we stupid!!!
All the meat packing plants that hire the illegal immigrants are located in primarily Republican districts. The same people who hire them donate to the Republican campaigns. Does anyone think the Republicans are going to bite the hands that feed them? Nope, that’s why they make an issue of in-state tuition.
Pres Fox before leaving office signed into Mexican law a requirement that almost all govt employees have to be native born Mexicans, including most lower level positions down to city officials.
True USERRA. I fall under the former. But I did here that the legislators are acting on removal of SS from earned income entirely?? I’ll have to look it up. Read/heard it over the holiday period.
Posted by: American Way
American Way, I believe Kansas is trying to remove the SS for state tax purposes, and it may already passed. But it is still taxed for fed purposes. A move designed to delay the SS financial crisis by a few years.
Found a link, pdf, KS DOR
http://www.ksrevenue.org/pdf/forms/iiwhatsnew.pdf
SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS. All benefits received under the Social Security Act (including SSI benefits) that are subject to federal income tax subject to Kansas income tax when your Federal Adjusted instructions for line A7.
Several other changes listed.
You’ve gotta love it. If it’s a bunch of school districts spending taxpayer dollars on lawsuits wanting the judicial branch to override the elected legislative branch to pour more money down the educational black hole, the Eagle’s all for it. BUT, have those same tax dollars be spent trying to strike down a misquided law that rewards illegal behavior and that’s somehow bad? The inmates truly are running the asylum.
A move designed to delay the SS financial crisis by a few years.
Posted by: USERRRA | January 02, 2008 at 02:12 PM
I thought I read that. Thanks. This is good news for Kansas residents. However, I doubt our state’s action had anything to do with worry over the SS crises. It will help keep an aging and growing population of babyboomers in a state which already is loosing young people.
It really is a great advantage. If you get a government pension AND his/hers SS all non-taxed!
You’ve gotta love it.Posted by: Geoffrey Caldwell
The NEA (excuse me) teachers and school administrators are getting real good at this. With the support of democrats in the state legislature they sued for more money to fund education to the tune of what was it – a billion more for education?
So the taxpayers fund the local school districts and state.
The School district (manhattan I think started it) sues the state.
They hire a team of lawyers.
The state hires attorneys to counter the claim.
The state lost.
So we now have the priviledge of paying attorneys from both sides AND higher taxes for education.
That is a summary of smart education. “But it’s for the children.”
“But it’s for the children” posted by American Way
I moved to Missouri a year ago and they tried the same thing here but so far the courts have ruled AGAINST the schoold districts relegating back to the elected Legislature where it belongs. There’s a lot of administrators and educrates whining over here but so far reason is prevailing. More money spent on education then ever in our history yet reading, math, science scores still dropping and don’t even ask about civics, social studies, or geography. When oh when will the public open their eyes to the scam?
On Undocumented Workers and the Law and Constitutional Protections. A poster wrote: ” Illegals have no rights”
By long tradition, all persons are afforded certain rights by American laws and tradition and they are even protected under the broad umbrella of the United States Constitution. Just because some have violated border laws and can be called “illegals” does not mean they have no rights whatsoever.
If these workers were not so useful as a narrow political football to whip up hatred and fear, reasonable policies could easily be drafted to allow or jobs to be filled, our crops picked and our beef cows slaughtered and packaged, and our houses built, our lawns trimmed and our concrete poured.
And as to the little children.. can anyone really think that a little six year old girl who wants to go to school and learn to read and write should be barred at the schoolroom door?
America will never be this mean.
¿Qué usted dice David B? Algún día cuando usted tiene que empujar diez para oír inglés, usted puede ser que lamente su posición. No es “malo” hacer cumplir la ley. Envíeles el embalaje.
What you say David B? Someday when you have to push ten to hear English, you might regret your position. It is not “mean” to enforce the law. Send them packing.
Posted by: Doug
“Brenda is just playing the xenophobia card to appeal to small minded voters.”
I don’t think she is doing that at all Doug, she’s too intelligent and interested in the future welfare of this state.
And one more reason I am convinced of this Doug, you are about as small minded as they come, are Brenda’s tactics working on you?
Look: this affects the CHILDREN of illegal aliens, not the illegals themselves. Their children are born here, and are thus AMERICANS.
The only reason they wouldn’t otherwise qualify for in-state tuition rates is because of their PARENTS’ residency status, something the KIDS have NOTHING to do with.
Quit being racist, nationalist, bigoted, or just plain stupid, and spend your time thinking about something that REALLY affects our tax dollars and safety.
Something like the excessive spending of our money to the Prez’s buddies at Halliburton, and his failure to fully fund the Homeland Security department, and implement any changes that actually improve our nation’s safety! And these folks say they are conservative? I think not!
Posted by: hon_jr
“Look: this affects the CHILDREN of illegal aliens, not the illegals themselves. Their children are born here, and are thus AMERICANS.”
NO, NO…not correct! This in-state tuition bill applies to illegals that came to this country illegally. It has nothing to do with those born here.
This law is a ‘magnet’ that along with employment draws illegals in increasing numbers to Kansas.
But since you brought it up the ‘anchor baby’ situation where an illegal makes it into this country and drops a kid in a hospital on our tax dollars is absurd.
Read this, taken directly from Snopes and it’s TRUE.
Parkland is also home to the second busiest maternity ward in the country with almost 16,000 new babies arriving each year. (That’s almost 44 per day — every day)
A recent patient survey indicated that 70 percent of the women who gave birth at Parkland in the first three months of 2006 were illegal immigrants.’ Crikey, that’s 11,200 anchor babies born every year just in Dallas. According to the article, the hospital spent $70.7 million delivering 15,938 babies in 2004 but managed to end up with almost $8 million dollars in surplus funding. Medicaid kicked in $34.5 million, Dallas County taxpayers kicked in $31.3 million and the feds tossed in another $9.5 million.
The average patient in Parkland’s maternity wards is 25 years old, married and giving birth to her second child. She is also an illegal immigrant. By law, pregnant women cannot be denied medical care based on their immigration status or ability to pay. OK, fine. That doesn’t mean they should receive better care than everyday, middle-class American citizens. But at Parkland Hospital, they do.
Here, read it yourself ‘hon_jr’, and anybody else that hasn’t got a grasp on how bad this is getting.
And quit supporting a literal invasion of our country.
Snopes Link:
http://www.snopes.com/politics/immigration/parkland.asp
From the L. A. Times
1. 40% of all workers in L. A. County ( L. A. County has 10.2 million people) are working for cash and not paying taxes. This is because they are predominantly illegal immigrants working without a green card.
2. 95% of warrants for murder in Los Angeles are for illegal aliens.
3. 75% of people on the most wanted list in Los Angeles are illegal aliens.
4. Over 2/3 of all births in Los Angeles County are to illegal alien Mexicans on Medi-Cal , whose births were paid for by taxpayers.
5. Nearly 35% of all inmates in California detention centers are Mexican nationals here illegally.
6. Over 300,000 illegal aliens in Los Angeles County are living in garages.
7. The FBI reports half of all gang members in Los Angeles are most likely illegal aliens from south of the border.
8. Nearly 60% of all occupants of HUD properties are illegal.
9. 21 radio stations in L. A. are Spanish speaking.
10. In L. A. County 5.1 million people speak English, 3.9 million speak Spanish.
(There are 10.2 million people in L. A. County . )
(All 10 of the above are from the Los Angeles Times)
Less than 2% of illegal aliens are picking our crops, but 29% are on welfare.
Over 70% of the United States ‘ annual population growth (and over 90% of California , Florida , and New York ) results from immigration.
29% of inmates in federal prisons are illegal aliens.
We are a bunch of fools for letting this continue.
We have a public education system not to benefit the students, but because stupidity is poisonous to democracy. Obviously it’s not working all that well so far, considering the racist buzzword comments here from all the idiots who think a pedigree should be required for admission to schools. And remember, the kid whose parents brought him here isn’t at fault and shouldn’t be denied an education. You’re the one who suffers when he is! Next time you encounter someone who can’t add up your bill or make change and you want to bitch at whoever is responsible, give yourself a firm kick in the ass.
Jed, the fact remains; when you make it attractive to sneak into this country people will sneak into this country. Make it unattractive and they don’t. “all the idiots” you refer to are quite unfazed by your remarks as they know who the idiot is….it is you.
I believe it was Pablo Casals who said that “If Patriotism is such a good thing, why must it stop at the border?”