Colorado Illegal Immigrants Receive In-state Tuition In New Mexico

Colorado bars illegal immigrants from receiving in-state tuition.

Apparently, New Mexico does not:

At least 10 illegal immigrants from Colorado will get to attend classes at the University of New Mexico this fall, with many not having to pay for tuition or books.

A new Colorado law prohibits state colleges from providing in-state tuition to undocumented immigrants.

In New Mexico, the state is barred from denying education benefits based on immigration status, said Terry Babbitt, director of admissions for the University of New Mexico.

While New Mexico's state financial aid is intended for residents, Poudre High School counselor Isabel Thacker in Colorado found a way for her students to receive in-state tuition, plus scholarships to cover it.

"Students can enroll for up to six credit hours and get the in-state rate (at UNM)," said Alex Gonzalez, associate director of the scholarship office at UNM. "They can then go across the street to Central New Mexico Community College and enroll for another six hours and continue to pay the UNM in-state tuition rate. They then are counted as full-time UNM students."

A full year of tuition at UNM, 12 credit hours per semester, costs $4,570.80, Gonzalez said. An institutional scholarship available to illegal immigrants covers $5,000 of their tuition and book expenses.

As a CU alumnus, I knew many out-of-state students who essentially subsidized in-state students with extremely high tuition rates.

Offering illegal immigrants and not citizens of this country in-state tuition (in-state tuition simply meaning taxpayer subsidized) creates a two-fold cost. Non-resident students are actually denied benefits that are given to illegal immigrants, and state taxpayers are forced to pay for their education beyond the Federally mandated primary education. And what about U.S. citizens or legal residents who might benefit from that "institutional" scholarship? Illegal immigrants only?

How is this fair, or legal?

Oh wait, that would be discrimination, and the question is racist.

Nevermind.

Amnesty now!

**Update on DPS students and scholarships, including 20% who are illegal immigrants (video)