Effort to repeal Maryland tuition law advances (in-state tuition for illegal immigrant students)

Source: The Washington Post

Organizers of an effort to repeal a Maryland law granting college tuition breaks to illegal immigrants have collected enough signatures to continue their push to put the issue to a statewide vote.

An ongoing tally posted Tuesday morning on the State Board of Elections Web site showed that 21,919 signatures had been validated, exceeding the 18,579 that were needed by the end of May for the petition drive to carry on.

Opponents of the new law have until June 30 to collect 55,736 valid signatures — or 3 percent of the number of votes cast in the last gubernatorial election. If they succeed, the new law will be put on hold and a statewide referendum will be held on the issue in November 2012.

(...)

The law, signed last month by Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) and set to go into effect July 1, would allow students who are illegal immigrants to pay the lower in-state rates at the state’s colleges and universities. To be eligible, students must have attended a Maryland high school for three years, provide proof that their parents are taxpayers and express their intent to become a citizen. As part of a compromise, the law directs undocumented students initially to community colleges. Those who receive an associate’s degree are then eligible to transfer and pay in-state tuition at a four-year institution.

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/politics/effort-to-repeal-maryland-tuition-law-advances/2011/06/07/AGlNlOLH_story.html

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This law is similar to one that California passed back in 2001. Yesterday, the US Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal of the California Supreme Court case Martinez v. Regents of the University of California that unsuccessfully challenged California's in state tuition provision, something not mentioned in this report. (The state court verdict was unanimous with a lineup consisting of mostly Republicans and only one Democrat, Carlos Moreno. Ming Chin, nominated by the -championing Pete Wilson, wrote the opinion.)

states do the opposite. Alabama just banned illegal immigrant students from attending college at all, regardless of what tuition they might have to pay.
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Here's a RW take on the petition drive: http://www.redstate.com/dhorowitz3/2011/06/01/tea-party-victory-against-illegals-in-maryland

Tea Party Victory Against Illegals in Maryland

Liberal politicians incessantly demagogue the issue of illegal immigration by offering a false choice between amnesty and a police style roundup of 12 million aliens. Obama believes that without a pathway to citizenship, even a moat with alligators can’t preempt illegal immigration. They always forget the third option; enforcing the laws on the books and not offering them hospitality that isn’t afforded to legal Americans.

Last month, Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley offered such a taxpayer funded courtesy by signing a bill granting in-state tuition benefits at state universities to illegal aliens residing in Maryland. ... Maryland is not known for its strong Tea Party presence. But against all odds, Maryland conservatives have successfully passed the first hurdle in securing a ballot referendum to strike down the tuition law.

The salient observation that was noted by the petition organizers was the fact that so many Democrats signed the petition, and even offered to circulate it in their communities. I bumped into many hard-core liberals who support every big government program imaginable, yet categorically rebuffed the whole concept of offering benefits to illegals. “What part of ‘illegal’ do the politicians not understand?” was a common refrain from numerous Democrat supporters. A Democrat state Senator from Baltimore County even volunteered to circulate the petition.

Republicans must learn from the Maryland experience that illegal immigration is not a wedge issue for Republicans. Quite the contrary, it is a wedge issue that divides commonsense Democrats (to the extent that they exist) from the party elites. All too often, the supercilious wizards of smart in our own party lament how immigration is a losing issue for us. Well, according to Gallup, Maryland is the most Democrat state in the country, yet a pro-illegal bill is headed to defeat. No amount of spin can ameliorate the negative reaction that people intuitively garner towards lawbreakers.