Alabama bill would allow illegal immigrants to attend state colleges
The Alabama legislature is considering a bill that would allow some illegal immigrants to enroll in the state’s public universities and colleges.
A Republican sponsor of the bill said that he and other members of the party want 'to make sure that these citizens are wanting to stay here and invest in our country, in our state,'
A recently introduced Republican-sponsored Alabama bill would permit certain illegal immigrants to enroll in the state’s colleges.
HB 210, introduced in February, would open the path for illegal immigrants to be admitted to public institutions of higher education as long as they have studied at a state high school for a certain period of time, attained a high school diploma or another equivalent, and started the process of naturalization, the Alabama Reflector reported.
[RELATED: Boston pays for illegal immigrants’ college tuition with federal stimulus money]
The bill, which is sponsored by Republican State Representative Reed Ingram, states: “Under existing law, aliens who are not lawfully present in the United States are prohibited from enrolling in or attending any public postsecondary education institution in this state. This bill would provide exceptions for circumstances under which this prohibition applies.”
The legislation is currently being considered in the House Education Policy Committee, the Reflector wrote. It is co-sponsored by Republican State Representatives Terri Collins, Donna Givens, and Mike Kirkland, as seen from the bill’s text.
Speaking on the legislation, Ingram said: “We have a lot of kids that are trying to do the right thing, coming in here with their parents, and have applied for legal status, going through our schools, we’ve paid K through 12, as governmental bodies, and now they want to go to college and pay for it themselves. We’re telling them they can’t in this state,” the Alabama Reflector reported.
The outlet also noted that Ingram said that he and his fellow Republicans hope “to make sure that these citizens are wanting to stay here and invest in our country, in our state.”
There are roughly 13,000 illegal immigrants in Alabama who are 24 or younger, representing 22% of the illegal immigrant population in the state, according to data from the Migration Policy Institute.
Alabama’s existing HB 56 law states that “an alien who is not lawfully present in the United States shall not be permitted to enroll in or attend any public postsecondary education institution in this state.”
[RELATED: WATCH: Americans react to illegal immigrants living in dorms]
South Carolina is the only other state with a complete ban on illegal immigrants joining higher education, as seen from data provided by the National Immigration Law Center.
In January, Campus Reform reporting featured the Biden Administration’s push to “extend certain federally funded college-preparatory programs to illegal immigrants.”
Campus Reform has reached out to all of the bill’s sponsors for comment. This story will be updated accordingly.
