Immigration bill proposes in-state tuition for illegals

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The immigration bill now under consideration in the Senate would grant even a broader amnesty to illegal aliens than similar legislation did in 1986, conservatives say, and would make hundreds of thousands of illegal residents eligible for in-state tuition at public colleges and universities.

"It should be called 'No Illegal Alien Left Behind,'" said Sen. Jeff Sessions, Alabama Republican.

In 1986, Congress granted amnesty to 2.7 million illegal aliens. Current legislation would allow an estimated 11 million illegal aliens to continue working in the U.S. while applying for full citizenship.

Backers of the current legislation say it's not amnesty because the illegals would be fined $2,000. But opponents say it is amnesty because the illegals won't be sent home as required under current federal law.

It is "in every sense of what people mean by amnesty," Mr. Sessions said. "If it is not amnesty, it is the same thing as amnesty."

Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, Massachusetts Democrat and primary author of the bill, defends the program.

"All undocumented immigrants deserve this chance," he said. "But only those who pay the stiff fines, work for six years, pay their taxes, learn English and pass a civics test will be permitted to remain in the United States."

When the Senate Judiciary Committee approved the proposal last week, many were still not clear about its details because it was still largely made up of oral agreements. But once the 471-page bill was produced and distributed late last week, conservatives were alarmed by some of the provisions.

None so much as the proposal to make illegal aliens eligible for in-state tuition costs.

"This means that while American citizens from Tennessee, Georgia, South Carolina, Massachusetts have to pay out-of-state tuition rates if they send their kids to the University of Virginia or the University of Alabama, people who have illegally immigrated into the country do not," Mr. Sessions said. "How much sense does that make, to have people here illegally and they have more benefits than those who are here legally?"