Marietta Daily Journal

Candidates to Regents: ‘Follow law’
by Jon Gillooly
jgillooly@mdjonline.co
June 23, 2010

MARIETTA – Forget the debate about whether to charge illegal immigrants in-state or out-of-state college tuition. Four of the five candidates vying to be Georgia’s next attorney general say illegal immigrants should not be attending a public Georgia university at all.

The Journal caught up with the candidates at Southern Polytechnic State University, where they engaged in a debate Tuesday night.

Republican Sam Olens said Georgia law bars illegal immigrants from attending public universities.

“Absent a student visa, they should not be attending such institutions,” he said.

Olens called on the Georgia Board of Regents, the body that governs Georgia’s colleges and universities, to “immediately follow the law. Illegal immigrants have no right to attend the universities.”

Olens said it is not acceptable to allow illegal immigrants to attend state universities even if they pay the higher out of state tuition rate.

“No. Illegal immigrants are not entitled to attend state universities, period,” Olens said.

State Rep. Rob Teilhet (D-Smyrna) also believes Georgia law bars illegal immigrants from attending Georgia universities.

“In my opinion it does. Now, a similar federal law has been interpreted to mean they can attend, but just not receive student aid, but I don’t agree with that interpretation. I think a public benefit includes public universities,” Teilhet said.

If that’s at all unclear, the Legislature needs to take steps to clarify the matter, he said.

“I think attendance at a public university is a public benefit and we said in the Legislature that illegal immigrants won’t receive public benefits in the state of Georgia. Attendance at a university in my mind is clearly a public benefit that would be prohibitive,” Teilhet said…

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