Regents Address Illegal Immigration at Georgia Campuses

Jim Burress (2010-06-09)

ATLANTA, GA (WABE) – After a very public debate on what part state universities should play in enforcing immigration laws, the state Board of Regents Wednesday took up the issue. WABE’s Jim Burress reports.

The Board of Regents adopted two resolutions . The first specifically denies in-state tuition to someone in the US illegally. The second requires campuses to review all applications for fall admission and determine whether undocumented students are receiving federal or state benefits.

John Millsaps, spokesman for the University System of Georgia, says the process could identify indivudals who are not eligible for in-state tution and should pay out-of-state tuition. “Those people may be legal US citizens,” Millsaps said. “They might be undocumented individuals. It could be both.”

Regents also developed a committee to look into how rigorously standards of verification now are. D.A. King, an outspoken opponent of illegal immigration, says that’s encouraging. But he says universities must go one step further.

“If they continue to admit illegal aliens into our university system, I will take them to civil court as well as having filed complaints with the state and federal government,” King said.

Currently, universities don’t check students’ immigration status for admission purposes. Regents uphold immigration enforcement falls outside of their obligation.

Jim Burress, WABE News. HERE