Easley issued a statement today in the wake of advice from the state Attorney General's Office, which recommended against allowing illegal immigrants to attend community colleges.

The advisory letter from the Attorney General's Office appeared to relate to public universities, as well, though it did not specifically address them.

Federal law on the issue is not settled, Easley noted in the statement. He said he was asking Attorney General Roy Cooper to seek clarification from federal officials on whether illegal immigrants are eligible to attend community colleges.

"The legislature specifically provided the Community College board the authority to establish admission criteria," Easley said. "In the absence of federal action to the contrary, the Community College board should continue its current policy, which is consistent with other states."

The attorney general's advice would have reversed policies at the state's 58 community colleges and 16 UNC institutions, which allow illegal immigrants to attend. The letter reasoned that higher education is a public benefit that illegal immigrants are not entitled to under law.

But Easley pointed out that the attorney general's letter acknowledged that the federal government has not prohibited admission of illegal immigrants to community colleges.

State officials have said that of 271,000 community college students, 340 are illegal immigrants. The UNC system has enrolled 27 illegal immigrants among 200,000 students.