Illegal immigrant issue still not clear

RALEIGH -- North Carolina community colleges will likely return to admitting illegal immigrants while the state board that oversees the colleges studies a permanent policy.

Members of the State Board of Community Colleges, who met this afternoon, said they are not ready to decide whether to allow education for illegal immigrants at the state’s 58 community college campuses. A board committee voted to hire a consultant to further study the issue. The full board is expected to approve hiring the consultant on Friday.

The study would take several months and, in the meantime, Community College System officials say they would have to adhere to their current policy, which is to admit all students with a high school diploma.

“This study will be critical to our working out a reasoned policy on this hot potato issue,” said board member Dr. Stuart Fountain of Asheboro, who suggested the study.

During the board’s discussions Thursday, most members were closed-mouthed about their opinions on the issue.

Only one, the student representative, strongly advocated a return to an open-door policy that allows all students to apply regardless of immigration status.

"To punish them because of something their parents did, to me, that's not right," said Jeana El Sadder, a student at Rockingham Community College.

Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue, a Democratic candidate for governor, was the only member who advocated for a permanent ban on illegal immigrants.

“I’m against allowing illegal immigrants who can never work legally in North Carolina to attend community colleges in North Carolina,” Perdue said.

She encouraged members to keep a temporary ban in place while they further studied the issue. But the system’s lawyers said there was no legal basis for continuing the ban without an official policy.

Community College System President Scott Ralls barred illegal immigrants in May, after the state Attorney General's Office advised that their admission might violate federal law.

But a recent letter from federal immigration officials said it is up to each state to decide whether illegal immigrants can attend colleges.

Whatever policy the board eventually sets is sure to be controversial. On Wednesday, Senate Republican leader Phil Berger urged the system to keep its doors shut to illegal immigrants.

"North Carolina should not reward illegal immigrants with the privilege of attending taxpayer-supported community colleges," Berger said in a news release.

U.S. Rep. Sue Myrick, a Charlotte Republican, also announced Wednesday that she plans to introduce a bill that would withhold federal funding from colleges and universities that knowingly admit illegal immigrants.

Before May, both the state's universities and community colleges admitted illegal immigrants at out-of-state tuition rates. In May, the community college system said that only 112 of its more than 300,000 students were undocumented.