Who wins? who loses?

The education of illegal immigrants in N.C. has sparked fierce debate. To some, it's an investment in the future; to others, it enables lawbreaking

A Capitol cop stood guard in the lobby of the community college system office early this month while staffers decorated for the holiday and buzzed about the coming announcement of a new president. The extra security was a precaution -- probably a wise one. The office had been the target of phone calls and e-mail messages from people angry over a topic with plenty of emotion but no resolution in U.S. society: illegal immigration.

The system's attorney had recently told all 58 community college campuses that there was no basis to deny admission to illegal immigrants -- an issue that is now under review by the state Attorney General's Office.

It's not that illegal immigrants were flooding the campuses. The $7,465 price tag for out-of-state tuition had, for the most part, been a barrier for undocumented students. There were only 340 among some 271,000 degree-seeking students across the state, and they were paying about 140 percent of the cost of instruction, according to community college officials.

The UNC system has also admitted illegal immigrants as out-of-state students, as spelled out in a 2004 policy. UNC system officials say they are aware of 27 illegal immigrants among its more than 200,000 students. On average, the out-of-state tuition paid $2,800 more than the cost of instruction, according to UNC.

While illegal immigrants represented well below 1 percent of students in each system, their very presence at state campuses was enough to spark a public outcry.

"North Carolina taxpayers do not support the idea of the state of North Carolina doing anything to encourage more illegals to come here and stay here," said state Sen. Phil Berger, a Republican from Eden, who said he has been contacted by more than 75 people. "I'm hearing that loud and clear from my constituents."

The debate will continue. UNC President Erskine Bowles said this month that the university system will begin to study the costs and benefits of offering in-state tuition to illegal immigrants, even though a similar proposal died in the legislature in 2005 after fierce opposition. The UNC study was recommended by a commission of business, community and academic leaders who spent months studying how universities can meet the state's future needs.

By law, public schools are obligated to educate the children of illegal immigrants. But the idea of providing affordable higher education has little public support, according to recent opinion polls. Only 12 percent of Americans think illegal immigrants should be given in-state tuition discounts, according to a nationwide poll released this month by the Los Angeles Times and Bloomberg. The poll had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

Most citizens don't want their government to look the other way when it comes to lawbreakers, Berger said. And the debate seems to dodge a larger question, he added, about the whole point of college degrees for illegal immigrants: "It ignores the fact that these people are not eligible to work legally."

Education's benefits

For proponents, extending higher education to undocumented students is an economic no-brainer. Community College System President Martin Lancaster, who will retire next year, said it made no sense to erect a roadblock in front of children who have come to this country through no fault of their own and who have been educated in public schools here.

Closing the doors to college would not only hurt them, Lancaster said, but damage the state's economic competitiveness and create a permanent underclass.