Maryland moves closer to extending tuition breaks to illegal immigrants

WASHINGTON POST

With anti-illegal-immigrant sentiment rising in the United States, a growing number of states are considering legislation that would forbid public universities from offering in-state tuition breaks to illegal immigrants.

But this week, the Maryland legislature, dominated by Democrats, took a step in the opposite direction, voting to guarantee in-state tuition to illegal immigrants. Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) is expected to sign the bill.

Sponsors overcame years of entrenched opposition with a provision that steers undocumented students to community colleges instead of the increasingly competitive flagship school, the University of Maryland, lessening the risk that they will crowd out others for coveted spots.

Whether illegal immigrants should reap the benefits of residency at public universities is one of the more contentious issues to emerge in the national immigration debate. In this legislative session alone, at least eight states took up bills to extend in-state tuition to illegal immigrants and as many considered bills to deny it, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Maryland is the only state this year to pass a bill extending benefits.

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