Dive Summary:
- A Massachusetts senior administration official says that on Monday, Gov. Deval Patrick will advise the state's colleges and universities to extend the lower resident rate for tuition and fees to young illegal immigrants who obtain work permits through a new federal program.
- Patrick is sending a letter to the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education on Monday with the details, and the administration official--who spoke to The Boston Globe on the condition of anonymity--says the change will take effect immediately.
- Massachusetts' Legislature passed a bill allowing illegal immigrants to pay in-state tuition in 2004, but it was vetoed by then-Governor Mitt Romney and subsequent efforts failed as immigration remained a hot political issue in the state.
From the article:
Governor Deval Patrick will direct state colleges and universities Monday to allow young illegal immigrants to pay the lower resident rate for tuition and fees as soon as they obtain work permits through a new federal program, a senior administration official said Sunday. Patrick’s declaration ends five months of anxiety for immigrants who cheered President Obama’s decision in June to temporarily halt the deportations of immigrants age 30 and under, only to plunge them into limbo in Massachusetts as officials said they were reviewing whether the immigrants were eligible for the lower rates. But the governor’s announcement also raised criticism that he is neglecting American citizens struggling to afford college. ...