VA: Brown kids face barriers to attend college
March 17, 2008 by libertyisforme
The government again succeeds at being the asshole in this story. Virginia government won’t allow U.S. born kids, whose parents are undocumented qualify for in-state tuition.
Luz Jamilla Penarete started school at George Mason University after graduating from Annandale High School in 2006, but when she registered for classes, she was shocked to find that the tuition was almost three times what she had expected. She thought it was a simple mistake — she was born in Fairfax and has lived in Virginia all her life. But when she asked people in the domicile office why she was classified as out-of-state, she said they told her it was because her mother, a housekeeper and babysitter, is an illegal immigrant.
What happened to Luz?
She dropped out from Mason because it was too expensive and now has two jobs to save up for next semester.
Brown kids, like her, all over the country are in limbo, because the government thinks this way:
Last week, the Virginia state attorney general’s office weighed in, saying that schools must look at parents’ legal status, because students are considered dependent until they are 24 years old. That means the children of parents without legal residency must be considered for out-of-state admission and tuition.
The attorney general’s memo emphasized that state law allows exceptions on a case-by-case basis, if students 18 or older can offer convincing evidence that they should be considered separately from their parents.
This decision tells me that the Republican AG is torn himself and doesn’t know what to think.
Us, Latinos/Hispanics/Chicanos - whatever you want to call yourself - we know the AG’s decision is bogus because the government will tax our kids jobs, send our kids to war, and never along the process ask… Are your parents undocumented?
If they don’t care then, during our most patriotic duties then why should the government care now, when brown legal kids are trying to get a college education.
If you are appalled like me, call the AG at (804) 786-2071.
