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| October 11, 2006 |
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| Arizona Congressional Candidates
Answer Questions About Tuition Benefits for Undocumented Migrant
Students |
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Arizona has one the country's largest populations of illegal
immigrants, also called illegal aliens or undocumented migrants.
This has emerged as a major midterm election issue in the
state, but students are also playing a role in the debate.
A 1996 federal law says that the estimated 2 million undocumented
youth can not receive in-state tuition costs for college,
but some states, including Texas and California, do allow
these benefits. More recently, the Senate passed a provision
that could allow states to make their own decision.
In early October 2006, student journalists conducted interviews
with Republican Randy Graf and Democrat Gabrielle Giffords
about their beliefs on benefits for undocumented youth.
Both are candidates for a Congressional seat in Arizona's
8th district -- one of the state's two "border districts."
-- By Christina Cacioppo, 17; Marco Felice, 10; Sabrina
Felice, 12; Gabriel Frankel, 11; Marina Sandu, 17; and Patricia
Rogers, 16, from Children's PressLine. Children's
PressLine is a youth journalism program based in New
York City. This is the first in a series for NewsHour Extra
on youth issues in the 2006 Congressional races.
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| How would
granting in-state tuition for undocumented residents
affect students who want to go to college in Arizona? |
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are more undocumented migrants in Texas and California
than Arizona, and migrant students from those states,
as well as New York, Utah and Kansas benefit from in-state
tuition. What's different about Arizona? |
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are an estimated 50,000 undocumented migrant youth in
Arizona. Why are there so many? |
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| How have
adults in Arizona reacted to changes in laws related
to undocumented migrants and what could this mean for
laws relating to undocumented youth? |
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Views from student journalists |
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Marina,
16: It's a fact that it's very hard to get into the United
States, especially lately with terrorism and everything. I
think that the fact that the government doesn't let undocumented
immigrants pay in-state tuition is a way for it to stop immigrant
youth from wanting to go to college. If I were in their situation
and I had a friend who was a citizen and we wanted to attend
the same college, I wouldn't be as determined to go to college
if my friend had to pay $11,000 while I had to pay $30,000.
In my opinion, what politicians are doing wrong right now
is looking at immigrants as a whole instead of looking at
them as individuals. |
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Sabrina,
12: Immigrants are not people from another world. They
are individuals, not aliens. Politicians always say that they
are aliens from another country; it shouldn't be like that.
They're just other people and other human beings. |
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Gabriel,
11: I understand that undocumented immigrants are really
working hard and want to give their families a great life,
but college is one of the most important steps here in America.
You should be an American citizen going to college and if
you're not applying for a Green Card, that's not fair. You're
working here in America, you're paying your bills here in
America: You should be an American citizen. That's why maybe
they have to pay more. |
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