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Online NewsHour
Vote 2006
A co-production of the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer and Local PBS and NPR stations
IN THE NEWS
FOR STUDENTS AND TEACHERSPOWERED BY NEWSHOUR EXTRA
October 11, 2006
Arizona Congressional Candidates Answer Questions About Tuition Benefits for Undocumented Migrant Students

Student journalists from Children's PressLine

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.


How would granting in-state tuition for undocumented residents affect students who want to go to college in Arizona?

There 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?

There are an estimated 50,000 undocumented migrant youth in Arizona. Why are there so many?

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?
How would granting in-state tuition for undocumented residents affect students who want to go to college in Arizona?

Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz.Gabrielle Giffords (D): Right now we don't provide in-state tuition for undocumented immigrants. We know that the cost of education continues to go up and up and up. My priority is to make sure that folks who are here legally are able to receive the educational benefits first and foremost.

Randy Graf, R-Ariz.Randy Graf (R): We only have so many seats available for high school students. For every illegal alien that comes in and takes a seat, that's taking it from someone that should have the right to go to that school but may be not allowed to attend because there's only so much room.

There 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?

Randy Graf, R-Ariz.Randy Graf (R): I understand that many states do allow that, but here in Arizona we do not. We are not comfortable with [that]. We should give preference obviously to the residents of our state who are U.S. citizens, who are here in this country legally. In-state tuition for those in the country illegally would do a disservice to students who live in other states who come to Arizona to study.

Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz.Gabrielle Giffords (D): We here in southern Arizona are disproportionately shouldering the effects of illegal immigration through our state. It's a national problem. The national government needs to get involved. We are disproportionately -- here in Arizona -- shouldering the burden.

There are an estimated 50,000 undocumented migrant youth in Arizona. Why are there so many?

Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz.Gabrielle Giffords (D): Because there was a buildup of the California-Mexico border, the U.S. Texas border. And the way that the roads are, the way the geography is, we have a disproportionate percentage of people who are crossing through our borders -- thousands and thousands every single day.

Randy Graf, R-Ariz.Randy Graf (R): The 8th district in Arizona has 80 miles of border with Mexico. Along our border, just in the state of Arizona last year, border patrol apprehended over 500,000 illegal aliens. And they admit that they only apprehend one in four. So that means as many as one-and-a-half million illegal aliens walk across the border into Arizona. They also suggest that 17 percent of those that they apprehend are previously convicted criminals here in the United States. By those numbers, that means ... close to 250,000 illegal aliens with previous criminal records -- rape, murder, child molestation -- are walking across our border into our neighborhoods, into our communities, and this is unacceptable.

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?

Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz.Gabrielle Giffords (D): We had a statewide initiative a couple of years ago called Proposition 200 which did a couple of things: One, it required proof of citizenship for voting; another was it denied social services or emergency services to folks who could not prove that they were U.S. citizens, and it passed overwhelmingly. So many people in Arizona feel frustrated about the situation with illegal immigration and people are pretty vocal about it.

Randy Graf, R-Ariz.Randy Graf (R): Proposition 200 didn't change who was eligible; it simply said prove your eligibility, and it passed by a total of 56 percent to 44 percent. Arizonans approved of those simple measures dealing with our voting system, trying to prevent voter fraud, and trying to prevent welfare fraud. So it passed by 12 percentage points, pretty overwhelmingly. I believe the vast majority of Arizona citizens would feel the same way dealing with in-state tuition for illegal aliens.

Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz.Gabrielle Giffords (D): [In-state tuition for undocumented migrants] is not going to happen in our Arizona State Legislature. The appropriations chair this last week talked in a very strong way against illegal immigrants and referred to illegals as "wetbacks." We have an incredibly incredibly conservative Arizona House and Arizona Senate. In no time in the near future are we going to allow in-state tuition who are here and are not documented. It's not going to happen here in Arizona.

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Views from student journalists
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.
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.
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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