LOS ANGELES : Court Hears Arguments on State College Fee Issue

A Superior Court judge in Los Angeles heard arguments Wednesday on whether the Cal State University system should be forced to charge expensive out-of-state fees to illegal immigrants even if they grew up in California. Judge Robert H. O’Brien will issue his decision at a later date.

Because of a ruling by the state Supreme Court, both the University of California and community colleges this year have begun to treat undocumented persons as out-of-staters, charging them much higher fees than state residents. A Superior Court in Alameda County in the spring ruled that the Cal State system did not have to charge the higher fees.

Recently, a coalition of such groups as the Citizenship Protection Fund and the American Assn. of Women asked O’Brien for an injunction requiring Cal State to charge the higher fees. Illegal immigrants take class seats from other people and are unfairly subsidized by taxpayers, the coalition contends. The university and the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund argued against the change, saying it would be difficult to enforce and would harm students’ education.