SANTA ANA : Immigrant Tuition Bill Backed by Board

The Santa Ana Unified School District Board has backed a proposed state law to lower college and university tuition for many unmarried immigrants under the age of 18.

This week, the board voted unanimously to support Assembly Bill 2114, which would allow the immigrants to pay resident tuition at state junior colleges, colleges and universities, instead of substantially higher non-resident fees.

“This is a humane as well as economical way of assisting these students,” board member Audrey Yamagata-Noji said. Added colleague Sal Mendoza: “If we can meet the needs of these immigrants to get an education, it will help us in the long run.”

For example, about 40% of the district’s graduates go on to Rancho Santiago College, Supt. Rudy M. Castruita said. Of those students, 25% are immigrants who must pay the $104-per-unit non-resident fee, which many cannot afford. Residents pay $10 per unit, except for those with bachelor’s degrees, who pay $50 per unit.

Without the approval of AB 2114, the non-resident fee “would deprive a lot of people in this district” of access to higher education, he said.

The Assembly bill would permit unmarried, minor immigrants to establish their own residency status for tuition purposes, independent of their parents’ immigration status. Any student attending school in California for three or more years and who has graduated from a high school in the state is classified as a resident.

In a related resolution also passed this week, the board urged President Clinton and Congress to allocate $1.45 billion to California for services provided to immigrants and refugees.

According to the district’s resolution, the federal government requires states to provide health and welfare services for those immigrants but has not fully reimbursed them for doing so.

A staff report shows that California is home to 40% of the nation’s refugees and more than 50% of the country’s undocumented immigrants.

“A failure to receive this requested funding will cause reductions to important state programs, causing undue hardship for millions of Californians,” the district report states.