Bar benefit to illegals

One of the hot-button issues Georgia lawmakers will take up after they convene Jan. 9 will be what higher educational benefits should accrue to immigrants. Should they be eligible for HOPE scholarships or entitled to pay college tuition at in-state rates if they've been a Georgia resident for a year or more?

The answer is obvious. Foreigners who live in the state and can prove they're in this country legally should enjoy the same perks and benefits as any Georgian. If they are here illegally, then they should not.

No one should benefit from criminal activity, which unlawful entry into the country is. There may be special situations when exceptions can be made, but they should be decided on a case-by-case basis with the presumption that illegality will not be rewarded, because it encourages more unlawful entries.

State Sen. Chip Rogers, R-Woodstock, has prefiled legislation - the thrust of which deserves public support. It bars state universities from granting in-state tuition to illegal immigrants no matter how long they've lived in Georgia. If a benefit requires Georgia residency, then proof of that residency must be shown. "That applies to somebody from Alabama or Guatemala," says Rogers.

A couple of Democratic senators, Tim Golden of Valdosta and Sam Zamarripa of Atlanta, have countered Rogers proposal with one of their own. It would let the University System Board of Regents set the admission standards. That policy grants in-state tuition to anyone who qualifies for enrollment and has lived in Georgia for at least a year; no proof of legal-immigrant status is required.

It's appropriate for regents to set admissions policies pertaining to academic standards, but not tuition. State taxpayers should have a say in tuition through their legislative representatives.

If some Democrats had their way, Georgia could wind up in the

same fix California universities are in today: being sued for discriminating against out-of-state students by charging them - legal U.S. citizens - higher tuition rates than they do immigrants violating federal law.

That difference in tuition costs is substantial, and can be decisive in determining whether a young person can afford a university education. For instance, the average in-state tuition for the University of Georgia in Athens is $4,628 per academic year; for out-of-staters it's $16,848.

Let's not reward lawbreakers with higher education benefits and invite lawsuits from aggrieved out-of-state students. That route is costly, unfair and unnecessary.

Incidentally, Gov. Sonny Perdue, who's up for re-election in November, has not yet declared himself on this issue. If he's soft on illegal immigrants, he might please some of his business supporters, but he'll almost certainly outrage social conservatives - and possibly draw a strong primary challenge.