Posted on November 20, 2012

Report: Mass. to Offer In-State Tuition to Illegal Immigrants

Kevin Robillard, Politico, November 19, 2012

Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick is ordering the state’s public colleges and universities to offer reduced tuition rates to young illegal immigrants eligible for a federal program saving them from deportation.

Patrick, a Democrat, directed the state’s Department of Higher Education to offer in-state tuition rates to illegal immigrants who are eligible for work permits in Massachusetts in a letter sent Monday. The change could save students as much as $13,000 a year in tuition, according to the Boston Globe, which first reported the move.

“While this change in federal enforcement policy applies only to a small segment of our immigrant population and is no substitute for comprehensive immigration reform, it is certainly a step in the right direction,” Patrick wrote in the letter.

“As I see it, this is a matter of basic fairness and economic competitiveness,” Patrick added. “Indeed, our Commonwealth is stronger when we embrace the talent, ideas and work ethic of all immigrants.”

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Deval Patrick