Undocumented students closer to receiving in-state tuition

The Senate Committee on Education and Workforce Development will hold a public hearing this month on the recently passed tuition equity bill, which grants undocumented immigrant students in-state tuition in Oregon.

“I can tell you it’s going to be heard this month, but we don’t know exactly when,” committee assistant Kristalyn Cassell said.

The Oregon House passed the tuition equity bill Feb. 22. Tuition equity has been a hot topic for a decade but has just now made it out of the House. House Bill 2787 received strong support, and the House voted 38–18.

If the committee does not make alterations to the bill and it goes directly to the floor, it will then be passed to Gov. John Kitzhaber.

Andrew Riley, public policy director at the Center for Intercultural Organizing, said he believes all residents will benefit if Oregon has better access to education.

“The vote on [Feb. 22] was historic,” Riley said. “It’s a pretty fundamental step for everyone having access to education, no matter what country they’re from.”

The Oregonians for Immigration Reform argue that tuition equity will dilute the value of American citizenship, according to Riley.

“I don’t think that’s true, because we’re talking about kids who worked hard to graduate from high school, and they’ve worked hard to get into college,” Riley said. “Their ultimate dream and goal is to get a college education. To me that drive to get an education affirms American citizenship.”

Students residing in Oregon who are from other countries won’t necessarily have access to education if the bill passes, but the cost will be reduced—out-of-state tuition is typically three times or more the cost of in-state.

Undocumented students will not be eligible for financial aid, which means no government grants or loans.

“It’s not going to cost anything; it’s going to have money coming into the system,” Riley said.

Jim Ludwick, communications director for OFIR, said colleges in Oregon would lose money because of the difference between out-of-state versus in-state tuition costs.

“I wouldn’t call that tuition equity, I’d call that tuition inequity,” Ludwick said.

He said he was concerned about Oregon falling prey to the losses he claimed the California university system has endured since it started offering in-state tuition for what Ludwick refers to as “illegal aliens.”

“Our hope is that we don’t have much hope. We defeated it five times. The people who will pay the price for this [are] regular students,” Ludwick said.

Jaime Limon-Guzman is a youth and public policy organizer at Oregon Dream Activists. He said providing in-state tuition would give undocumented students like himself the chance to attend college.

“We still have to find our own way to pay for college—this just gives us the opportunity to pay in-state tuition, as our peers [do],” Limon-Guzman said.

California and Washington already offer in-state tuition to undocumented students.

“Right now, I think it’s really exciting to see the tuition equity [bill] pass. This is not new; it’s been around for 10 years. We’re just closer to seeing it come into law,” Limon-Guzman said.

“Especially…being an undocumented student, it’s good to see Oregon take that leadership.”

Annicia Limon-Hernandez is an undocumented freshman majoring in psychology at Portland State. She spoke as an advocate on the floor to representatives in favor of the tuition equity bill. She said she moved to Oregon when she was
a toddler.

“I don’t remember my country much. I’ve been molded as an American. I know more about America than my own country,” she said.

Limon-Hernandez works part-time and said it will be much easier for her to pay for college if she qualifies for in-state tuition.

“I have my own aspirations and my own dreams; with or without a social security number is not going to stop me from accomplishing my dreams,” she said.

Her friends from high school, who are also undocumented, had plans to attend college, but they couldn’t afford it.

“Seeing those high numbers just shuts the doors in their faces,” Limon-Hernandez said. “We’re fighting for what we want, and nothing is going to stop us.”