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Immigration See other Immigration Articles Title: Huckabee aid plan for illegal aliens draws 'venom, anger' LITTLE ROCK - Gov. Mike Huckabee's proposal last week to provide college scholarships and loans to illegal immigrants has sparked some emotional talk if not much ink compared to his other proposals. Huckabee wants the Legislature to adopt a law that would allow all immigrants who graduate from an Arkansas high school to be treated the same as other graduates. Aimed primarily at the state's growing Hispanic population, the governor introduced his proposal to lawmakers on Tuesday and almost immediately was on the defensive. Radio and television talk shows have devoted time to the issue, with callers to one radio program blistering Huckabee's idea. Lawmakers in Northwest Arkansas, home to many of the state's Hispanics, also have had little good to say about it. The governor said in an interview Thursday that he had heard callers to the radio program. "It was humorous because they were so misinformed," he said. "You could just see all this venom and anger coming out. "It was as if they thought some kid could swim the Rio Grande tonight and walk in and go have free tuition tomorrow at the University of Arkansas. Clearly, that is not the case," he said. Huckabee gives the example of Hispanic children brought to the United States at an early age and who have excelled in the state's K-12 public education system. "We're not saying that they're getting any special consideration or extra consideration, but that they would simply be treated as any other graduate of an Arkansas high school," Huckabee said. "If they met the criteria to qualify for financial aid, fine. I think it's an issue of basic fairness and consistency. It's highly inconsistent for us to treat that person like an Arkansas student for 13 years and suddenly treat them differently once they have actually succeeded." Under the governor's proposal, such students could qualify for the state's Academic Challenge and Governor's Distinguished scholarships just like other high-performing high school students. They also could go to college at the cheaper in-state tuition rate. According to Huckabee's agenda book, seven states allow undocumented immigrant children to pay in-state tuition - California, Illinois, Oklahoma, New York, Texas, Utah and Washington. A proposed federal law would give such students temporary legal status and expedite their citizenship. Lawmakers in Northwest Arkansas who aren't too keen on the idea say their constituents are already letting them know how they feel. What has citizens concerned, said Rep. Mike Kenney, R-Siloam Springs, and other lawmakers, is that the word "illegal" is associated with the immigrants' status. "If somebody is illegally here, how can you legally take tax dollars and give them something that people who have been in this country a long time that are paying taxes aren't even entitled to, so to speak," Kenney said. Sen. Denny Altes, R-Fort Smith, said the state must do a better job educating its legal citizens, noting that the state is tied with West Virginia in having the lowest percentage of adults with a college degree. "Illegal to me means not legal," Altes said. "We need to take care of first things first and that's the people that pay the taxes." "This has nothing to do with Hispanics or nationalities," said Sen. Dave Bisbee, R-Rogers. "What we're talking about here is college scholarships for people that are illegal." Bisbee said he would prefer to see the students' legal status changed as proposed by President Bush. Huckabee objects to calling the children of illegal residents "illegal," because he said they're in the state at no choice of their own. "It conjures up to me the very things that to me inflame people," Huckabee said. "I think it would be more accurate to call them an undocumented immigrant." Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest Begin Trace Mode for Comment # 3.
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