Kentucky Republican Bill would deny college to Immigrant's Children

Last year, Lexington Community College officials decided to reach out to enroll more Latino students, regardless of their legal status. But by next year, neither LCC nor any other public university could enroll any student who can't prove citizenship, under a bill filed by a Lexington lawmaker. Rep. Stan Lee, R-Lexington, said he introduced House Bill 203 in reaction to the LCC effort as well as a private scholarship fund started by officials from LCC, the University of Kentucky and the Lexington Hispanic Association to help undocumented students pay for higher education. "It used to be that colleges had open enrollment, but now it's limited, so if that slot goes to someone who's not in the country legally, then someone else doesn't get that slot," Lee said. "It doesn't seem fair." Lee has also filed a resolution to study the costs of educating children of undocumented workers in Kentucky's public schools. Federal law protects undocumented immigrants' rights to education, but those rights do not extend to higher education. "I just think we need to know how much all of this is costing us," Lee said. Josh Santana, chair of the Lexington Hispanic Association, called both measures "thinly veiled attempts to discriminate. "You want these people to be here, and you want them to be as productive as they can, but this would most hurt children who have no control over their circumstances," he said. [more]