Rep. Stacey Campfield proposed a state law this year that would prohibit state schools from admitting illegal immigrants. It stands in stark contrast to a federal law, which seeks to let illegal immigrants enter public colleges and universities with the possibility of instate tuition.
The federal law, dubbed the Dream Act, is stalled in the U.S. Senate, while Campfield plans to move his bill to a House subcommittee.
About 65,000 illegal immigrants graduate from U.S. high schools each year, according to the Urban Institute, and 12 million are estimated to be living in the country.
Class space is very valuable, Campfield said on his blog. Students already have trouble getting into classes that fill up quickly, he said.
"I know at UTK they keep people from registering if they did not pay a parking ticket (A civil penalty in most cases)," he said on his Web site. "But coming into/being in the country illegally (a federal criminal act) and you can come right in and possibly get instate tuition."
Arizona has made similar proposals. Under the statute Proposition 300, illegal immigrants could not receive instate tuition at public colleges and universities in the state. It was approved with 71 percent of the vote and was passed along with three other measures denying illegal immigrants various rights.
Comments
kola commented, on March 15, 2008 at 7:09 p.m.:
put ur self in there shoe how would u feel? and i bet if you check your family tree an illegal immigrant is there.
Randy commented, on March 16, 2008 at 1:52 p.m.:
Kola put yourself in my shoes I am a carpenter. My wages are down to where they were in the early 1990's because illegals are stealing jobs and under bidding law abiding business's. They can go back to their own country and fix it, instead of coming here and stealing my tax dollars. Illegals are getting free hospital care -and free schooling at my expence
Households headed by illegal aliens imposed more than $26.3 billion in costs on the federal government in 2002 and paid only $16 billion in taxes, creating a net fiscal deficit of almost $10.4 billion, or $2,700 per illegal household.
Among the largest costs are Medicaid ($2.5 billion); treatment for the uninsured ($2.2 billion); food assistance programs such as food stamps, WIC, and free school lunches ($1.9 billion); the federal prison and court systems ($1.6 billion); and federal aid to schools ($1.4 billion).
those numbers have now doubled and my family came here legally. they didn't jump the border
UScitizen commented, on March 16, 2008 at 1:55 p.m.:
I don't have to put myself in their shoes. I'm here legally and my family tree has no illegal immigrants. Why should American citizens/taxpayers foot the bill for someone who doesn't belong here?
There are many Americans who cannot afford university. I say those citizens are more deserving of a higher education than illegals or foreigners.
Joe commented, on March 16, 2008 at 2:06 p.m.:
Racial hatred is alive and well in TN!
1BlkVoice commented, on March 16, 2008 at 2:07 p.m.:
I agree with Randy and UScitizen. Illegals should go fix the problems in their home countries. Don't march in the streets of the USA demanding rights. Go home and demand social equality and economic opportunity.
In addition, our government should view the knowledge of illegal students as an opportunity to investigate the status of the parents and the rest of their household.
Buzzm1 commented, on March 16, 2008 at 2:40 p.m.:
Tennessee Senate members
http://www.legislature.state.tn.us/
Tennessee House members
http://www.legislature.state.tn.us/
rep.stacey.campfield@legislature.state.tn.us
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http://tinyurl.com/2r7q6e
suspicious activity??
1-866 DHS 2ICE.
1-866-347-2523
Report Employers/Employees
Internal Revenue Service (IRS) fraud/criminal investigations number is 1-800-829-0433
reportillegals.com
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Buzzm1 commented, on March 16, 2008 at 2:51 p.m.:
In California, where I live, there is a 16 billion dollar state budget deficit, all entirely attributable to the costs associated with illegal immigrants.
There are over 1 million illegal immigrant students in California schools, at a cost of $9,912 per student per year; this amounts to a cost of over 10 billion dollars a year. Classrooms are very crowded, new schools need to be built; all paid for by taxpayers.
Plus, with the deficit:
Layoff notices set to hit 10,100 California teachers' mailboxes
More than 10,100 teachers will see pink slips in their mailboxes over the next few days as districts up and down California meet a Saturday deadline to warn staff of anticipated layoffs due to the state's budget crisis.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cg...
Incarceration of illegal immigrants cost California 1.4 billion dollars a year.
Tennesseeans, do not allow this to happen to your state.
Tennessee Senate members
http://www.legislature.state.tn.us/
Tennessee House members
http://www.legislature.state.tn.us/
rep.stacey.campfield@legislature.state.tn.us
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http://tinyurl.com/2r7q6e
suspicious activity??
1-866 DHS 2ICE.
1-866-347-2523
Report Employers/Employees
Internal Revenue Service (IRS) fraud/criminal investigations number is 1-800-829-0433
reportillegals.com
Pass this along to friends and family, THANKS!!
Buzzm1 commented, on March 16, 2008 at 2:55 p.m.:
From a California school teacher - - -
'As you listen to the news about the student protests over illegal immigration, there are some things that you should be aware of:
I am in charge of the English-as-a-second-language department at a large southern California high school which is designated a Title 1 school, meaning that its students average lower socioeconomic and income levels. Most of the schools you are hearing about, South Gate High, Bell Gardens, Huntington Park, etc., where these students are protesting, are also Title 1 schools. Title 1 schools are on the free breakfast and free lunch program. When I say free breakfast, I'm not talking a glass of milk and roll, but a full breakfast and cereal bar with fruits and juices that would make a Marriott proud. The waste of this food is monumental, with trays and trays of it being dumped in the trash uneaten. ( OUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK)
I estimate that well over 50% of these students are obese or at least moderately overweight. About 75% or more DO have cell phones. The school also provides day care centers for the unwed teenage pregnant girls (some as young as 13) so they can attend class without the inconvenience of having to arrange for babysitters or having family watch their kids. (OUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK)
I was ordered to spend $700,000 on my department or risk losing funding for the upcoming year even though there was little need for anything; my budget was already substantial. I ended up buying new computers for the computer learning center, half of which, one month later, have been carved with graffiti by the appreciative students who obviously feel humbled and grateful to have a free education in America .
(OUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK)
I have had to intervene several times for young and substitute teachers whose classes consist of many illegal immigrant students here in the country less then 3 months who raised so much hell with the female teachers, calling them 'Putas' ( whores ) and throwing things, that the teachers were in tears.
Free medical, free education, free food, day care etc., etc., etc. Is it any wonder they feel entitled to not only be in this country but to demand rights, privileges and entitlements?
To those who want to point out how much these illegal immigrants contribute to our society because they LIKE their gardener and housekeeper and they like to pay less for tomatoes: spend some time in the real world of illegal immigration and see the TRUE costs.
Buzzm1 commented, on March 16, 2008 at 2:56 p.m.:
CONTINUED
Higher insurance, medical facilities closing, higher medical costs, more crime, lower standards of education in our schools, overcrowding, new diseases etc., etc., etc. For me, I'll pay more for tomatoes.
We need to wake up.
The guest worker program will be a disaster because we won't have the guts to enforce it
Does anyone in their right mind really think they will voluntarily leave and return?
It does, however, have everything to do with culture: A third-world culture that does not value education, that accepts children getting pregnant and dropping out of school by 15 and that refuses to assimilate, and an American culture that has become so weak and worried about ' political correctness ' that we don't have the will to do anything about it.
If this makes your blood boil , as it did mine, forward this to everyone you know.
CHEAP LABOR? Isn't that what the whole immigration issue is about?
Business doesn't want to pay a decent wage.
Consumers don't want expensive produce.
Government will tell you Americans don't want the jobs.
But the bottom line is cheap labor. The phrase 'cheap labor' is a myth , a farce, and a lie. There is no such thing as 'cheap labor.'
Take, for example, an illegal alien with a wife and five children. He takes a job for $5.00 or 6.00/hour. At that wage, with six dependents, he pays no income tax, yet at the end of the year, if he files an Income Tax Return, he gets an ' earned income credit' of up to $3,200 free.
He qualifies for Section 8 housing and subsidized rent . He qualifies for food stamps. He qualifies for free
(no deductible, no co-pay) health care.
His children get free breakfasts and lunches at school.
He requires bilingual teachers and books.
Hequalifies for relief from high energy bills.
If they are or become, aged, blind or disabled , they qualify for SSI.
Once qualified for SSI they can qualify for Medicare .
All of this is at(our) taxpayer's expense .
He doesn't worry about car insurance, life insurance, or homeowners insurance.
Taxpayers provide Spanish language signs, bulletins and printed material.
He and his family receive the equivalent of $20.00 to $30.00/hour in benefits.
Working Americans are lucky to have $5.00 or $6.00/hour left after paying their bills and his.
The American taxpayers also pay for increased crime, graffiti and trash clean-up. Cheap labor? YEAH RIGHT!
Wake up people!
THIS HAS GOT TO BE PASSED ALONG TO AS MANY AS POSSIBLE OR WE WILL ALL GO DOWN THE DRAIN BECAUSE A FEW DON'T CARE. "
mexh8tr commented, on March 16, 2008 at 3:23 p.m.:
Damned free-breeding parasites.
Kill them!
Kill them all!
Kill them now!
Bobby commented, on March 16, 2008 at 4:21 p.m.:
I don't seem to remember when the greater American citizenry, ever agreed to allow their hard earned taxes to be used for educating the children of foreign nationals. Who cares what the Supreme Court has ruled, they are wrong. They aren't God. They never checked in with the citizenry and asked them if they want billions of their taxes to go for this purpose. Americans have got to wake up or they will continue to be second class citizens and wage slaves for others--in their own nation.
Frankie commented, on March 16, 2008 at 4:25 p.m.:
To Joe:
I guess when you can't think of anything intelligent to say, you just resort to childish, nonsensible babbling. By the way, what part of ILLEGAL don't you understand?
Buzzm1 commented, on March 16, 2008 at 6:53 p.m.:
Illegal Immigrants Cause Public School Crisis
While cities across the nation pass ordinances to seek relief from the devastating toll of illegal immigration, the nation’s public school districts will continue suffering from the influx thanks to a federal law that says they must provide a free education to all children regardless of immigration status. There are an estimated 1.5 million school-aged illegal immigrants in the United States and the government spends an estimated $12 billion annually to educate them. The biggest chunks are spent by California ($7.7 billion) and Texas ($3.9 billion), where the situation has become a public education crisis with no end in sight.
The Lone Star State’s public schools have seen a huge increase in illegal immigrant Hispanic students with dismal Mexican and Central American education histories that are contributing to an overall lowering of academic standards across the board. Case in point: The Irving School District, located mostly in Dallas. It has suffered one of the nation’s largest increases—63%--of illegal immigrant students in the last year compared to a 33% increase in 1995. Irving’s superintendent says it’s tough to bring so many students with such poor schooling up to state and federal standards.
Mexican government statistics reveal that only 58% of Mexicans 15 and older have some elementary school education and working with them requires slowing down and teaching the very basics. Many of the kids that attend Irving District schools haven’t been in a classroom for years and educating them is an ongoing uphill battle that has depleted public resources in many Border State districts. Besides spending nearly $6,000 a year to educate each student, the districts also spend more than $1.5 million annually to pay bilingual teachers extra because they are hard to find and have additional credentials. Illegal immigrants are well aware of the free education perks and admit they are a big incentive to enter the country illegally.
http://www.judicialwatch.org/blog/illega...
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Report Employers/Employees
Internal Revenue Service (IRS) fraud/criminal investigations number is 1-800-829-0433
reportillegals.com
Pass this along to friends and family, THANKS!!
Geranium commented, on March 17, 2008 at 12:06 a.m.:
Tuberculosis is an airborne disease that is hard to diagnose and hard to treat, sometimes incurable. "Drug-resistant forms of the disease are widespread, and time and money to fight it are short." It can take two years of antibiotics to cure the MDR (multi drug resistant) strains,and XDR (extrmely drug resistant) strains are on the rise. (Info from LA Times article). Illegal immigrants come to the United States without health checks, from countries where TB is prevalent. Working in an L.A. elementary school, I saw immigrant kids and parents with positive TB tests. One mom said she did not know where to get a chest Xray, and went back to work. You may be right next to such people in the main office of a school. If a family is negative, what happens if a friend or relative with TB comes to visit? The student may then become poitive, and will be coming to school. I also met someone who thought their case of TB came from their cleaning lady. Such is the price of cheap labor.
Jean commented, on March 17, 2008 at 11:39 a.m.:
I salute Rep Campfield. People in America are not fully aware of the gravity of illegal invasion. It is time the laws are enforced.
Bren commented, on March 17, 2008 at 12:04 p.m.:
Every dime and every space that is going to an illegal, is taking away from US citizens and their children. It is long past overdue for these people to go back to their own countries, to fix their own countries.
Dave commented, on March 17, 2008 at 1:03 p.m.:
Economy
Jobs
Housing
Debt
Overpopulation, congestion, urban sprawl, pollution, environmental damage, crime, diminishing resources, Diseases, lack of affordable housing, depressed wages, underground economic, fraudulent documents, identity thief, tax invasion, soaring crime rate, increased tax burdens, overcrowded schools, uneducated children, overcrowded prisons, inadequate health care, the balkanization of our communities and a large and growing population with loyalty to other Nations, the overall decline in our quality of life are the result of unrestrained illegal immigration! America cannot accept the worlds population of other countries Criminals, Undesirables and Uneducated people. Too many people chasing too few resources is not sound economic, social or cultural policy. This is not racism but pragmatism & common sense! Every industrialized nation has taken steps to end illegal immigration and to limit legal immigration to only that which is prudent, demonstrably necessary, and above al! l other concerns, in the best interest of their native population. Its insane to suggest that America should not do likewise!
The illegal invasion can only be understood by the corrupting influence on politicians of money for cheap labor for the Republicans or the Welfare votes for the Democrats that makes them dishonor their Oath of Office, the US Constitution against Invasion, and Enforcement of our Immigration Laws! Powerful forces at work to stop relevant immigration enforcement, that includes La Raza and friends, big businesses, the church machine and other special interest lobby.
A final accounting is on hand, before we swear in a new president. All three desire to enact amnesty and allow the 12 to 20 million people who
have broken our laws of sovereignty to stay. If the SAVE ACT is enacted this will demand that all those here without papers must leave. They call this attrition or self-deportation.
H.R. 4088 can enforce "THE RULE OF LAW"
Keep calling your Congressmen today, toll free numbers include 1-877-851-6437 and 1-866-220-0044, or call toll 1-202-224-3121 AND REGISTER YOUR OUTRAGE at ongoing efforts to keep our country from enforcing its immigration laws!
You THE PEOPLE must demand from your state and federal representatives to co-sign on to the SAVE ACT. You can fax for free at NUMBERSUSA.COM or http://www.outsourcecongress.org/outsour...
law abiding citizen commented, on March 20, 2008 at 8:33 a.m.:
I'm not from TN so I don't know what party Rep. Campfield is from but I wish he was running for president. This is one of the most important issues of our time and no one that is running for President is willing to address the issue. It is going to take a ground swell of people like us to make the difference. Buzzm1 has a unique voice because he/she has been there and seen the effects first hand. Please keep speaking up in whatevever forum you can find because most people are not on the front lines. (Maybe he/she should run for office) We have a lot of "Joe's" in the world who need to be castrated. Our country has a generous legal immigration policy but we are being raped by Mexico and we aren't fighting back. It's about the laws not about the race. And to "Kola" - if I had an illegal branch in my family I would cut it off, turn it in and throw it back to where ever it came from and you should do the same.
Ashley commented, on March 20, 2008 at 4:09 p.m.:
I just loved how this article barely touches the subject at all.
Where is the investigative reporting other than checking the Reps' Web site?
It seems the comments provided more news than the actual story.
Such a sham.
Kristen commented, on March 20, 2008 at 8:47 p.m.:
Ashley,
The article presented an unbiased account of what is going on. The comments are opinions of readers. The reporter did his job by presenting the facts only.