Washington lawmaker defends financial aid for illegals proposal

For the past decade, children of illegal immigrants in Washington state have qualified for in-state tuition at colleges and universities if they graduated from state high schools and have been here for a certain period of time. Now, a bi-partisan group of lawmakers wants to make them eligible for financial aid as well.

“We are talking about kids that have grown up in Washington state, that are trying to do the right thing and get citizenship, that have graduated from our high schools, that are getting into college,” said Rep. Zack Hudgins (D-Tukwila), a lead sponsor of the plan, in an interview with KIRO Radio’s Jason Rantz. “All we’re trying to do is even the playing field so that they can compete for financial aid in the same way as other kids in their classroom.”

The state House overwhelmingly passed the “Washington Dream Act” last week by a bipartisan 77-20 vote. It now goes to the Senate, where a similar proposal was denied even a hearing.

Hudgins argues it’s simply a matter of fairness, that the children didn’t choose to be here and therefore shouldn’t be punished for it by denying them financial aid.

“The issue before us is one of not just justice and fairness for these kids, it’s about our economic future. We’re in a global economy and if we want to compete globally we need these kids. We need good talent, we need kids that are tied to Washington State,” he said.

Critics disagree. At a time when the state denies grants to about 32,000 students, many argue the new law makes a dire budget situation even worse and encourages illegals to move to Washington state.

But Hudgins points out America’s draw for immigrants is already so strong, providing the opportunity to get financial aid isn’t really much of an additional allure. And he said we should be more concerned with increasing funding for all qualified Washington students. A tall order given the current budget crisis.

“Some people ask ‘Can we afford to do this’? I say, can we afford not to do it? We need to fund our education system and our higher education system.”

Hudgins argues the State Need Grant program is already unfair, because it provides funding on a first come, first served basis. So the money is often gone for a student entering school in the winter or spring. He vows to fight both for more education funding along with the illegal immigrant financial aid measure.

“Every kid that gets into college, we should be helping them pay for college because college tuition is getting higher and higher. And these kids want to make a better life for themselves and their communities.”

It won’t be cheap. The Seattle Times reports about 550 high school graduates per year can’t provide proof of legal residency, and they say supporters estimate the number could grow by up to 30 percent if the measure passes. That means a price tag could run between $3.3 million and $3.5 million in the next biennium.