Deval Patrick: sneak attempt to give tuition breaks to illegal aliens

From this:

[Massachusetts governor] Deval Patrick said he's researching whether he can take unilateral action to allow illegal immigrants to pay in-state tuition at state colleges.

...Patrick, who has long supported the idea, said his legal team is looking into whether the change can be made without approval from the Legislature.

House lawmakers soundly rejected in 2006 a bill that would let undocumented immigrant students pay in-state tuition.

UPDATE: More on the process side of things here:

Shannon Jenkins, an assistant professor of political science at UMass Dartmouth, said the governor might be considering issuing an executive order. Executive orders are a "customary precedent" at the national level that U.S. presidents such as George W. Bush and Bill Clinton have used to bypass Congress.

Dr. Jenkins said she did not know if a Massachusetts governor had ever issued an executive order. If Gov. Patrick chooses to do so, the Legislature could overturn the order by passing a law, she said.

Immigration2008a · Thu, 01/10/2008 - 13:13 · · Importance: 1