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.

Comments

Mr Patrick is a big beneficiary of illegal immigrant pork, he collects a (or used to) a hefty paycheck from Ameriquest (now eaten by Citi) one of America's biggest illegal immigrant profiteers. (goog Deval Patrick & Ameriquest) You can count on anybody taking donations from Ameriquest to be a steadfast proponent of illegal immigration and Socialism-including Mitt Romney, Giuliani and GW Bush.

This SOB has done nothing of substance since he took office....Oh,except get himself a new cadillac,new drapes and helicopter rides around the city. He also showed support for Illegal Aliens in New Bedford who had taken jobs from MA, US citizens. he didn't give a damn about the US citizens but offered sympathy and help for the lawbreakers.......If he does this there will be hell to pay!!! Watch hard working people eventually leave this lousy state to the syncophants and welfare population...I was afraid he would try to beckon those Illegals being pushed out of Arizona and Oklahoma....Now some tell me what sense that makes to populate the state with more leeches???

He could certainly grant in-state tuiton to illegal aliens; but as I have pointed out here before, according to a 1996 federal law, any state that does that would have to grant in-state tuition likewise to any citizen from out-of-state. That law is still on the books because its repeal was part of the amnesty bills that failed last year. That law was also a major reason that in-state tuition for illegal aliens went nowhere in VA. Think of it: All those hard-working parents from the other 49 states who send their children to Harvard and MIT and pay high out-of-state tuition. Think they won't sue?

Harvard and MIT are private, so I don't think they charge more for out-of-state students. UMass, though, would.

Right you are, Thomas. My mistake but the point remains the same.