Americans First: Taxpayers stung with billion-dollar bill for illegal aliens’ college education

A new analysis puts the cost for American taxpayers at more than a billion dollars a year for the education for illegal aliens attending college.

That’s despite a 30-year-old federal law that prohibits giving illegal aliens discounted in-state tuition at public colleges and universities.

The report at Judicial Watch explains that 22 states and the District of Columbia simply ignore the law.

But the concern is being addressed.

“In an effort to force the violators to stop offering undocumented students the pricey benefit, a U.S. senator has introduced a bill (Put American Students First Act) to specifically prevent any alien who is not lawfully admitted for permanent residence from obtaining in-state tuition rates at public institutions of higher education,” Judicial Watch reported.

“The proposed measure notes that section 505 of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 already bans states from granting discounted tuition and fees to students not lawfully present in the U.S. simply because they live—albeit illegally—in that state unless the same rates are also offered to citizens of the United States regardless of residence.”

The discounted tuition isn’t all of the benefits provided, either.

“Most of the offenders also extend additional financial aid to students in the country illegally. The Trump administration has legally challenged many of the policies, but most continue,” the report said.

Violators include officials in Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, Virginia and Washington.

A number of lawsuits have been brought by the Department of Justice but so far officials in only three states, Texas, Oklahoma and Kentucky, have brought their practices into alignment with the law, the report said.

California, Oregon, Washington, Colorado and Illinois simply ignored the lawsuits.

The report cites an alliance of college leaders for their estimate that more than 500,000 illegal immigrants are enrolled in American colleges and universities.

A Washington-based group, Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, confirms that those students are concentrated heavily in California, Texas, Florida, and New York.

The group boasts “undocumented students” “advance scientific innovation, drive economic growth, and make valuable contributions as classmates, instructors, scholars, and campus leaders.”

Sen. Tom Cotton’s “Put American Students First Act” pointed out that U.S. students are penalized by states that offer subsidies to illegal aliens.

If Congress passes the law, it will take effect in July and will empower the Secretary of Education to withhold funding from any state that violates it.