Should illegal immigrants be able to attend college free of charge in Massachusetts?
A provision of a bill in the Massachusetts legislature would make it happen.
State Representative Natalie Higgins (D-Leominster) and state Senator Jamie Eldridge (D-Acton) filed a bill (HD.1215/SD.1946) that would make state colleges and universities free for Massachusetts residents, including illegal immigrants.
Under their bill, Bay State residents who have attended a Massachusetts high school for at least three years and either graduated or obtained a general equivalency degree would be eligible for a free college education. The bill encompasses all public colleges and universities in the Commonwealth, not just community colleges.
“It is hereby further declared to be the policy of the commonwealth to guarantee free public higher education as a right for all residents,” the bill says.
Under the bill, Massachusetts residents, including illegal immigrants, would not pay any tuition or mandatory fees at public colleges and universities in the state.
There were about 13,000 illegal immigrant children under 17 in kindergarten-through-12th-grade public schools in Massachusetts in 2018, according to State House News Service.
Supporters of free public college for illegal immigrants argue that education is a right and that people deserve an opportunity to learn regardless of their income level or immigration status. Opponents argue there is no right to taxpayer-funded college and that illegal immigrants should not be in the country, let alone be receiving government benefits.
A free public college program would cost the Commonwealth between $439 million and $1 billion per year, according to the liberal-leaning Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center.
This is not the only bill in the Massachusetts legislature that would reduce higher education costs for illegal immigrants.
State Senator Brendon Crighton (D-Lynn) (SD.81) filed a bill that would offer in-state tuition rates to illegal immigrants. It would allow illegal immigrants who have attended a Massachusetts high school for at least three years and either graduated or obtained a general equivalency degree to attend Massachusetts colleges and universities for the in-state tuition rates instead of the out-of-state rates.
These in-state rates tend to be far cheaper than the out-of-state rates that illegal immigrants in theory have to pay now to attend college. At UMass Boston, for example, mandatory fees and tuition for the 2022-2023 school year add up to $15,958 for in-state students and $36,931 for out-of-state students, according to the school’s web site — a difference of almost $21,000.
No action has been taken on either bill yet.
Higgins and Eldridge could not be reached for comment on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday this week.
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