South Carolina Law Targets Illegal Immigrants Going to School: Dayana Rodrigues graduated in the top 5 percent of her high school class in 2007 and completed nursing prerequisites at Horry-Georgetown Technical College.
But in January, the college refused to re-enroll the 20-year-old returning student because she is an undocumented immigrant, The Post and Courier of Charleston reports.
“You know it's not personal,” she said. “But it is.''
The South Carolina Illegal Immigration Reform Act became law in June and, among other measures, banned illegal immigrants from attending colleges and universities that receive state money.
Supporters of the ban feel strongly that taxpayers' money should not fund a school that is educating lawbreakers. Opponents said it's unfair to punish children for their parents' crimes.
South Carolina is the first to legalize such a ban, although other Southern states have restrictive policies. For instance, North Carolina and Alabama bar undocumented people from attending community colleges.
At least nine states, mainly on the West Coast, have moved in the opposite direction and allow in-state tuition to illegal immigrants. No federal law regulates the issue.
