Young undocumented immigrant studying in Massachusetts will not be able to pay lower resident rates for tuition and fees, the Boston Globe reported on Sunday. According to the Globe, Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick will direct state colleges and universities to allow for the state tuition change if young undocumented immigrants obtain work permits through the federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.
The decision comes after five anxiety-filled months after President Obama issued the Deferred Action program in June, which temporarily halted deportations of young undocumented immigrants. According to Politico, Patrick's letter to the commonwealth's Department of Education stated that the move was not a substitute for immigration reform.
"While this change in federal enforcement policy applies only to a small segment of our immigrant population and is no substitute for comprehensive immigration reform, it is certainly a step in the right direction," Patrick wrote.
"As I see it, this is a matter of basic fairness and economic competitiveness," he added. "Indeed, our Commonwealth is stronger when we embrace the talent, ideas and work ethic of all immigrants."
However, Patrick's announcement has also raised criticism among those who say he is neglecting American citizens struggling to afford higher education, the Globe reported.
According to a Patrick administration official who spoke to the Globe on a condition of anonymity, the new change is effective immediately. Undocumented students paying nonresident tuition at state institutions can apply for refunds for the current semester, state officials said.
The announcement severely reduces tuition and fees costs for immigrants who were forced to pay out-of-state rates. In some instances, students will save as much as 50 percent in costs.
The Boston Globe reported that the last time Massachusetts Legislature passed a bill allowing undocumented immigrants to pay in-state tuition in 2004, then-Governor Mitt Romney vetoed the bill. Subsequent efforts to pass similar bills failed in the House in 2006 after passing the Senate in 2005. Romney, this year's Republican presidential candidate lost to President Obama and was seen as largely anti-immigrant.
On Sunday, Education Secretary Paul Reville told the Globe that the new program by the Obama administration made it possible for young undocumented immigrants to pay in-state tuition. Reville also said that immigrants with federal work permits have been paying in-state tuition since 2008.