{"id":21864,"date":"2019-08-22T15:15:00","date_gmt":"2019-08-22T19:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.immigrationreform.com\/?p=21864"},"modified":"2019-08-22T15:15:01","modified_gmt":"2019-08-22T19:15:01","slug":"education-illegal-immigrants-new-jersey-immigrationreform-com","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.immigrationreform.com\/2019\/08\/22\/education-illegal-immigrants-new-jersey-immigrationreform-com\/","title":{"rendered":"Forget Rising College Costs, New Jersey Spent $4 million on Financial Aid for Illegal Immigrants"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Despite landing among the top five states for highest student debt<\/a>, New Jersey spent nearly $4 million in financial aid for illegal aliens to attend college during both the fall and spring semesters of the 2018-19 school year, according to the North Jersey Record<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Former Republican Gov. Chris Christie opened the benefits spigot in 2013 by signing into law<\/a> a bill allowing illegal immigrants to receive in-state tuition rates, but he would not agree to full financial aid benefits. Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy had no reservations and last year agreed<\/a> to a proposal to grant illegal aliens equal access to state financial aid because, he said, they are \u201cjust as American as anyone else.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Murphy\u2019s rhetorical naturalization is interesting\nconsidering one of the eligibility requirements for a financial grant is that\nthe illegal immigrant sign an affidavit saying they will take the steps to be a\nlegal citizen. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While Murphy and backers of this reckless policy\nfeel good about \u201cwelcoming\u201d illegal aliens into their communities, they\nconveniently ignore the low-income students who might be denied an opportunity\nto attend college or the 64 percent of students in the state who graduate with\ndebt.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The data released by New Jersey\u2019s Higher Education Student Assistance Authority showed that most of the $3.8 million spent was doled out under the\u00a0New Jersey Tuition Aid Grant program<\/a>, which awards grants depending on financial need and available funding<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rutgers University, which received $1.3 million of the total $3.8 million, already offers privately-funded scholarships<\/a> to illegal immigrant students. So, why do they need to be given taxpayer funds? Aren\u2019t the plethora of foundation grants and private scholarships available to illegal aliens?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Murphy has claimed that spending state resources on illegal\naliens is a matter of equity, but what about first fixing the inequities in New\nJersey\u2019s already broken system?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The authors of report released in January<\/a> by the liberal think tank Education Reform Now, contend that the Garden state \u201cprovides wildly inequitable levels of state operating funds and financial aid to public and non-profit private state colleges with no articulated policy rationale.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Furthermore, the report says that while it New Jersey has one of the more largest state financial aid programs in the country, it is \u201cpoorly targeted and generates less efficient results\u201d than a programs one-tenth the size.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While proponents are right to note that in overall\nbudgetary terms $3.8 million is a small amount, they are wrong to omit the\npotential for massive growth in spending on students in the country (and the\nstate) illegally. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2018, the state legislature estimated<\/a> that approximately 600 illegal aliens would submit applications, so the total cost would be $4.47 million, or about 1 percent of the total $425.9 million financial aid budget for college students in fiscal year 2019. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But,\nthat estimate was based on the number of illegal aliens in New Jersey in 2015. The\nlegislative analysis even conceded that costs would \u201cincrease to the extent\nthat the access to the State\u2019s student assistance programs would encourage\nadditional individuals to enroll in an institution of higher education.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And\nwith no cap on the number of applicants, that $5 million estimate likely will\nbe exceeded in coming years. It might make Gov. Murphy and proponents of free\ncollege for all-comers feel good, but graduates with enormous student debt or\nthe parents who cannot fulfill their child\u2019s dream of an education might feel\ndifferently.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Despite landing among the top five states for highest student debt, New Jersey spent nearly $4 million in financial aid for illegal aliens to attend college during both the fall and spring semesters of the 2018-19 school year, according to the North Jersey Record. Former Republican Gov. Chris Christie opened the benefits spigot in 2013<\/p>\n

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