More than half of the immigrants in Massachusetts are now US citizens, according to the latest census estimates, crossing a critical threshold that brings with it the right to vote, run for political office, and apply for certain scholarships and federal jobs.
Slightly more than 500,000 of the 983,000 foreigners in Massachusetts had taken the oath to become citizens in 2011, the most recent year available.
Analysts say the increase in new citizens has been building here and nationally for years, pushing the number to record highs in the United States. It has been fueled by citizenship drives in community centers and union halls, faster application processing by the federal government, and a strong desire among immigrants to participate in their communities.
“Every year we’re adding 20,000 naturalized citizens to the population of Massachusetts,” said Joel Barrera, deputy director of the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, a planning agency, and a founder of the Commonwealth Seminar, which teaches minorities about state government to encourage them to get involved or run for public office.
“People are settling into our community, opening businesses here, and becoming citizens,” he said....
Then where are the jobs?
Oh. Weren't those the good jobs we were promised? There aren't enough unemployed Americans to fill the jobs, or is some other agenda at work?
Audits bringing more fines for hiring illegals
Because they make life so comfortable for the elite, and don't carry the complaining and other burden$ that Americans would.
Audits bringing more fines for hiring illegals
Because they make life so comfortable for the elite, and don't carry the complaining and other burden$ that Americans would.
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I've often wondered how legal immigrants that proceeded with patience through the process feel about illegals being rewarded for breaking the law. I mean, the monied mouthpiece media often describes them all as a monolithic bloc. I imagine they view illegals in much the same way Americans view welfare cheats.
Another reward:
Another reward:
"Mass. to widen tuition breaks at state colleges; Illegal immigrants can pay resident rates" by Maria Sacchetti | Globe Staff, November 19, 2012
Governor Deval Patrick will direct state colleges and universities Monday to allow young illegal immigrants to pay the lower resident rate for tuition and fees as soon as they obtain work permits through a new federal program, a senior administration official said Sunday.
Patrick’s declaration ends five months of anxiety for immigrants who cheered President Obama’s decision in June to temporarily halt the deportations of immigrants age 30 and under, only to plunge them into limbo in Massachusetts as officials said they were reviewing whether the immigrants were eligible for the lower rates. But the governor’s announcement also raised criticism that he is neglecting American citizens struggling to afford college.
The Patrick administration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the governor is sending a letter to the Board of Higher Education Monday, said the change takes effect immediately. State officials said students paying nonresident tuition now at one of the 29 state colleges or universities may apply for a refund for this semester, but not for prior semesters....
Patrick’s announcement dramatically slashes the cost of a college education for immigrants who until now had to pay out-of-state rates.
For example, the flagship University of Massachusetts Amherst costs $26,645 this year for nonresidents, compared with $13,230 for residents, while Bunker Hill Community College costs $5,640 this year for residents, compared with $13,880 for nonresidents. And Framingham State costs $8,080 for residents this year, compared with $14,160 for nonresidents.
Patrick’s decision comes less than two weeks after a contentious election season, and it is likely to rankle critics in a state where immigration has been a hot political issue. In 2004, the state Legislature passed a bill allowing illegal immigrants to pay in-state tuition, but then-Governor Mitt Romney, this year’s Republican presidential nominee who just lost to Obama, vetoed the measure, and subsequent efforts failed.
After Romney’s 2004 veto, the Senate passed a measure allowing illegal immigrants to pay in-state tuition rates in 2005, but it failed in the House in early 2006.
The economy soured soon after that, and support for the measure evaporated. Since then, the measure has largely seemed dead.
In an attempt to revive it last year, Patrick showed up unannounced at a State House hearing to urge lawmakers to approve the measure, but it was not passed into law....
Steve Kropper, cochairman of Massachusetts Citizens for Immigration Reform, which favors tougher limits on immigration, said on Sunday that the governor and the president should focus on US citizens and legal residents who also cannot afford college....
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Related:
Tuition breaks for immigrants stirs debate
Mass. immigrant tuition plan could be a model
Children of illegal immigrants deserve in-state tuition
Also see: Sunday Globe Special: Deportation Dilemma
