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Tom Reilly on Immigration
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Supports in-state tuition rates for illegal immigrants
Reilly, preparing his run for governor, came out loud and clear this week in favor of giving the in-state tuition discount at state colleges and universities to immigrant students who are not legal residents of Massachusetts. The tuition discount bill
has been kicking around for a few years now, but it popped up again this week. Reilly, citing his personal experience as the son of Irish immigrants, called on the Legislature to pass it.
Source: The Boston Herald editorial, "Tuition Bill"
Nov 3, 2005
Children of immigrants just want a chance
A war of words has erupted between Attorney General Tom Reilly and Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey after Reilly went to bat for a bill giving state college tuition breaks to illegal immigrants. The pair clashed in a heated impromptu debate yesterday on WRKO-680 AM
radio. "Illegal immigrants should not be here," Healey told the Herald. "When they're legal, we will welcome them with all the benefits afforded to Massachusetts citizens.""She's totally out of touch," Reilly said of Healey. "These are kids that just
want a chance."
Healey fired back, saying: "Tom Reilly is the one who is out of touch with working families of Massachusetts if he thinks they want their tax dollars to pay for illegal immigrants to go to college."
Deval Patrick also supports the
bill. "Denying kids who qualify in every other way to be an in-state student is unfair," Patrick said. "We shouldn't be trying to erect barriers." Nine other states have laws that allow illegal immigrants to attend state colleges at resident rates.
Source: Dave Wedge in Boston Herald, "Tuition Breaks"
Nov 2, 2005
Denying tuition break to immigrants is mean-spirited
A bill to let children of illegal immigrants pay the same lower tuition rate at state colleges as other Massachusetts residents sparked a political sparring match between Reilly and the Romney administration.
Reilly urged lawmakers to pass the legislation. He called Gov. Mitt Romney "out of touch" for opposing the legislation. Romney vetoed a similar bill last year.
"This mean-spiritedness is not part of the generation that I grew up with," said Reilly, a Democratic candidate for governor. "It's a mean-spiritedness that's only with a few ... and one's the governor and one's the lieutenant governor."
Source: Steve LeBlanc, Associated Press Writer
Nov 1, 2005
Disallow illegal immigrants from obtaining driver licenses
Reilly and Healey exchanged views on WRKO-AM about letting children of illegal immigrants pay reduced in-state tuition rates. Reilly said Romney and Healey should have more compassion for the children of illegal immigrants.
"So you're better than they are?" Reilly asked Healey. "You want to shut the door to college."Healey said she's defending taxpayers and that illegal immigrants pose a security risk.
"I am a citizen of this state and this country. They are not. This country is not open to every single person who wants to come here. People who are here illegally pose a risk, both a security risk and a drain on taxpayer resources," she said.
"Let them go to private schools if they want to." Healey also pointed out that Reilly opposes allowing illegal immigrants to obtain driver's licenses.
Source: Steve LeBlanc, Associated Press Writer
Nov 1, 2005