Press Releases

Washington, D.C. – Congressmen Scott Perry (R-PA) and Jody Hice (R-GA) have joined forces to offer legislation that would tamp down on in-state tuition benefits for individuals who are in the United States illegally.

“Our students and Veterans are playing by the rules, working two and three jobs to afford the exploding cost of college, and still are graduating with tens of thousands of dollars in student loan debt. At the same time, students that have broken the law receive benefits that native-born U.S. citizens who’ve paid taxes their entire lives don’t get access to; it’s just plain wrong,” said Congressman Perry.

Under current federal law, any state offering in-state tuition to someone unlawfully present in the U.S. must offer the exact same benefit to U.S. citizens/nationals, including those who claim out-of-state residency. Unfortunately, some states have subverted this law through technicalities to provide taxpayer-subsidized education to illegal aliens, while out-of-state students - including Veterans - are charged more.

Reserve Component or former Service Members who don’t fall within strict GI Bill or permanent stationing requirements often are ineligible for the benefit of in-state tuition.

“A number of states are actively undermining federal efforts to combat illegal immigration by offering illegal aliens discounted college tuition subsidized by taxpayers,” said Congressman Hice. “These states are treating illegal aliens better than our own citizens, and we’ve got to put a stop to this practice by closing this loophole. I’m proud to support Congressman Perry’s efforts to restore fairness within the law.”

The Tuition Fairness for Citizens Act aims to correct this loophole. The bill would change federal statue to ensure that those not lawfully present in the U.S. are ineligible for postsecondary education benefits, unless all citizens/nationals are eligible for the same benefits.

The bill was introduced after the University of California system announced it would set aside $25 million to specifically fund illegal immigrants’ education.

“This is about fairness and putting Americans first. We can’t allow a few rogue states to flout federal law,” Perry concluded.

The legislation is expected to be introduced on Thursday.