Former U.S. Rep Hopes to Return to DC to Tackle U.S. Immigration Policy
by Chad Groening
January 17, 2006
(AgapePress) - - A former U.S. representative from California says the University of California System's policy of offering in-state tuition fees to illegal aliens is just one example of how many state institutions discriminate against U.S. citizens while favoring illegal immigrants with special benefits in violation of federal law. Republican Brian Bilbray is running for the 50th Congressional District seat vacated by Randy "Duke" Cunningham. Bilbray says he wants to return to Washington to straighten out what he sees as the mess that is American illegal immigration policy, a job he believes should include holding states accountable for ignoring federal law that prohibits offering benefits to illegal aliens without making those benefits available to U.S. citizens.
"Even my children, when I brought them back from Washington, are charged out-of-state tuition, while illegal aliens in California are being rewarded with in-state tuition in violation of the federal law," the Congressional candidate notes. "And I think there's a lot more [similar policy] we have to go back and take care of."
That, Bilbray says, is why he has decided to seek Cunningham's seat. "How can you not want to get back in and straighten this out when you see your children are being discriminated against in their country, and when you know it's against the law and states are still getting away with it?" he asks.
"Even though I have always been a California resident," the California conservative continues, my children "are now are being charged out-of-state [tuition] while the schools admit that they are giving in-state tuition rates to illegal aliens in direct violation of federal law." And when he asked university officials about the Reform Act of '96, which makes their illegal-alien-favoring actions illegal, Bilbray maintains they replied, "Well, we just don't recognize that law."
The parent and former U.S. lawmaker says it is outrageous to have a state bureaucrat just say, in effect, "We're going to ignore it, and we'll violate these U.S. citizens' civil rights to pander to the people that think they have some advantage in giving illegal aliens all these benefits." He hopes his bid for another Congressional seat will put him in a position to do something about what he sees as unlawful discrimination by the state against its citizens.
"We've just got to get tough on those groups and agencies and government operations that actually are encouraging illegal immigration and trying to make money off of it," Bilbray says. Meanwhile, his children are among 42 plaintiffs who have filed a lawsuit against the University of California for its discriminatory tuition policy.
Chad Groening, a regular contributor to AgapePress, is a reporter for American Family Radio News, which can be heard online.
