ColorLines is reporting that Virginia Republican state Delegate Christopher Peace has again introduced legislation to bar undocumented immigrants from attending college in the state. Peace introduced similar legislation in 2008 that passed the Virginia House but not the Senate. His 2011 attempt will be similar, but this time Peace says the bill is about addressing immigration issues that the federal government refuses to handle.
If the bill is passed, Virginia would become the fourth state to ban undocumented students from public higher education. Last year Georgia passed its own ban, barring undocumented students from attending public higher education if others have been turned away because of capacity issues. Sounds like a caste system to us. While we find Peace's legislation problematic, we do agree that the federal government needs to get a handle on undocumented-immigrant issues like access to education.
Read more at ColorLines.
In other news: Tunisian President Ben Ali Flees His Country.