COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. -- A new bill that would give illegal immigrants in-state tuition is getting the initial okay. A state Senate committee approved Senate Bill 126 Thursday. The bill now goes to another Senate committe and then the Colorado House.
Though the proposal has received initial approval in the state Senate, some University of Colorado at Colorado Springs (UCCS) students think it should be vetoed.
"I just feel like it's not fair," UCCS graduate student Michelle Owen said. "I already have to pay a ton of money to go to school here."
Owen is from Hawaii and is paying $14,000 a year as an out-of-state graduate student. She used to work on campus but couldn't make enough money to live on, so she's turning to loans to pay for her education.
It seems like all the student we talked to disagreed with the idea to give illegal immigrants in-state tuition mainly because it wasn't fair.
Ivor Kostadinov moved to Colorado from Bulgaria with his family 11 years ago.
"When we first came here they warned us that if you come illegally you're looking at 20 years of jail, we knew not to mess around," Kostadinov said.
Kostadinov came here legally and is paying in-state tuition because he's a citizen. He said he completely understands the need to move countries for a better lif,e but if you break the law you shouldn't be catching any breaks.
This is the fifth time Democrats have proposed the bill, and Colorado Republicans have historically opposed it.
What do you think? Should illegal immigrants be able to pay in-state tuition? Join the conversation by commenting below.
Reporter: Sade Malloy
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