Lawsuit Seeks to Stop UC from Providing Financial Aid to Illegal Immigrants

A taxpayer suit filed today in Los Angeles seeks to prevent the University of California from providing tuition benefits and financial aid to illegal immigrants.

Earl De Vries, represented by the conservative government watchdog group Judicial Watch Inc., filed the lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court against the Regents of the University of California.

The suit alleges tuition and financial aid benefits to recipients in the country illegally violates federal law and seeks an injunction against future such expenditures.

A UC representative did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

According to the lawsuit, the Legislature in 2001 enacted AB 540, which gives some illegal immigrants an exemption from having to pay out-of-state tuition.

Last November, the UC Office of the President estimated that 900 illegal aliens were enrolled in UC schools, 95 percent of whom were undergraduates, the suit states.

“Assuming that all of these students qualified for a tuition exemption, the value of this benefit would be approximately $19.6 million,” according to the suit.

In 2011, the Legislature enacted AB 131, which allows residents who qualify for non-resident tuition exemptions to also take part in state- administered financial aid programs, the suit states.

“UC also has estimated that some 440 unlawfully present aliens exempting from paying non-resident supplemental tuition at UC schools will qualify for approximately $4.3 million in grants and scholarships,” according to the lawsuit.

--City News Service

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