Community colleges hold meeting about admitting illegal immigrants to their schools

    A plan to let illegal immigrants enroll in the state’s community colleges brought heated opinions during a public hearing in Raleigh.
    The state Board of Community Colleges held its first hearing about the policy on Friday.
    The board approved the idea in September.
    It has to hold the hearings before the policy can take effect.
    Supporters say it’s a matter of human rights while opponents argue it’s useless.
    “What distinguishes one young person’s yearning for accomplishment from another’s thirst for achievement?  How can we choose some to realize their dreams in life, then turn to others and deny them everything?“ said Ron Bilbao, who supports it.
    “Since it is against federal and state law to hire an illegal alien, educated or not, what’s the purpose of offering an illegal alien a college education?“ said James Johnson, who opposes the move.
    Public comment lasted over two hours.
    The policy would take effect in April if approved at the end of the process.