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October 22, 2003
ON THE EVE OF DREAM ACT MARK-UP REPORT FINDS COLLEGE TUITIONS SKYROCKETING With the Senate set to finalize the language of the so-called DREAM Act, which would grant amnesty and in-state tuition benefits to illegal aliens who entered the U.S. as minors, the College Board released its annual survey that finds that tuition in public universities rose by an astounding 14 percent in 2003. The average tuition at a four-year state-run university now stands at $4,694 a year. The DREAM Act, sponsored by Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), which the Senate is expected to mark-up on Thursday, would allow untold numbers of illegal aliens who attended high school in the U.S. to gain amnesty and be eligible for subsidized in-state tuition rates, as well as grants and scholarships for those who qualify based on income. NEGOTIATIONS TO START ON CENTRAL AMERICAN FREE TRADE Negotiators from Central American countries are meeting later this week to discuss a proposed free trade area, modeled on the North American Free Trade Agreement. "Known as the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), the pact would lower tariff barriers, a move supporters say would encourage investment and jobs in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica, potentially giving them the same boost Mexico enjoyed from the North American Free Trade Agreement in the 1990s," the Seattle Times reports. There are worries the deal could touch off a new wave of migration to the U.S., similar to what happened after NAFTA. MEXICAN PRESIDENT FOX TO VISIT ARIZONA "Mexican President Vicente Fox plans to meet with Gov. Janet Napolitano, along with business leaders and members of the state's Latino community, as part of a three-day visit to the Southwest starting Nov. 4 that could set the tone for renewed immigration talks between the United States and Mexico," the Arizona Republic reports. THE THREAT FROM CANADA'S LAX SECURITY The United States' immigration policy focuses on putting the squeeze on the Mexican border to stop illegal immigrants from entering the country. But the real threat, some say, comes from lax Canadian immigration laws that may be putting Americans at risk," Fox News reports. " Canadian intelligence experts say that country's immigration policies are a disaster." MORE IMMIGRANTS GOING TO NURSING HOMES "Nikkei Manor, where 46 Japanese-Americans are spending their old age, is one of a growing number of assisted-living facilities and nursing homes across the nation that cater to first- and second-generation elderly immigrants," the New York Times reports. "Assisted-living facilities are becoming especially popular with Asian immigrants, who, along with Pacific Islanders, made up 2.2 percent of the country's 65-and-older population in 2000, or about 800,000 out of 35 million, according to census figures. By 2010, the number is expected to rise to 1.4 million." |