McDonough Rallies Supporters Against In-State Tuition for Illegal Immigrants

More than 100 people turned out to the Commodore Hall in Essex to sign a petition and rally support in an attempt to overturn the recently passed act in the Maryland General Assembly that provides in-state tuition to students regardless of their immigration status.

organized the event and believes he and his supporters will gather enough signatures through traditional methods and online to force a referendum of the law on the November 2012 ballot.

“This isn’t a Republican or Democrat issue, this is a Maryland issue,” McDonough said. “People are upset all over and believe this was action typical of the Maryland General ‘Asylum,’ and when this bill gets placed onto the ballot it will be defeated with 60 percent of the vote, and most of those voters will be Democrat.”

McDonough told supporters Thursday night that they have reached the goal of having the at least 18,000 signatures needed by May 31. He is confident they will have the other 40,000 signatures necessary by June 30 to have the bill on the ballot.

However, McDonough stressed that many more signatures would be needed as he expects the election board will invalidate many for minor mistakes. He added that he is working on filing a lawsuit against the bill in addition to the petition drive.

The “Dream Act” was one of the most controversial bills passed during the recently completed General Assembly session. The bill passed the State Senate by a 74-65 margin and by a 27-20 margin in the House of Delegates. 

 “The signing of the Dream Act shows that in Maryland we believe in the equality of opportunity for all who wish to give back to our great state,” said Lt. Governor Anthony Brown in a statement.

“Maryland’s economy and future leadership have much to gain by removing financial barriers to help children who have attended and graduated from Maryland high schools access an affordable college education so they can better contribute to their communities.”

However, opponents of the bill said it is wrong—and more importantly, illegal—for Maryland to join 11 other states and offer in-state tuition to students regardless of their immigration status.

Maryland’s new law allows illegal immigrants to receive in-state tuition rates at state four-year schools after attending a community college for two years, also providing they have paid taxes in Maryland and are on a path to citizenship.

McDonough said in addition to the legal issues involved in the bill, it would just cost the taxpayers too much money as the state continues to deal with a multi-million-dollar structural deficit.

The Middle River Republican said estimates that the law would cost taxpayers $800,000 the first year and $3 million annually in the third year were grossly underestimated. He believes that the law could eventually cost the state at least $32 million annually in state subsidies when considering 1,000 students taking advantage of the opportunity.

Parkville resident Randy Chanski was one of the many supporters to come out to sign the petition against the law on Thursday.

“I believe it is wrong to reward people for breaking the law,” Chanski said. “Why should people who come here illegally get to pay the same rate as people who live in Maryland when those here legally from out-of-state have to pay the higher rate?

"There are also so many people trying to come into this country the right way and that takes time, while there are more and more people who realize Maryland is a safe haven for illegal immigrants to live.”

Dawn Gebhart, a Perry Hall resident, said she is frustrated over this issue. The single mother has a daughter at the University of Maryland and is dealing with $27,000 in student loans already. She doesn’t like the idea of illegal immigrants getting the same breaks as legal Maryland residents.

“You hear about all of these budget cuts, including cuts to scholarship programs because money is so tight,” Gebhart said. “There’s no money for these programs, but money to offer those here illegally in-state tuition. That’s ridiculous.”

While most of those at the rally came out in support of the petition, there was also a definite political mood at the event as many came out to push McDonough to run for the U.S. House of Representative seat currently held by Democrat Rep. C.A. "Dutch" Ruppersberger.

McDonough said he is leaning heavily toward running for Congress, but will wait to see how the Second District boundaries are set up after the General Assembly meets in the fall for a special session to tackle Congressional redistricting.

“We have to wait and see what the district will look like, but as it is currently drawn, we’re confident we can win the race,” McDonough said.