Pelosi advocates for immigrants in higher ed

EDINBURG — U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi touted legislation Thursday that would make it easier for some undocumented immigrants to receive higher education benefits.

Her remarks were during a speech she delivered at the University of Texas - Pan American as part of its Hispanic Engineering, Science & Technology Week events.

Some immigrant students are unable to get in-state tuition, as well as grant and scholarship money, because they are not in the country with the proper paperwork, according to the National Council of La Raza, an advocacy group.

The legislation to which Pelosi referred, known as the DREAM Act, is going through the U.S. House and Senate committees.

“It just isn’t fair,” Pelosi said during her morning speech. “Those young people who came to America one way or another Â… their opportunities are curtailed because of the situation. And it’s not only harmful to them — it’s harmful to the country.”

The legislation would eliminate a federal provision that discourages states from providing undocumented immigrants with in-state tuition rates.

It would also allow the Secretary of Homeland Security to grant permanent resident status to, and cancel the removal of, undocumented immigrants who entered the country before their sixteenth birthday, have lived here for at least five years and have been admitted to an institution of higher education.

Groups such as the conservative Heritage Foundation oppose the proposal, arguing that it rewards immigrants who have consistently broken the law by remaining in the country illegally.

Pelosi, D-California, said U.S. Sen. Richard Durbin, D - Ill., is attempting to tack the DREAM Act on a defense bill already before Congress. The legislation has been introduced in previous years unsuccessfully.

Pelosi also highly spoke of legislation known as the COMPETES Act, signed into law earlier this summer. COMPETES invests in 25,000 new teachers through development and financial assistance, expands Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate classes and encourages women and minorities to participate in engineering and the sciences. And the House speaker praised a tuition assistance bill awaiting President Bush’s signature.

After her HESTEC speech, Pelosi called the border fence set go up in parts of the Rio Grande Valley “a terrible idea.”

“I’ve been against the fence,” she said. “It shows a lack of understanding of what the communities are on our borders. These are communities that have borders going through them.”

During the events, she and U.S. Rep. Rubén Hinojosa, D-Mercedes, took turns praising each other’s leadership in Congress.

They urged young people to get involved in math, science and engineering, the theme of HESTEC’s events. Pelosi repeatedly said she hopes more youths will come to think of science as “hip.”

“Some of the best contributions mathematicians have made, and scientists have made in the history of our country, have come from the very young,” Pelosi said.

Pelosi also spoke highly of the HESTEC event itself, saying UTPA was taking the lead in addressing the lack of students in the sciences.

“This region, because of HESTEC, has become a hotbed Â… a leader for the future,” Pelosi said.

Later in the day, she also gave the keynote address at the ribbon cutting ceremony formally opening Women’s Hospital at Renaissance, located on Edinburg’s border with McAllen at the corner of McColl Road and Dove Avenue. It is the first full-service hospital for women in the Rio Grande Valley.

There, she told a crowd about legislation pushing though Congress that would expand healthcare insurance for children and veterans.

Edinburg Mayor Joe Ochoa called Pelosi's visit a historic event during his introduction of Pelosi at UTPA.

Robert Sale, the school's provost and vice president for academic affairs, said HESTEC was able to land Pelosi largely because of Hinojosa’s efforts.

“It’s a very exciting time for us,” Sale said. “People across the nation are beginning to learn about UTPA.”

Pelosi’s election as House speaker in January makes her the first female to hold her position in the nation’s history. She stands second in line, after Vice President Dick Cheney, to the presidency.

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Ryan Holeywell covers PSJA and general assignments for The Monitor. He can be reached at (956) 683-4446.