Multimedia Reporting (Bradford-Utsler)

By Dan Hoyt

For 11 years Becky Hutchins, republican representative, has served as a Kansas representative. When she started her first term, issues were very different.

She said in 1995 when she was first elected she was very concerned with religion across the state. Religion was the biggest issue she dealt with. Now she believes the biggest issue deals with immigration into Kansas and how we should deal with undocumented workers.

“I’m willing to welcome any immigrant to the United States who will come in legally,” she said.

Lately the biggest topic has been in-state tuition for illegal immigrants. She said charging in-state tuition for illegal immigrants is unfair and she only wants to be fair. It’s unfair for people from outside of Kansas who are taking classes at Kansas Universities.

“There are many students living in Kansas, taking classes at Kansas schools, and working in Kansas that are paying out-of-state tuition,” She said. “What makes those people less Kansas citizens than illegal immigrants living in Kansas?”

Source: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

Hutchins said that she would be happy to allow undocumented immigrants in-state tuition as long as students from outside of Kansas pay the same amount.

Hutchins said all it would take is for a lawsuit to be brought against the state of Kansas from an out-of-state student who sues for being discriminated against. Similar lawsuits have been dismissed because the plaintiff hasn’t been effected in a large enough monetary value.

“We (the legislature) has been pushed to put more money into education every year and at the same time we allow some students to get a discount they don’t have a right too,” she said.

Every time the house brings up an education bill Hutchins has tried to change the tuition issue and every time she fails.

KU Professor of Political Science Ron Francisco said he understands the issue from a broader view. He said the problem starts in Mexico with the Mexican government. He said about 58 percent of undocumented workers are from Mexico because the Mexican government has made it extremely difficult for a business to hire workers and keep them employed.

“If a business fires an employee without a very good reason they are forced to pay a large sum of money to their former employee,” said Francisco. “This forces them to use family members to run businesses and their business can’t get very large either.”

He said education in Mexico is very hard to get since a good college is very expensive and is usually poorly equipped. Francisco said the burden of educating undocumented immigrants in Kansas falls on the legislature and it forces them to remove funding from secondary education.

Francisco said in the early 80s the state legislature spent very little money on primary schools such as elementary and high schools. They spent more money on colleges, since the federal government paid for our primary school funding. Over the years the federal government has taken that money away and forced the state to fund Kansas education.

“Now we have underfunded schools both at the primary and secondary levels,” he said.

Franciso said he believes there is a multitude of ways the problem could be fixed, but with many companies taking advantage of undocumented workers and politicians afraid to solve the problem it s unlikely there will be any real action any time soon.

Hutchins said although there may be any real action for some time the issue is affecting politicians.

“Both state and federal legislatures will be dealing with this issue around election season,” she said. “It’s not something that’s going to go away and the American people want some action taken.”

Francisco explains Austria's plan that he views as the most effective in dealing with undocumented immigrants.