I am with ALIPAC and the guy behind me might be the next President of the USA! (Photo: Ethan Hyman - News & Observer)

The vote was successful, but the crazies (now with presidential intentions) were out in full force in the crazy spectacle that is North Carolina anti-immigrant politics.

The North Carolina State Board of Community Colleges voted this week to overturn the college exclusion rule, which has prohibited undocumented students from attending state colleges and universities. Even at out-of-state tuition rates. Even if they could afford it on their own. We previously covered the college exclusion rule here.

The new rule is a step in the right direction, but still falls short in creating the right educational policy that promotes immigrant integration and upholds education as a right. Under the new law, prohibitive out-of-state tuition rates are applied to students even if they grew up in the local public education system, there is no access to financial aid (even if a student’s tuition payments contribute to the school’s aid pool), and – in perhaps the most egregious part of the decision – undocumented students will have to give up their spots if a class is full. This backward policy is the equivalent of eliminating registration dates and wait-list procedures, thus craeting a second-class status for a certain number of students. This point in particular is not only completely unenforceable, it also creates a hostile educational experience for these already overburned students.

Of course, this debate has been, since the very beginning, about divisive politics rather than common-sense public policy. The movement to shut down the few undocumented students who attended North Carolina (fewer than 150 according to the News & Observer) started with the incendiary rhetoric of North Carolina-based ALIPAC and the political opportunism of the Attorney General’s office. The political backlash that this situation has created leaves local politicians on a race to lunacy in immigrant integration policy. Unfortunately, local Democrats are still not reliable on this issue:

Democratic Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton cast the only “no” vote against the policy in the voice vote but did not debate publicly the issue before the board. He released a statement saying that “these are extremely difficult economic times that require tough choices.”

“Now is not the time to increase the demands on our already overburdened community college system,” Dalton added.

I would not expect North Carolina dems like Dalton to wave the flag of progressivism, but even in a Southern setting we should expect better leadership in issues of equal access to education. Still, can’t deny that it is the crazies who are stil scaring the politicians out of their common sense. This quote from the News & Observer might make it to the anti-immigrant lunacy hall of fame:

“Where are they getting the money to pay the tuition?” said Devin Norris, a Web hosting provider from Raleigh who said he plans to run for president in 2012. “They’re getting it from our paychecks. Our paychecks are getting raped.”

Norris, who was protesting with ALIPAC, might enjoy certain benefits of living in a democratic republic. He enjoys his freedom of speech, uses it to opine in taxation policy, and carries very ambitious aspirations for public office. Yet he is not debating in good faith when he discredits the tuition-paying resourcefulness of undocumented students (fundraising, private scholarships, underpaid work) with the incendiary rhetoric that fuels the anti-immigrant right (Really, Norris, rape? Really?).

Dreamers are ready to debate. Let’s keep it clean, candidate Norris.