(TheConservativeNews.org) – New Mexico’s Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed a bill into law on Wednesday that offers free college tuition to some illegal aliens. The program will be paid for using pandemic relief funds.
The New Mexico Opportunity Scholarship Act “opens the door for every New Mexican to reach higher, strengthening our economy, our families and our communities,” Lujan Grisham said in a press release.
The New York Times reports that the program will cost $75 million, with $63 million coming from COVID-19 relief funds. The money will also be available to prison inmates and members of tribal nations.
The biggest problem is that once those pandemic relief funds are exhausted, the state is going to have to find cash from other sources.
Some supporters and critics of the New Mexico law warn that it could be more of a trial run than established practice. Building on earlier tuition-assistance programs, the measure allocates $75 million during the 2023 fiscal year, of which $63 million comes from pandemic relief funds. Beyond its first year, legislators will need to draw funds from other sources to keep the program going.
Even so, prominent backers express confidence that the program is here to stay in a state where Hispanic and Native-American residents together account for more than 60 percent of the population. In a sign that consensus on tuition-free college is building around New Mexico.
New Mexico may be leading the way in funding college and community colleges for residents. But using money given to the state to combat the pandemic is a dishonest use of that cash, especially since the beneficiaries are here illegally.
