Atlanta City Council Passes Resolution Supporting In-State Tuition for All
PRESS RELEASE
Atlanta City Council Unanimously Approves Resolution Supporting In-State Tuition and Equal Access to Public Universities for Undocumented Residents Who Have Graduated from Georgia Public High Schools
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 19, 2024
Atlanta, GA - In a unanimous decision, the Atlanta City Council voted to approve a resolution by Councilmembers Amir Farokhi, Jazon Dozier, Jason H. Winston, Liliana Bakhtiari, and Matt Westmoreland supporting in-state tuition and equal access to public universities for undocumented residents who have graduated from Georgia public high schools.
Present at the Atlanta City Council to provide comment were members of the Freedom University community, including Executive Director Dr. Laura Emiko Soltis; Civil Rights veteran and Chairman of the Board of Advisors, Mr. Charles Black; Reverend Tom Hagood; and four Freedom University students and alumni: René, Nayelly, Sherly, and Mingora.
Freedom University is an award-winning freedom school for undocumented students banned from equal access to public higher education in Georgia. Re-founded in Atlanta in 2014, Freedom University provides tuition-free college preparation courses, college and scholarship application assistance, free legal representation and mental health services, and civic leadership training for undocumented students.
The Atlanta City Council was inspired to write and adopt this resolution following the publication of Freedom University’s proclamation entitled “The Right to Higher Education for All,” which was co-written by Professor Soltis and the students in her human rights course in May 2023. The proclamation outlined the moral, historical, economic, and social arguments for in-state tuition and equal access to admission to public higher education for all residents in Georgia, regardless of their immigration status.
Many of these arguments inspired the full text of the Atlanta City Council Resolution 24-R-3183, which reads:
WHEREAS, According to the American Immigration Council, undocumented immigrants in Georgia contributed $564 million in federal taxes and $355 million in state taxes in 2018, thereby contributing to public universities in Georgia from which they are either denied admission or in-state tuition; and
WHEREAS, twenty-three states and the District of Columbia currently grant undocumented students in-state tuition, while Georgia is one of only three states in the country-in addition to South Carolina and Alabama-to have a form of admissions ban segregating undocumented students from public higher education; and
WHEREAS, segregation in all of its forms, particularly in education, harms all people in a democratic society, because, in the words of Justice Thurgood Marshall, “Unless our children begin to learn together, then there is little hope that our people will ever learn to live together”; and
WHEREAS, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Plyler v. Doe (1982) that undocumented people are “people in any ordinary sense of the term,” and thereby have the right to equal protection under the law as guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution; and
WHEREAS, Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that education is a human right and that “higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit”; and
WHEREAS, education is a public good that ensures that every human being is able to develop into their fullest potential and participate constructively in the world as engaged global citizens.
WHEREAS, The Atlanta City Council (“City Council”) therefore supports any efforts by members of the Georgia General Assembly to alter existing laws and advance legislation along these lines; and
WHEREAS, in particular any bill that would grant in-state tuition and equal access to public universities for undocumented residents who have graduated from Georgia Public High Schools.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF ATLANTA, GEORGIA, that City Council supports the granting of in-state tuition and equal access to public universities for undocumented residents who have graduated from Georgia public high schools.
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that City Council is in favor of all legislation proposed in the Georgia General Assembly, which will have the effect of advancing this effort.
…
This resolution is the first statement of support for In-State Tuition for All from a governing body of any kind in Georgia. It is also the first victory for the undocumented student community since Freedom University’s successful campaigns to expand the admissions, scholarship, and financial aid policies at private universities in Georgia, such as Emory University in 2015 and Oglethorpe University in 2018.
Freedom University celebrates this resolution and congratulates the members of the Atlanta City Council for fulfilling their mission to work for the good of all people in our city.
The Atlanta City Council Resolution will be submitted to the Georgia General Assembly for their consideration in all current and future legislation pertaining to residency and in-state tuition policies for all residents who have graduated from Georgia public high schools.
For press inquiries, contact:
info@freedom-university.org
(678)718-8038
For the full testimonies of Freedom University community members that were submitted to the Atlanta City Council, please see below:
Testimony #1: Dr. Laura Emiko Soltis, Executive Director of Freedom University
Good afternoon. My name is Dr. Laura Emiko Soltis. I’m here to urge the Council to approve the Resolution supporting In-State Tuition for Undocumented Students who have graduated from Georgia public high schools.
Over the past ten years, I’ve served as the Executive Director at Freedom University: a modern-day freedom school for undocumented students who have been banned from equal access to public universities in Georgia.
Every year in Georgia, 4,000 undocumented students graduate from our public high schools, making Georgia the state with the seventh highest population of undocumented students in the U.S.
Today, 24 states allow undocumented students to access in-state tuition. Unfortunately, there are three states that ban undocumented students from admission to certain public universities and from in-state tuition. And they are all in the Deep South: Georgia, South Carolina, and Alabama. One should note that the same public universities that banned Black students in 1960 - including the University of Georgia and Georgia Tech - are the same universities that ban undocumented students today.
As a human rights professor at Freedom University, I enjoy teaching using primary texts. For example, I have my students read the U.S. Constitution, whose first three words are: “We the people.” We the people, not we the citizens. We read Supreme Court decisions, like Plyler v Doe in 1982, which ruled that undocumented people are indeed “people” in any ordinary sense of the term, and are therefore protected from discrimination under the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.
In my classes, we also read from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the basis of modern international human rights law, which was proclaimed 75 years ago in 1948. Together in my classroom, we read Article 26, which states “Everyone has the right to education… and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit.” Accessible to all on the basis of merit - not on a social status out of one’s control.
There are hundreds of reasons Georgia should grant in-state tuition for undocumented students, but let me outline four:
1. It is a responsible fiscal policy that benefits all Georgians.
As a state, Georgia has already invested $125,000 into each student’s K-12 education - by barring undocumented students from in-state tuition, we are effectively throwing away our initial investment and funneling an entire population of young people - 90% of whom are people of color - into low-wage jobs.
To compete in a global economy, Georgia needs more highly educated workers. Research shows that when undocumented students go to college in Georgia, 20% pursue STEM fields and 30% go into nursing and healthcare - industries our state desperately needs to fill with qualified workers. And yet, here we are with 50,000 undocumented students who have graduated from our public high schools, who are multilingual, resilient, and eager to learn: why on Earth would we ban them from in-state tuition to our public colleges? Undocumented students are an asset, not a burden, to our state.
2. It is the fair and just thing to do for our undocumented neighbors.
Undocumented residents are Georgia taxpayers who contribute roughly $350 million in state taxes each year. In reality, undocumented residents - who often work in the most backbreaking industries with the fewest labor protections - are therefore subsidizing the public universities they are barred from attending. Furthermore, without the right to vote, they also experience taxation without representation. All reasonable people can admit that this is not only unfair, but it is part of a long history in this country of accepting people’s labor but denying their human rights.
3. We must provide in-state tuition to fully undocumented students, not just DACA recipients with work permits and driver’s licenses.
The Georgia Legislature is currently debating SB 476 - an In-State Tuition bill that would grant only DACA recipients access to in-state tuition at technical colleges. This is not enough. Since DACA was repealed in 2017, no new applicants have been able to apply for the first time. As a result, virtually no person under 23 years old has DACA. The average age of DACA recipients is now 29 - and the oldest are turning 42. If we want in-state tuition to actually benefit college age students, and the 24,000 fully undocumented students who have graduated from public high schools over the past six years in Georgia, we need to expand in-state tuition to “students who have graduated from a public high school” - just as Arizona rightly did this past year.
4. Education is a public good.
There is inherent value in allowing every human being to develop into their fullest potential. Why? Because education is a public good. We all benefit when each of us are provided with the knowledge and empowered with the passion to contribute our unique talents to the transformation of this world. The cure for cancer, the next John Lewis, the next Sonia Sotomayor, or even the next Mr. Rogers, could be in the minds of one of the undocumented students sitting before you today - students who happen to be banned from colleges based solely on the location of their birth and how they came to call Georgia home. This would be a tragedy not only for these students but for all of us.
I am proud to be followed by Mr. Charles Black, Rev. Tom Hagood, and a number of my beloved current and former students. Finally, let me remind us all that we are in the presence of a great civil rights leader as well as the next generation of freedom fighters. It is an honor for all of us to bear witness to their testimonies. Thank you.
Testimony #2: René, Current Student at Freedom University
Good afternoon, my name is Rene. I am an undocumented student originally from Mexico. I was brought to the United States at only 1 year old because my parents wanted a better future for me. I attended Georgia public schools from the age of four and graduated from Riverwood High School in 2017. I’ve always loved science and math and decided to pursue a job that involved both. During my senior year, I was hired as a technician at an optometrist’s office, a position I still hold to this day.
Working in optometry is when I realized how much I loved helping people, and the power of imaging technology. My experience inspired me to pursue a career in radiology. However, after graduating I didn’t know how to apply to college due to my legal status. I knew one thing for certain though: I couldn’t afford to go to college so I kept working to try and save money. After years of penny-pinching, I researched how an undocumented student like me could get into college and applied to Freedom University last semester. Since then I have learned many things such as how to write a compelling essay for a college admissions committee. I have also experienced how a college classroom would feel thanks to the free classes Freedom University has provided me with over these past few months.
But most importantly, I’ve learned exactly what it means to be undocumented while trying to pursue higher education in the state of Georgia. I learned about Policy 4.1.6, which bans us from the top public colleges in Georgia like GA Tech, UGA, and Georgia College. While I could go to Georgia State, based on my academic merit, I’d have to pay $27,986, the out-of-state tuition fee, while my citizen brother who currently attends the college pays a mere $6,000. Thanks to policy 4.3.4, which prevents undocumented students from receiving in-state tuition, I would have to pay 4.6 times as much as my younger brother, an American citizen.
I’ve been a Georgia resident nearly my whole life, and yet I feel alienated. If I had been able to qualify for public school and in-state tuition, I would have graduated from my undergraduate program and been in my second year of medical school, pursuing my career right now. I don’t want other undocumented people like me to go through what I’ve had to, working for years when all that was necessary was a vote to grant the human right to education for all.
Today I am sharing my experience to urge the full Atlanta City Council to approve the resolution as well. Thank you for your time and consideration in listening to my story.
Testimony #3: Nayelly, Alumna of Freedom University
My name is Nayelly and I am a fully undocumented student. I have resided in the state of Georgia 17 out of 18 years of my life. I graduated from Newnan High School and I am currently a freshman at Emory University studying Political Science and Human Health on Pre-law track.
My mother found out she was pregnant while living in the United States. Fearful of deportation and ready to start on a clean slate, my parents chose to move back to Mexico, the country where I was born.
However, at the age of 10 months I was diagnosed with a cataract that could have potentially left me blind. If my parents could have given me their eyes for perfect vision, I am certain they would have. But realistically we had to move back to the United States so that I could receive the surgeries and treatments I needed.
From a young age, my parents constantly instilled the importance and value of an education. “Study so you will not end up like me,” are my parents’ words that became a philosophy etched in my heart. As such, in high school I maintained a GPA above a 4.0, I was involved in over 10 clubs holding multiple leadership positions, and I was overly involved in my community. However, despite all of my efforts to persevere, nothing changed the fact that there were barriers in Georgia to higher education simply because of my legal status.
I had never felt more alone than I did during the college application process. Thankfully, I learned and sacrificed a lot to forge my own educational pathway. However, young people should not have to go through that. In a perfect world, I would have been allowed to pay in-state tuition. In a perfect world, I would have been allowed to apply to any university in the state of Georgia. In a perfect world, my dreams and aspirations would be in the hands of fair treatment.
With or without an education, Georgia is my home and I will continue to live here, as will the other estimated 4,000 undocumented residents who graduated high school every year in Georgia. I kindly speak for all when I say we want an education. And we want to be treated the same as other Georgia residents. Thank you for your time.
Testimony #4: Sherly, Current Student at Freedom University
Good Afternoon, My name is Sherly. I immigrated from Honduras at eight years old with my then 25-year-old mother and three-year-old brother. I entered the American school system in third grade. I’m 18 now, but I still remember the poem I wrote that my teacher hung on the wall, that's when I began to develop my love for literature. In middle school, my favorite teacher was Ms. Okafor, my science teacher. Her lessons laid the foundation for my interests in civil and chemical engineering. I went to Atlanta’s Lakeside High School, where I realized that I wanted to study Statistics in college. I hope to one day help engineer an efficient and rapid public transportation system in Atlanta, and to travel the world and document different cultures, peoples, and events. I've spent most of my life studying in American schools, building dreams while growing up in Georgia. Yet, a year ago when I was getting ready to apply to college, why couldn't I have the same opportunity as my high school peers to pursue those dreams? Policy 4.1.3 and 4.1.6 almost erased all of my hard work as a student.
Now, I've been admitted to Agnes Scott College and Oglethorpe University, two private universities in Georgia that value my worth. Emory is next. But before applying to these schools, I remember asking an UGA representative my senior year of high school if they admitted undocumented students. I even had my resume and my college essay ready in a folder, and she told me no. That night I cried thinking I was never going to college, not because I lacked ambition or competent grades, but because I lacked resources. I was lost, and if it wasn't for the guidance Freedom University provided me, I never would have imagined that I’d be applying to a single college let alone choosing between three.
Now, I hope that my own accomplishments have set the stepping stones for my brother. He's in middle school now, top of his class. This summer he’s going away for a science and technology program. I also know that he wants to go to college, and I don't want his potential to be obstructed by the laws and policies I’ve encountered. That’s why I’m thankful to the committee for passing the resolution.
But the job is not done, we need the full support of the Atlanta City Council. There are many more stories of children and young adults in Georgia who are just as intelligent, just as capable, and who also dream big. I could stand here and talk about the facts on why undocumented students deserve in-state tuition, but I'm speaking from experience and heart: we are not asking for more, just a fair chance to pursue our dreams. Thank you.
Testimony #5: Mingora, Current Student at Freedom University
My name is Mingora and I am a high school graduate. I came to the United States as an infant of around eight to nine months old. My dream ever since I was little was to become a doctor. On career day in kindergarten, I was dressed up as a doctor. I had my stethoscope/chest piece in one hand and my patient- a furry stuffed animal on the other. As I looked at this, I felt a sense of responsibility to care for others. If I can care for my furry patient, I can also care for humans. I wanted to be there for people during their hardest moments and make it easy for them. It was then that I decided my dream was to be a doctor. To get to this dream, it meant that I needed to excel in my education. In school, I was a great student. I received an A/B Honor Roll for several years, completed Advanced Placement classes, became a member of the History Club, volunteered for over 82 hours of community service, and even had Honors in Spanish. Thanks to my hard work in high school, I was accepted to every college and university I had applied to.
Unfortunately, my ambition and effort were not enough and in my senior year of high school I was faced with a harsh reality. After applying and being accepted to several colleges, I was faced with having to pay out-of-state tuition, which for an in-state public college such as Georgia State, can be nearly $30,000 a year. I meet all the eligibility requirements for a prospective college freshman except for one–my status. I felt that all of my doors were closed. The bright future that I had once dreamed of was now starless. I wanted to live the American Dream: attending college with my best friend and seeing the experience of a lifetime. We both applied to the same college and had gotten accepted. However, there was a difference. I had to pay out-of-state tuition. My best friend ended up going to college and moving on with her educational career while I was left out in the dark rainy storm.
Thankfully, there was still one door open and that was Freedom University, a freedom school that helps undocumented individuals prepare for college. In Fall 2023, I was accepted into Freedom University and am still currently enrolled. One day I hope to have accomplished my dream of becoming a doctor and helping to change the well-being of others positively. In-state tuition not only helps me advance my education but also benefits others in need of a reliable and passionate health provider. The generation behind me will not have to go through the struggles my peers and I have faced. Lifting bans for undocumented students' access to public colleges as well as in-state tuition will help create an easier path to making the world a better place. I sincerely hope that you will give us high achieving students with big dreams a chance.