This email was forwarded to me:
Letter by a Florida teacher……………. A teacher speaks
This is a subject close to my heart. Do you know that we have adult students at the school where I teach who are not US citizens and who get the PELL grant, which is a federal grant (no pay back required) plus other federal grants to go to school?
One student from the Dominican Republic told me that she didn’t want me to find a job for her after she finished my program, because she was getting housing from our housing department and she was getting a PELL grant wh ich paid for her total tuition and books, plus money leftover.
She was looking into WAIT which gives students a CREDIT CARD for gas to come to school, and into CARIBE which is a special program (check it out – I did) for immigrants and it pays for child care and all sorts of needs while they go to school or training. The one student I just mentioned told me she was not g oing to be a US Citizen because she plans to return to the Dominican Republic someday and that she ‘loves HER country.’
I asked her if she felt guilty taking what the US is giving her and then not even bothering to become a citizen and she told me that it doesn’t bother her, because that is what the money is there for!
I asked the CARIBE administration about their program and if you ARE a US Citizen, you don’t qualify for their program. And a l l the while, I am working a full day, my son-in-law works more than 60 hours a week, and everyone in my family works and pays for our education.
Something is wrong here. I am sorry but after hearing they want to sing the National Anthem in Spanish – enough is enough. Nowhere did they sing it in Italian, Polish, Irish (Celtic), German or any other language because of immigration. It was written by Francis Scott Key and should be sung word for word the way it was written. The news broadcasts even gave the translation — not even close.Sorry if this offend s a nyone but this
is MY COUNTRY. IF IT IS YOUR COUNTRY SPEAK UP — please pass this along. I am not against immigration — just come through like everyone else.
Get a sponsor; have a place to lay your head; have a job; pay your taxes, live by the rules AND LEARN THE LANGUAGE as all other immigrants have in the past — and GOD BLESS AMERICA!
PART OF THE PROBLEM, Think about this: If you don’t want to forward this for fear of offending someone — YOU’RE PART OF THE PROBLEM! It is Time for America to Speak up If you agree — pass this along, if you don’t agree — delete it!
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BOOKMARK BEFORE YOU CLICK LINKS
I did some research to try and verify the information. At first I only found this, but then I found many postings with the same info.
mostly secondary education:
http://www.ed.gov/about/reports/annual/2001report/edlite-252.html
http://www.ed.gov/policy/elsec/leg/esea02/pg49.html
http://www.ed.gov/programs/closeup/index.html
eye popping info
GAO Report ED390352 – Higher Education: Selected Information on Student Financial Aid Received by Legal Immigrants.
Florida Congressman on Pell Grants- 2007
American Assoc of University Professors– good links
US Dept of Health
Office of Refugee Settlement
Finally! the whole myth debunking truth:
http://www.snopes.com/politics/immigration/pellgrant.asp
Notes: the writer is a Florida teacher- as you can see above, I found a different CARIBE web site, which may or may not be what she was referring to. CARIBE FL says all residents are eligible. The main point of their service thought is quickly integrate by learning English.
Federal Student Aid web site that includes eligibility. Basically you must be a legal citizen, not in jail, or have an official immigration status of something like “human trafficking victim” or “refugee”. You can download the student aid eligibilty info here