On Monday the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a challenge to a California law that grants undocumented immigrants equal access to in-state tuition rates at public universities. The 2001 California law requires that these students attend a California high school for three years, graduate, and swear they will pursue legal citizenship.

The challenge came from a group of out-of-state students who sued the state of California on the basis that its tuition policy favors undocumented students over legal residents from other states. Non-California residents can pay as much as five times the tuition to attend in-state universities.
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On Wednesday, New York became the second state in the country to announce its withdrawal from the controversial Secure Communities program. Launched in March 2008 under former President Bush, the program screens the fingerprints of anyone in jail with the aim of identifying those who are undocumented immigrants.

But in a statement yesterday, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo called attention to “concerns about the implementation of the program as well as its impact on families, immigrant communities and law enforcement in New York.” He is not the only one. Last month, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn made his state the first to pull out of the program calling it “contrary to what was established.” Department of Homeland Security officials have said they still intend to enforce the program in Illinois. Massachusetts and California have also voiced their objections to the program.
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