Illegal immigrant has the grades but not the papers �| ajc.com

Illegal immigrant has the grades but not the papers

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

To advocates on both sides of the immigration debate, Miriam Torres is emblematic of the problems facing this country.

Miriam Torres, 20, an illegal immigrant, was brought here as a child from Mexico by her mother. Torres graduated from Roswell High in 2008 with 4.0 but isn't in college because she can't afford the out-of-state tuition public colleges are required to charge her under Georgia law. Some say illegal immigrants like Torres should be barred from Georgia's public colleges.

Laura Diamond, ldiamond@ajc.comMiriam Torres, 20, an illegal immigrant, was brought here as a child from Mexico by her mother. Torres graduated from Roswell High in 2008 with 4.0 but isn't in college because she can't afford the out-of-state tuition public colleges are required to charge her under Georgia law. Some say illegal immigrants like Torres should be barred from Georgia's public colleges.

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Torres, 20, is an illegal immigrant brought to the U.S. from Mexico when she was 9. Her family came using short-term tourist visas.

Those who argue for tougher enforcement of immigration laws say she is proof that the country needs to better secure its borders. She attended public school in Fulton County with taxpayers spending more than $65,000 to educate her, according to state figures. Some say that money was wasted because Torres can't legally work here. The money should have been spent on legal citizens, they said.

Others paint Torres as a victim of broken system. She graduated from Roswell High in 2008 with a 4.0 grade point average and would like to attend Georgia Tech to study biomedical engineering. Activists say the U.S. would benefit from educating and hiring smart, hard-working illegal immigrants. They cite students like Torres to explain why this country should pass federal legislation to make it affordable

Monday, September 6, 2010