Politics surrounds North Carolina scholarship for undocumented immigrants
October 11, 2012
A North Carolina CEO has contributed $1 million for a nonprofit to provide financial aid for school for children of immigrants who entered this country illegally, according to a report from the Charlotte Observer.
Golden Door - founded by Red Ventures CRO Ric Elias - is designed to offer financial aid for college that would cover tuition and housing, according to the news source. Students who lack citizenship are disqualified from most grants for education, and although illegal immigration continues to be a hot button issue, the 40-year-old millionaire said his resolve won't be swayed by criticism.
"It doesn’t faze me," Elias told the Charlotte Observer. "If we can get people talking about this, [criticism] may not actually be a bad thing, given the lack of understanding out there on this issue."
The news source went on to profile 16-year-old Pablo Orozco, whose parents brought him to the U.S. when he was 5 years old. Despite earning an exceptional GPA, his undocumented status leaves him with almost no options as far as applying for scholarships he would need to afford a higher education.
A 2008 study from the Pew Hispanic Center stated that more than a third of children born to undocumented immigrants live below the poverty line, almost three times the rate of poverty among children of native-born U.S. residents.
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