Education

Muchas gracias! Notre Dame will now accept, heavily subsidize illegal immigrants

Font Size:

The University of Notre has announced that it will now admit illegal immigrants and give them generous amounts of money from school coffers to ease the burden of the school’s annual cost for tuition, room and board of over $57,000.

Officials at the famous Catholic school in Indiana say the new illegal-immigrant friendly policy will “strengthen” the student body, reports The Washington Times.

Notre Dame had never officially prohibited admission to illegal immigrants before instituting the new measure. Under the previous rules, however, the school regarded illegal immigrants as international students and insisted that they have visas. (RELATED: Obama hides Obamacare subsidies for foreign workers, guest students)

Much like national championships for Notre Dame’s storied football team, that requirement is now a relic of a bygone era.

Illegal immigrants who might have trouble paying the steep price tag at Notre Dame because they aren’t eligible for the same federal financial aid available to citizens and nationals needn’t worry.

The school has indicated that it “is committed to meeting the full demonstrated financial need for all admitted students.” This language signals that the administration is prepared to provide admitted illegal immigrants packages of institutional grants — free money — and institutional loans to cover costs that students’ families cannot pay.

For students residing in the United States legally, federal financial aid would typically defray a large percentage of those costs.

“We will strengthen our incoming class and give deserving young people the chance for a Notre Dame education,” said Don Bishop, associate vice president for undergraduate enrollment, in a statement obtained by The Times.

Notre Dame is affiliated with the Congregation of Holy Cross, an international Roman Catholic organization headquartered in Rome, Italy.

As The Times notes, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops supports a policy of legalization and integration for illegal immigrants in the country.

The number of illegal immigrants across the nation is estimated to be 11 million people. The Senate’s massive immigration reform bill would both provide a pathway to citizenship for them and pave the way for another 46 million immigrants in the next 20 years.

Follow Eric on Twitter and send education-related story tips to erico@dailycaller.com.