Roy Cooper says public colleges in North Carolina should not admit illegal immigrants.
In an advisory letter released Wednesday, the attorney general's office advised the state's 58 community colleges and 16 four-year institutions in the University of North Carolina system to reverse their current policies of allowing illegal immigrants to attend.
It is also a setback to a movement to grant in-state tuition to illegal immigrants who attended high school here.
"It really closes the door of opportunity for a lot of kids," said Andrea Bazan, president of the Triangle Community Foundation.
The state could pass a law allowing students to attend, the letter says, otherwise a policy of prohibiting them would "more likely withstand judicial scrutiny."
The state's universities have admitted illegal immigrants since 2004. (N&O)
