Obama Encourages Illegals to Apply for Student Aid Despite Federal Prohibitions

STUDENT: "My name is time to Montoya -- Toya Montoya. If you legalize free two-year college, is everyone, including illegal students with a good G.P.A., able to get this?" 

OBAMA: "This is an important question. I know this is a debate taking place among presidential candidates. Right now, the way the federal student loan programs work is that undocumented students are not eligible for these loan programs. That is how the law is currently. It is my view -- well, two things I want to say. First, if you fall in that category, you should still fill out the forms because states or universities or colleges may have private scholarships or other mechanisms. So it does not automatically mean you may not qualify for some benefits. It is still important for you. That is a standard form used by everybody. 

"But this raises the broader question I have been talking about now for a couple of years. And that is that for young people who came here, their parents may have brought him -- them here and they are now Americans' kids by every other criteria except for a piece of paper. They may be your classmates, your friends, your neighbors. The notion that somehow we would not welcome their desire to be full-fledged parts of this community and country and to contribute and serve makes absolutely no sense.

"You know, this whole anti-immigrant sentiment that's out there in our politics right now is contrary to who we are."