N.C. system chief defends policy on illegal immigrants.(around the nation)

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) -- The president of the state community college system won't back down from a new policy that allows illegal immigrants to enroll on all campuses, saying that doing otherwise runs counter to a nearly 50-year-old tradition of open admissions.

H. Martin Lancaster, who will retire from his post next May, defended the change in a 1,200-word statement sent to reporters. He said children of people who entered the country illegally shouldn't be punished after attending public schools by being denied the opportunity to better their lives through education.

"They were brought here by their parents, often as babes in arms," Lancaster wrote. "How can …