Thread: Undocumented immigrants: Don’t shut off college

Kansas is among 10 states allowing in-state tuition for the children of undocumented immigrants. Several hundred graduates of Kansas high schools are taking advantage of this opportunity.

coiuld we send them all to one of those ten states so we'll know where they are when the day comes to deport them?

Originally Posted by Brian503a

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/opinion/14126493.htm

Posted on Sat, Mar. 18, 2006

Undocumented immigrants
Don’t shut off college

Need a good job? Get a college education. That’s what parents preach to their children all the time.

But apparently that message is not intended for all students in our schools. Legislation in the Missouri House now would prohibit undocumented immigrants from enrolling in the state’s public colleges and universities.

In essence, the legislation says that no matter how bright or how ambitious students are or how hard they have worked, there is no place in Missouri higher education for undocumented immigrants or their children.

This legislation is mean-spirited and offensive to all who still believe in the American dream.

It unfairly punishes children who may have been brought to this country by their parents. Many will have attended middle and high school in the state.

Decades ago, traditions and policies kept the majority of African-Americans and other minorities confined to menial labor. This legislation sends the same not-so-subtle message to the undocumented: That all they will be allowed to be is the cheap labor in the American economy. That there is little chance of upward mobility for their children.

The only argument that proponents of the legislation can offer is that the individuals affected by the bill are in the country illegally. On the surface, it’s a compelling argument — but one that ignores certain facts. These students are here, they are building lives, and many look to become citizens.

A more appropriate response would be legislation like the Dream Act, co-sponsored by U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas. This federal legislation would allow the children of undocumented immigrants who had been in the country for several years to receive in-state tuition at their state-funded colleges and universities. Instead of shutting them out, it would increase opportunities. Unfortunately, that legislation is stalled.

Kansas is among 10 states allowing in-state tuition for the children of undocumented immigrants. Several hundred graduates of Kansas high schools are taking advantage of this opportunity.

Missouri is ill-served by the bill in the General Assembly. The state and the country would be better served by serious immigration reform that recognizes the reality of 11 million undocumented immigrants in this country, speeds up the process for citizenship and offers protections to workers and employers alike.

When did Mexico get rid of all it's colleges?

When did Mexico get rid of all it's colleges?

Right! It must have been since this morning when the El Paso Radio station was telling all about how much good Vincente Fox has done for mexico. One of the good things he did was "build colleges and universities. One such Univeristy is supposedly right across the border in Juarez.

I wonder how come so many people come back and forth across the international bridges each day to go to college in El paso then? Could it be because they have to PAY to go in Juarez?

Originally Posted by Truism

A typical college degree these days has the same worth as a junior high diploma.

rescent that comment, because many high paying jobs require a college education. You can't be a engineer, doctor, pharmacist, etc without being a degreed.

I have a BBA in CIS with 2 minors, many places I applied to (and interviewed with) required at least a Bachelors degree.

If college degrees were so worthless as you say, there wouldn't be so many people going to college and so many employers looking for degreed folks.

Did you miss the word "typical"?

Many people go to college because it's the thing to do, not because they actually have a need to.

Obviously, there are jobs that require an advanced degree. But these days, the "typical" college degree in, say, poli sci, sociology, anything termed "ethnic studies", film, art, etc, are the norm. So for people planning to go that route, I say save your money and actually learn how to do something, unless the idea of running a cash register while you pay off your student loans appeals to you.

Good luck with your BA in CIS. You know you're competing with people in India with Masters degrees who are willing to work for half of what you are, don't you? Personally, I've had more than a little experience along these lines.

Many people go to college because it's the thing to do, not because they actually have a need to.

Where in the world did you get this idea? Wow, I guess folks are so stupid, they spend thousands of dollars a year to get a higher education just for the heck of it.

Obviously, there are jobs that require an advanced degree. But these days, the "typical" college degree in, say, poli sci, sociology, anything termed "ethnic studies", film, art, etc, are the norm. So for people planning to go that route, I say save your money and actually learn how to do something, unless the idea of running a cash register while you pay off your student loans appeals to you.

Let me explain a little about the benefits of having a degree. More doors open up for those who get a degree. Anytime you want to move around in your career, it would be easier for you to do so with a degree.

Trust me, I've done heard all the stories about non-degreed folks who make $15/hr putting handles on a car and such on a assembly line. But what they don't realize is, that is a unskilled job requiring no education to do it. Thus, that same person who loses their job is much less likely to get the same pay rate when they have to change jobs vs a degreed person.

Good luck with your BA in CIS. You know you're competing with people in India with Masters degrees who are willing to work for half of what you are, don't you?

LOL, assumptions, I love it. I'm not a programmer homie. I'm a lead auditor for a large logistics firm.

Quote:
universities.

In essence, the legislation says that no matter how bright or how ambitious students are or how hard they have worked, there is no place in Missouri higher education for undocumented immigrants or their children.
This legislation is mean-spirited and offensive to all who still believe in the American dream.

Thats right. There is no room for illegal aliens in our ALREADY OVERCROWDED higher education facilities. They are reserved for LEGAL citizens. Your chance of earnining the American Dream has been lost since you came here illegally.

This legislation is mean-spirited and offensive to all who still believe in the American dream.

And why, exactly, is it "mean spirited" to preserve the "American Dream" for Americans?

Originally Posted by Truism

LOL, assumptions, I love it. I'm not a programmer homie. I'm a lead auditor for a large logistics firm.

Homie?

By the way, I've got both a BS and an MS from the University of California, so I know a little something about higher education.

Originally Posted by CountFloyd

Originally Posted by Truism

LOL, assumptions, I love it. I'm not a programmer homie. I'm a lead auditor for a large logistics firm.

Homie?

By the way, I've got both a BS and an MS from the University of California, so I know a little something about higher education.

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Nice of you to put all folks down who seek higher education.

The personal attacks need to end now or else.