CITIZEN-TIMES.com
NC Community college issue highlights failed immigration policy

The controversy over a new statewide policy that forbids community colleges to deny access to students who entered the country illegally demonstrates yet again the far-reaching and injurious consequences of the nation’s failed immigration policy.

It’s a policy that places state and local leaders in an almost untenable position.

In this age when knowledgeable workers are seen as the backbone of our economy, it’s in the state’s best interest to encourage all its residents and especially its young people to get as much education as they can.

That’s a simple recognition of the fact that, generally speaking, the greater the education and skill level, the more a person is able to contribute to the general welfare.

What’s a state to do about a young person who entered the United States illegally as a child and has grown up attending our public schools? How likely is it that young person will return to a native country he or she hardly knows? How does it benefit the greater good to deny such a person an opportunity to advance his or her education?

Community colleges generally have an open admissions policy, accepting anyone who wants an education and can afford the low in-state tuition. Students who entered the country illegally are charged out-of-state tuition, which is significantly higher. Some opponents insist out-of-state students still don’t pay the full cost of their education, but according to community college system General Counsel David Sullivan, the state profits from admitting them.

A legal dilemma

On the other hand, when the community college system has a stated policy of admitting students in the country illegally, is this an example of a state institution condoning lawbreaking? Is it tantamount to an institution of state government showing disrespect for the nation’s federal laws?

And what’s to become of these students when they graduate? As critics point out, they cannot legally work in the United States.

If a bill introduced by Rep. Heath Shuler, D-Waynesville, becomes the law of the land, employers will be required to verify the legal status of all their workers. Employers who hire workers in the country illegally will face fines of $2,500 for the first offense and up to $40,000 for repeat or multiple offenses.

Shuler’s bill would also beef up border enforcement by adding 8,000 Border Patrol agents.

The 11th District congressman’s bill goes halfway toward finding a solution. But it will not solve the immigration crisis. As the community college conundrum demonstrates, Congress must find a way to address the 12 million people already in the country illegally.

Shuler’s bill has broad bipartisan support in Congress, but many believe its chances of passage are uncertain, in part because it doesn’t appear to be a priority of House leadership but also because it fails to consider the economic consequences of dramatically diminishing the labor force.

Economic factors

“I don’t think it’s going to be passed, because the economic impact would be tremendous,â€