Illegal immigrants: Unquenched thirst for knowledge

Arizona Central
August 7, 2009

Children who are brought into the country illegally, who grow up without ties to any country but the United States shouldn't have to suffer the consequences of decisions they could not control.

And yet...

More than two years after Arizona voters passed a law denying in-state college tuition and other state-funded benefits to illegal immigrants, thousands of people are still applying for those services and being turned away, reports The Associated Press.

Supporters of the law say the numbers are evidence that the measure is working, saving money that the state shouldn't be paying to educate people who came here illegally. Opponents say the numbers show thousands of bright young people are being denied the opportunity to improve their lives through education and contribute to society.
...
More than 3,400 community college students and nearly 300 university students paid nonresident tuition because they couldn't prove they were in the country legally. Thousands more university students never had their immigration status checked because they didn't seek in-state tuition or state-funded financial aid.

It isn't right to make it harder for those young adults to receive an education -- especially when they have a thirst for knowledge, a desire to become professionals and earn a good living, to be productive members of society.

It defies logic -- but many people would rather see those children, now eager young adults who have no where else to go and know no other life, remain uneducated and without prospects.

What do they think those young adults will do? Pack up their bags and leave the United States? And go where?

Imagine ... almost 4,000 Arizona college students willing and able to pay higher tuition rates becaue they can't produce proof they are legal residents. Think about the thousands others who wish they could get an education, who worked hard during high school to earn scholarships, but now find the college tuition a prohibitive cost. Or those who are afraid to even seek an education because they don't want to draw attention to themselves or their families.

The state of our education is sad. Budgets everywhere are tangled in red. And instead of boosting the knowledge base -- and knowledge is key to a healthy community and economy -- Arizona only continues to hurt itself.

Legal or not, students shut out of an education today are still going to become tomorrow's adults. Once eager to learn, likely now frustrated at the lack of opportunities, unsatisfied and uneducated. That does nothing to help Arizona stand in line for economic opportunities.

In that AP story, State Treasurer Dean Martin, a state senator in 2006 who pushed to get that measure (Proposition 300) on the ballot, said: "When we're talking about college students, we're not talking about children anymore. At this point, you are responsible for following the law yourself."

Again: "At this point, you are responsible for following the law yourself."

Exactly. When they were children, they were not responsible for the actions of their parents. And since, as adults, they themselves committed no crime ... why are they being penalized?

http://www.azcentral.com/members/Blog/M ... moor/59747