Thread: Editorial: Illegal immigrants' children shouldn't be politic

http://www.jsonline.com/news/editorials ... 329418.asp

Editorial: Illegal immigrants' children shouldn't be political pawns
From the Journal Sentinel
Posted: May 30, 2005

That the nation's illegal immigrants have been cast as scapegoats through the years is nothing new, as prevalent at the turn of the 20th century as now. They have been blamed for everything from rampant crime to subversion of culture.

But a television ad recently aired in three Wisconsin markets, including Milwaukee, now lays even residents' tax and fees burden at their feet. Or actually, at the feet of their children, who have the gall to want to go to college.

The ad's real target is Gov. Jim Doyle. Our problem with it is how it unfairly channels the very real and heated passions against illegal immigration his way. The group paying for the ad has already taken issue with Doyle on school choice. We happen to agree more with the group than with Doyle on choice, but using students who likely had no say in coming to this country as pawns for broader political goals strikes us as an unworthy tactic.

The ad, paid for by the Coalition for America's Families ( www.coalition4families.com), features a Latina mother talking about coming to this country legally. The family is sending a daughter to college, the in-state tuition at Wisconsin's institutions being her birthright for doing it right.

And to demonstrate Doyle's alleged profligate ways - millions in tax increases and fees in his biennial budget, it says - it cites a proposal in his budget to allow illegal immigrant students in-state, rather than out-of-state, tuition.

But the ad's premise is wrong. Rather than being a sign of liberal tax-and-spend excess, this proposal is really about fairness and humanity. In this country, we generally don't hold children accountable for the sins of their parents.

The proposal is also about principle and pragmatism. Having spent their lives here and with no indication that they will leave the only country they've known (would you?), would we rather have these students contribute more or less? Citing illegal immigrant students in Wisconsin who might avail themselves of in-state tuition as evidence of Doyle's budget excesses holds little water in any case. State Rep. Pedro Colón (D-Milwaukee) estimates that we're likely talking about fewer than 100 students paying $5,831 a year rather than $18,583 to attend a University of Wisconsin System school. Colón sponsored legislation earlier that would give undocumented immigrants the in-state tuition break.

Doyle's proposal would, as Colón's would before him, give these students the tuition break if they have graduated from a Wisconsin high school or attained a graduation equivalency here; have been continuously in the state for three years following the first day of attending a state high school; enroll in a UW school; and sign an affidavit attesting that they have filed or will file an application for legal permanent residency in the country.

Illegal immigration is a complex issue best understood as a matter of supply and demand. Our economy demands the labors of undocumented immigrants - and they will naturally bring their children because they have as little desire to tear apart their families as anyone else. Even a current guest worker proposal allows workers to bring their families.

Illegal immigrant students in college will not burden the state budget greatly. Like immigrant students of the past, they repay this country in dividends of creativity, economic vitality and hard work.

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that these students cannot be denied public K-12 educations. Are we then to reason that they wouldn't contribute even more with college educations? Moreover, no one seems to notice that their parents pay taxes here, too.

Reasonable people can disagree on tax policies, but, please, these debates can occur without using innocent students as the pawns.

Right. Which is exactly why the parents should never have brought them into this country in the first place.

Perfect logic, here.

Can't blame the kids because it's not their fault that they're here.

Can't blame the parents, because as the President says, they're only doing jobs Americans won't do.

Can't secure the border, because that would be racist.

So, from the media and political elites point of view, we should just sit back and enjoy the inevitable consequences of the invasion.

Oh, and we should be forced to pay for it, too.

I think that about covers it.

would we rather have these students contribute more or less?

I'd rather they didn't CONTRIBUTE AT ALL! They should be sent back where they came from and AMERICAN kids should have the opportunity to pick up the "slack."

RULE OF LAW! Is it anywhere to be found?

Furthermore, has everyone forgotten that only a few decades ago it was NORMAL for kids to "work their way through college?" No help except from family if that were possible. Let these kids WORK their way through IF an Education is SO IMPORTANT TO THEM.

Our kids must come first..........THAT'S FAIRNESS & HUMANITY!

I smell National Council of La Raza all over this. They wrote the article and placed it with the writer. They've hired a huge public relations firm. The 'tone", the "tenor", the 'soprano", the "gong"....it's all NCLR writing.

The writer asked a questions: Should the innocent children of illegal alien be "pawns"?

They are already pawns. Therefore, they can not be anything else. They are being used to END the United States.

Send them all HOME NOW....let them go to K-12 in their country of origin; let Vincente Fox, the Cardinal, and the 11 Billionaires in Mexico worry about them. The Catholic Church in Mexico, according to an article posted tonight has 7,000,000 members and is the largest diocese in the whole Catholic Church Organization.

I'm sure with all the "ideas" of the Cardinal with God on his Side, he will figure out a way for the "100" students to attend a college SOMEWHERE in his huge diocese...but it won't be in America.

KEY TRICK POINT OF THE MCCAIN KENNEDY ACT:

Attending school full time counts as having "work" and makes you eligible for staying in the United States permanently.

It won't be 100 students in Wisconsin, it will be their entire Freshman Class, so Wisconsin Kids, Kiss Your Future Good-bye if these bills pass.

The Powers That Be simply don't like you anymore for some reason....they're in love with the Alien Kids.

Where do these people come from, where do they wear their souls, and how in the world do we get rid of National Council of La Raza?

Oh...... I know.....we get the IRS to SHUT THEM DOWN for illegal activites that attempt to impact public policy and influence legislation.

Yep......THAT ought to do it!!

The CC too, if I had my way!!