Raleigh

Editorial:
Published: Dec 04, 2007 12:30 AM Modified: Dec 04, 2007 06:27 AM
College grind

North Carolina politics was fast and furious last week. In a matter of days if not hours, all five major-party candidates for governor denounced the community college system's decision not to exclude illegal immigrants as potential students. The candidates spoke of upholding the rule of law, of not winking at students' illegal-alien status, of not wasting resources on people who, once they graduated, couldn't legally hold a job.
No offense to the young folks, of course.

Governor Easley saw right through it. His comment deserves quoting:

"The people we are talking about were brought here as babies and young children through no fault of their own," said the governor, who is a former state attorney general. "They distinguished themselves throughout our K-12 system. Now, I'm not willing to grind my heel in their faces and slam the door on them."

Of course, the term-limited governor isn't running for anything next November. In today's political climate, tough talk about illegal immigrants is just the ticket for state-level office-seekers.

In large part that's due to Congress' failure to enact a comprehensive set of immigration reforms. Such a package would have strengthened the U.S. border but also offered hope to people such as those -- a comparative handful -- seeking community college admission. Someday, after fulfilling a series of requirements, they might find a future as American citizens.

It didn't happen. Instead we're seeing the anti-illegal immigrant impulse play out at local and state levels. Around the nation sheriffs scrutinize arrestees' status with an eye toward deportation. Proposals to license (and thus regulate) illegal-immigrant drivers are toxic. And a move to open up North Carolina's community college system to all students who meet the academic criteria (many campuses had already done so) draws intense fire.

No matter that these students from in-state high schools must pay out-of-state tuition. Or that some other states admit such students to community colleges. Or that America has never been at its best when it directs the weight of the state at powerless people. No matter.

So give Mike Easley a hand. The governor may be politically incorrect, but he has kept his head when other politicians have lost theirs.
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