Schooling
Illegals – Has the light gone out?
By Harvey Lee Ratner © 2007
Arguably, the topic of the decade is
Immigration. Tricky, controversial, vague as to the right and wrong of
it, and everyone has an opinion. But before an intelligent discussion on
this issue can begin, we must first recognize and acknowledge our own
heritage; that all of us, spare the American Indian, are immigrants, and
that this country, for the most part, was built by immigrants.
The
ships that sailed to the Americas in the mid 1800's brought people from
the four corners of the world; Irish and Scots, Italians and Jews,
Asians, Russians, Germans and Poles. Fleeing the oppression, hunger and
poverty of their homelands, they came to
the
new
world in search of freedom for themselves, and their
children.
It would be their destiny to take part in
the building of America; her roads, railways and canals. Suspended
hundreds of feet above concrete streets, they would stand on steel
railings barely wider than their feet, and build America’s skyscrapers
halfway to the clouds. Deep in America's womb they would labor in the
bleak darkness of her mines, and lay the track that would carry
America’s railroads across the great divides. They would significantly
influence America’s politics, economics and religions, and they would
shape America’s future, and their own.
Make
no mistake, it was no easy task for those who crossed the oceans lying
bunched together like cattle in the foul stench of the lower decks in
the bellies of the ships that brought them. Indeed, that which lay ahead
would be the greatest struggle of their lives. But they made it, most of
them, and they lived to become citizens of the New Country. And they did
it by the numbers pursuant to the law. And America prospered from their
labors…
It is estimated that more than one million
undocumented students are currently enrolled in our public
schools. This statistic takes on a dimmer light when you consider that
America’s classrooms have long been bursting at the seams with no relief
in sight. Ironically, funds set aside for education seem to be the first
place our legislators go for budget cuts every time they need a few
bucks, and this begs the question:
Where is the money going to come from
to school the children of illegal immigrants if amnesty is granted and
citizenship made a short reach?
No one volunteers to pay more taxes, and
yet, from what other source could the funds be generated not only to pay
the already soaring costs of education, but the millions of dollars in
additional costs amnesty will spawn? Where do we draw the line as to
what level of education illegals should be entitled to? If we open our
doors at the college level, certainly we must open them at the
elementary, middle school, and high school levels.
Many of our lawmakers firmly support the
position that schooling illegals at any level should be prevented.
Others take the patriotic position that this is America and we cannot
turn them away. Instead, we should give them special consideration and
do all that it takes, whatever it takes, to make it legally possible for
them to attend our schools and get the education every child deserves.
The controversy couldn’t be more ill-timed
as we are already knee deep in a higher education crisis. The
competition for a college admission ticket has never been more intense
and outstanding GPA’s and high test scores are no longer enough to
ensure acceptance. Many believe that schooling millions of illegals will
not only worsen the problem, but render it hopeless.
In virtually every state in the country
solutions are being discussed and legislation is being proposed.
A few states have already passed laws
allowing illegals residency tuition benefits. Is
this madness or the right thing to do no matter what the cost or
consequence?
A bill passed in New
Mexico in 2005 prohibited the state from denying education benefits
based on immigration status. This means the state must offer financial
aid to any student including illegals. Although New Mexico’s state
financial aid was intended for residents, a loophole in the University
of Mexico’s residency requirements allows the undocumented
students from Fort Collins, Colorado to receive in-state schooling in
New Mexico as well as an institutional scholarship that pays their
entire tuition. Ironically, now it is actually cheaper to go to college
in New Mexico if you are an illegal immigrant than if you are an
American student regardless where you're from.
Arizona’s Proposition
300 states that only those students who are U.S. citizens or legally in
this country are entitled to pay the lower tuition charged to Arizona
residents; $4,994 a year compared to $16,228 for those from
out-of-state. Accordingly, 870 students were denied in-state tuition at
the University of Arizona because they failed to prove they were in this
country legally. The same law denies illegals any form of financial aid
which is subsidized with state taxpayer funds, state subsidized child
care and adult education programs.
On May 26, 2006, the Senate approved
legislation (62/36) that would potentially trigger the biggest changes to U.S.
immigration policy in decades, by strengthening border security,
establishing a guest-worker program, and providing the means for
millions of illegal immigrants to stay in the country and possibly
become citizens.
Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.), who shares
credit for the bill with Senator Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.), said that more
than 11 million illegal immigrants "harvest our crops, tend our
gardens, work in our restaurants and clean our houses," and added,
"Some Americans believe we must find all these millions, round them
up and send them back to the countries they came from. I don't know how
you do that. And I don't know why you would want to."
Why taxpayers would want to apparently
escaped the Senator. It is estimated that amnesty will cost taxpayers
$30 billion dollars in welfare and other related expenses. And, I would
ask the Senator, what does it say to those immigrants who obeyed the
law, went through all the hoops and hurdles, learned the language and
waited years to become American citizens only to witness proposed
amnesties to millions of illegals who didn’t? Will amnesty send a signal
to the world that America’s doors are wide open and citizenship is at
long last theirs for the taking? What will this do to our already
faltering health and Social Security Systems? How do we justify to
America’s parents that the college seats their children worked for and
earned are no longer available as they were given to the children of
illegal immigrants who harvested our crops, tended our gardens,
worked in our restaurants and cleaned our houses? Apparently, these
questions escaped the Senator as well.
And, has anyone bothered to factor into
the equation that less than 20% of college students actually graduate in
the anticipated 4 years? How many illegals will make up the more than
80% of students who will need additional financial aid for every one of the extra
years it takes to graduate – and how much will that cost taxpayers?
Is there a solution politicians, taxpayers
and sentimentalists all can live with? If not, and we all stand up
and respond with a resounding “NO!” denying the children of illegal
immigrants a place in America, how will we ever silence that awful
ringing in our ears; the constant echoing of the words that appear at
the base of that towering light and symbol of freedom we have always
held so high, so dear, and been so proud:
“Give me your
tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the
wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless,
tempest-tossed, to me: I lift my lamp beside the golden door...”
Has the light gone out?
About the Author:
Harvey Lee Ratner is a
freelance writer. He has ghost-written several books, one Broadway
musical, countless Internet articles, and made a significant
contribution to the critically acclaimed, parent/student manual, How
To Pay For College Without Going Broke, by Reecy Aresty, the
nation’s leading authority on college funding.
The critics agree, it is the most
revealing book ever written on the subject. Harvey Lee is also the
creator of
TheWayToCollege.com, a member of the
College Information Network™.
