When even a tough Texan like Gov. Rick Perry agrees that illegal immigrants should be able to pay in-state tuition rates at colleges, you know the issue is not so simple.
Most of these students were brought to this country by their parents when they were young. They have grown up in the United States and may have little to do with their “native” country. Most of them speak English well — and may not speak any other language.
They did not choose to break any law. It would be petty and mean-spirited to deport them to a “homeland” they may have never seen.
These students are not being given handouts or scholarships. They simply want to pay their own way and better their lives.
Congress has been trying for decades to solve the riddle of illegal immigration. It should keep at it, but in the meantime no student should be denied an education because of something beyond his or her control.
Millions of law-abiding Americans are fed up with government policies that wink at illegal immigration. Illegal immigrants should not be allowed to pay in-state tuition rates.
They may be here when they try to enroll, but they are not here legally. Letting them get a college education at taxpayer-supported institutions mocks the concept of rule by law. After they graduate, they have another argument for amnesty thanks to gullible politicians like Rick Perry.
Many colleges have firm enrollment caps. That means that every classroom seat taken up by an illegal immigrant is one that can’t be filled by a law-abiding citizen.
Instead of handing out college educations, drivers licenses and other goodies to illegals, state officials should start enforcing the law and sending them back to their home countries.
— Beaumont (Texas) Enterprise
