Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Undocumented Students and College


A recent study has placed the number of undocumented residents of the United States at around 12-14 million. All of these individuals have come to the United States for different reasons and under different circumstances. Presently in Colorado and the United States as a whole, undocumented high school students cannot attend colleges and university because they are denied in-state tuition and very often cannot afford to pay out of state tuition. The current controversy surrounding this debate is whether individual state and the federal government should allow undocumented high school students who have the necessary grades and test scores to receive in-state college tuition.

The DREAM Act, which has been voted down twice, is a piece of legislation that would allow in state tuition for undocumented students. Moreover, this act would provide a "path to citizenship" for undocumented students who would otherwise have to leave the country for 10 years before they could apply for citizenship. Opponents of this bill argue that we should not reward illegal immigration and this law would provide the motivation for more illegal immigration in the future. Proponents of the DREAM Act maintain that often times it is not the fault of the student that they are here in the United States and should not be penalized for their parents "crimes". What do you think? Should undocumented students be given in-state tuition in Colorado?

Points to consider in your response:

-Where is the money coming from?

-Should undocumented students be required to pay state taxes as well?

-how would that look?

-Does granting in-state tuition reward illegal immigration?

-Should these students be punished for their parents actions?

-How can these students ever become citizens?










Dream Act

reformimmigrationforamerica.org


"RIFA"


48 comments:

sparker said...

I do not think that illegal immigrants should be granted in state tuition for college. This would increase illegal immigration, as we talked about in class, because it would increase motivation.
However, illegal immigrants that are currently here are not able to go to college, because they can not afford it, nor can they get a job. This is a problem because these people do not have any way to survive here. The part of the DREAM act that provides a way for illegal immigrants to gain citizenship while staying in the US should be passed, as this provides a way for these people who have immigrated to the US to get jobs or go to college.

vchen said...

I think that undocumented students who achieve a certain score on their SAT/ACT tests should be granted state tuition. It is their parents who moved to the United States illegally, and the children should not be paying the price for it. Though the state tuition money may be coming from taxes, that money would be put to good use if it were spent on intelligent students because when they get a successful job, they'd contribute more to the economy. Using this method, the US would not be rewarding the illegal immigrants because it is only granting state tuition to those students that have achieved a certain score.
By the time the undocumented students graduate from college, I'd think that they'd definitely need to switch over to American citizens. By then they'd need to be paying state taxes and all that stuff. There isn't much that can be done about the taxes that their parents never paid, since the children should not be punished for their parents' wrongdoing.

lpeck said...

I think that no matter what the child’s ACT/SAT scores are high enough the illegal immigrants should not get state funding to go to college. They didn’t have to pay for their education through high school, why should they not have to pay for college? The rest of America has to pay for preschool through college, why are these immigrants any different? I know that it’s not the child’s fault that they illegally immigrated here when they were unable to understand the issues resulting in their parent’s actions, but their parents shouldn’t be selfish enough to illegally jump the border and mess up their kid’s lives too. I think that illegal immigrants shouldn’t get an education. PERIOD. No matter what their circumstance is. It may seem harsh but the illegal immigrants can still get jobs with the education they came here with and they can teach their children or they can legally come here. They should plan it out in advance so that they are able to become legal immigrants before they move here. If they just move here their children will not get as good of a job as their parents because of the rising standard anyway. So, they should just become legal immigrants it makes everything easier on everyone!

p.lindgren said...

Undocumented citizens who have the SAT/ACT scores as well as the other requirements to get accepted into college should be able to pay the in-state tuition if available for that college. However, I believe there should be other requirements these illegal immigrants should deal with before being able to pay the in-state tuition.
For example, they will need to sign up and begin the process of becoming an American citizen. They are old enough by the time that they are going into college to be able to start the process themselves instead of having to deal with their parents past decisions that could harm their education and life. Also, if they are an intelligent student, then once they get out of college and look for a job they will be able to find a job which would then help our country's economy and potentially help to repay the debt they owe to our country for being given the gift of going to college on in-state tuition.

t.pfromer said...

I believe that illegal immigrants (aka undocumented students)who prove that they deserve an eduacation and that they will do something with it should be granted in state tution. In other words, those children who do well on their ACT/SAT tests, who mantain good grades, and who are overall good students should be granted in state tution. Obvisously these students who are able to do the previous mentioned requirements have proven that they are decicated and smart young people who have something to offer to the community. We should not deny them education if they will be able to do something with it and help their families and benefit their communities. I do not believe we should punish the children of parents that decided wothout them that they were going to come to America as illegal immagrants. If we were to deny these expectional students education, that woul not do us or them any good.

SReaves said...

I think that illegal immigrants are allowed to get in state tuition. I think this because if there is someone who does well in school and can help a college succeed or even a company; This person(s) could also discover something that could help the world as well. Even if you (when you are older) or your parents are paying for somone elses state tution these people are still helping a company and could be helping with new discoveries of the world. If these illegal immigrants really diserve a state tuition, then they must really have good grades and diserve it. If this rolls off into more illegal immagration then fine, if there are people that are that smart and can get a state tuition with pure effort and are good students, then that is good because agian it just helps the college more and other companies.

In the end, if there are illegal immagrants that have good SAT/ACT scores, good grades, great effort, are good students and even just diserve a state tuition then they should be able to get a state tuition.

Daniel Shang said...

I believe that an act should be passed that provides undocumented students with a more reasonable path to citizenship, and once they obtain citizenship, they are eligible to receive in-state tuition rather than out of state tuition, however, without citizenship, then I think that they should not be eligible for in-state tuition. If the DREAM act were passed, then undocumented students would have immediate access to lower tuition, and that would promote illegal immigration and the lifestyle that goes along with it. Illegal immigration is just that-illegal-, and if undocumented students were allowed the in-state tuition, then illegal immigration would increase because of the relatively low risk of consequences and the “benefits” that are available. It is unfortunate that undocumented students are suffering the penalties of the choices of their parents, but illegal immigrants do not pay any taxes and all the amnesty and “benefits” that they receive are coming from us, the tax payers. I do not think it is right to reward someone for doing something illegal. However, I do support a more reasonable path for which undocumented students can take to become citizens and receive the in-state tuition fee because they are obviously very motivated.

dgurkowski said...

I don't think that illegal immigrants should be granted in-state tuition. The reason we have in-state tuition is because the people living in the state have already paid for part of the cost through their taxes, illegal immigrants do not pay these taxes and so they need to pay an out of state tuition. I do think, however that immigrants should have an easier way of becoming a US citizen so they can have the benefits of these things later on. Also, I believe that granting these people in state tuition would bring over more illegal immigrants who are just trying to get a cheap education. The less we allow illegal immigrants will increase the number of leal immigrants who have decided to wait in order to have access to these benefits.

pdiller said...

I believe that if undocumented high school students have necessary grades and test scores, the students should be able to receive in-state college tuition. Who are we to deny students an education? No matter where the students come from, they are still students who have a potentially great future.

Some people may argue that illegal immigrants aren’t paying taxes and therefore should not be able to receive in-state college tuition. Not all illegal immigrants avoid taxes. A lot of them pay up like the rest of us at tax time.

Students should not be blamed or punished by their parent’s actions of illegal immigration. These students should have an opportunity to start over and build a good life. I believe The DREAM Act should be put in motion.

Andy Wang said...

Of course no. If they want to continue their successes in the United States, they have to be legal citizens. It doesn't matter if illegal immigrants achieve a high school on their SAT's and ACT's. Why should people pay tax dollars to give undocumented children a good success in life. They should have known that they need to be legal in order for the family's children to receive an education. This can serve a message to other 'wanting' to cross the border illegally. America is not a free for all country. You still have to follow the rules to earn the things you want for your life.

It would be best if there was an act fixing the 10 year rule. its just too long. Make citizenship more easier for families. Once they gain their citizenship and are in the US LEGALLY, then yes, they should receive in state tuition. Simple as that.

This reminds me of an iPhone app. If you want the full version of an app, you got to pay for it or in other words (real life), earn it. This is just how I am thinking.

Another postivie side to a refurnished act is that this will contribute to our economy and education.

h.cangilla said...

In a personal opinion, allowing undocumented childeren to attend public schools is something i do not agree with. By allowing illegal childeren access to public schools for free is going to increas an already massive incentive for illegals to travel to america. Public schools are funded by state taxes. So when illegals (who might i mention don't pay taxes because they are undocumented)send their childeren to school, tax payers (your parents) have to pay for their education while their parents are not contributing what so ever. Not meaning to be discriminatory against illegals, but with the in-state tuition argument, I dont think illegal childeren should be granted in-state tuition because once again the discount on state college tution is a result of the offset of state taxes. Likewise anyone who enters america illegally is most likely not able to afford college tuiton discounted or not. I think by not allowing illegals college tuition discounts, this will reduce the incentive to enter illegally and increase interest in going through due process legally.

In regards to the argument that we would be punishing illegal childeren becasue of their parents choice, I believe that although that was not their decision, the parents should have thought through their decision and its consequences. Although I would like to pay for everyone's,legal and illegal, college tuition, this country cannot simple afford to support illegal immigrants. America is still in the aftershock of an economic depression that resulted in the loss of thousands of jobs, some people can barely afford to pay for food and keeping their home, paying for illegal immigrants education is not someting the american family buget can handle.

c.russ said...

Granting undocumented children the right to in-state tuition would not be fair to those who pay taxes and are legal citizens of the United States. Even though it is not the fault of the students that their parents decided to cross the boarders illegally, the DREAM Act would reward illegal immigration, and possibly encourage it because the normal process of becoming a citizen is much longer than what the DREAM Act would allow. When the parents make their decision to cross the boarder illegally, they must also think of how it will impact the lives of their children and what other consequences it may inflict.

Like Hannah said, allowing these children to attend public schools is not fair to those who pay their taxes, because their tax dollars would then go to people who are illegally in the country. Thus, it would not be fair to those who are American citizens, and especially not fair to those people who legally came to the United States from other countries, and would send an encouraging message to those who wish to cross the boarder illegally.

tfratkin said...

I believe that students who are illegal immigrants and undocumented should be able to get instate tuition if those students reach a certain ACT score or SAT score. I believe that these students should be allowed this, because if a person has a super high SAT score, but can not go to a college because of the price of out of state tuition, and a much dumber student with a much lower SAT score can go to that same college, because of the price of instate tuition is just plain wrong. A student should not be punished by thier parent's mistake.In addition, to get the money to do this, we could pay for it through taxes.

Now people agianst this Dream Act would say that this would increase illegal immigration, and that they would be paying through taxes for something they totally disagree with. What the opposing side is saying is infact true, but what this side doesn't realize is that the increase of illigal immigration is a good thing. By having illigal immigrants able to go to college, will provide a strong foundation for our hopeful future and stimulate our economy with the increase of job oppurtunities. In addition, with the increase of illigal immigartion, there will be more people to do the jobs that need tobe done that us americans frankly do no want to do.

In conclusion, I believe that undocumented students in the state of Colorado should be given instate tuition, because it is not fair for a student to suffer from their parents' mistake and this will also increase illigal immigration, which is a GOOD thing.

spollack said...

I think that undocumented students who do well in school and on the ACT/SAT tests should have access to in state tuition for college, but not automatically. Many children who came illegally to America were with their parents and much too young to know better. They shouldn't be punished for their parent’s mistakes. A reasonable path to citizenship should be provided for illegal immigrants who came to America as children. Before getting in state tuition, a student should have to be in the process of becoming a legal citizen.

Although the taxes of legal citizens would go towards the education of a person whose family never paid taxes, the person would then go on to become a citizen and pay taxes themselves, and would be able to contribute to the economy.

b.artinger said...

I believe that only the students who excel in school and get fantastic grades should get funding from the government. Those students could help be the future of our country and it would be wrong to deny that potential. I understand that our parents would be paying that money through taxes, however I think that it is not these kids fault that they are in the US. In most cases it was there parents who came over illegally and not them. What people forget is that these immigrants are coming to America in search of something better, and I think that if they prove they are hard working and deserving of American citizenship, they should be given it.

g.jeong said...

I do not agree with giving in state tuition for the undocumented students. The money for that comes from the taxes that the illegal immigrants don't pay. Also by giving in state tuition, it would encourage other immigrants to migrate illegally because they will be getting in state tuition for free. They should actually be trying to work toward citizenship rather than trying to find sneaky ways to come to America.

The higher scores on SAT/ACT and having good grades to receive the in state tuition are not a terrible idea. However, this would also encourage people to illegally immigrate thinking that they can do well on the tests. This would do no good but increase the number of the illegal immigrants and undocumented students in the U.S. However, I still believe that waiting 10 years to get a citizenship is awfully long. It should be simpler to get it (not simple, but simpler). I also think that the parents should be responsible for their children. By bring them to the U.S. illegally they completely changed the kid's life. So they should be held responsible.

k.headrick said...

I do think that undocumented students should be given in-state tuition in Colorado and throughout the United States. Many of these students work very hard in high school to get good grades and I believe that this commitment to excellence should be promoted. By limiting the in state tuition to high test scoring undocumented students in the US, we not only encourage hard work but promote the idea of the American dream. I think that by providing tuition and a path to citizenship we are not damaging our economy. There will be a greater burden on the taxpayers, yes, but this act will increase the population of highly educated people in the US and as these undocumented students grow and become citizens they will not only pay back the country with their taxes but will also give back through their education.

I believe that undocumented students should not be punished for their parent's actions. They had absolutely not say in the decision and are forced to do the best they can under the circumstances. Granting in-state tuition does reward illegal immigration, but it only benefits the individuals who are willing to work hard and better our society in the long run, not every immigrant who comes. Undocumented students, therefore, should be required to pay state taxes to offset the cost of the tuition and further discourage illegal immigration. I think that illegal immigration is damaging to our economy but for the students who had no say in the decision, this offers them a bright future if they are willing to work hard and better our society.
Kira Headrick

Unknown said...

I believe that undocumented students in the United States should be allowed to have in-state tuition for college. First of all, even though it is illegal immigration, the children of the illegal immigrant parents should not be punished for their parent's decisions. It is not fair to the children because it is not their fault that they are in the States illegally. Most children move here illegally when they are very young with their parents, so they cannot just stay be themselves and not go with their parents. The money would come from taxes, but it would be a difficult accomplishment to get the bill passed if it involves more tax money. Although, if you look at it from another angle, the children who would be accepted into colleges with in-state tuition would only be accepted if they have exceptional SAT/ACT scores. These children might then grow up to be something that would really help our country, and if you never give the child a chance, you never know what they could have become.

ewinegardner said...

I believe that undocumented students should be allowed to have in state tuition for schools because everyone who works hard and gets good grades should have a chance at a decent life. Even though they are illegal immigrants if they work hard they should get a chance just like the rest of us and it's not like the DREAM act is just giving scholarship's to random undocumented students because they have to work hard and get into those colleges so I think the DREAM act should be passed.

j.epstein said...

I think that the first step in making life better for illegal immigrants should be allowing the to receive instate tuition. The money that would be lost by allowing them to pay the reduced prices, and the money lost by them not paying taxes every year, are too big to be ignoring. It is more important that these illegal immigrants are granted citizenship, and that is the more important issue we are dealing with. If we give these immigrants citizenship then they will be paying taxes and supporting the economy, therefore should be rewarded by getting reduced university fees. We should not reward the people that are not legal.

Cmocek said...

I do not believe that illegal immigrants should be given in state tuition for many reason. First off, they are ILLEGAL immigrants, they have travled into this country the wrong way and would currently already be going to highschool withought having to pay taxes. This makes it so our ecomony goes down. Giving these people in state tuition would not only be destroying our ecomony more, for they STILL would not have to pay taxes, and we would loose valuable money, but it would be rewarding the illegal immigrants. By giving the immigrants in state tuition we would be showing the people that do illegally immigrate that it is ok, therefore increasing the number of illegal immigrants. Even though it may not be the childrens fault, i believe that someone has to pay for their parents actions and the parents had to have known what would be instore for their kids in the future when they moved here. So NO i do not believe they should get in state tuition, end of story.

m.turner said...

i personally think that inorder for illegal immigrants to be granted in state tuition they should get it through the dream project.i also think that they should have to pay taxes as well. I think that this is fair because they help the country and they get to get an higher level education. Granting in state tuition is not a reward for illegal immigration because i think that if they are able to get it that they do have to serve. I think that they should have to pay taxes because they are living in the US and they are activly participating in our economy. Some have jobs and they are spending money and what not so i do think that they should be paying taxes because they are living here.
On the other hand, some illegal immigrants come over and very young children with their parents and do not have a choice and in that case i think that they do deserve in state tuition because they have been living in the US most of thier lives. Now the money is an issue but i feel that if they go through the dream act that they deserve to become an legal immigrant because they earned it and especially if they have lived here their whole lives.

taust said...

i agree with vchen when she suggests there be a certain SAT/ACT test score that allows illegal immigrants the right to inste tuition. i also think that tax payers money should not be heavily funding the lowered tuitions, so olny the best of the best should be granted these oppertunities. one of my reasoning behind this is, yes perhaps the children didn't really have the choice to come over, but their parents, who decided on behalf of their children and knew the risks and laws still decided to come over.

rdivine said...

i believe that undocumented students should be granted tuition to a certain extent. Everyone should be able to get an education and even though they are in our country illegally they should be able to get a decent education. Students who are trying and get a certain score on there SAT or ACT should be able to get money to get an education. Kids who come to the United States as small children don't have the choice to stay in their foreign country or not and therefore they don't have a say in whether or not they attend school. People come to the United States because they think that they will have a better life and get a decent education. Even though they are illegal immigrants they should be able to get money for college if they will actually do something with that degree.

ikalra said...

I think that The undocumented students that did well in their SAT/ACT's should be given the chance to become citizens so that they can apply for scholarships, and things like that. I also think that they should have to start paying state taxes in order to give a little money back, I know that they can't pay all of it or they would be paying for tuition and just trying to become citizens. They shouldn't just be allowed to do it with all the immigration papers waved because that would be a reward to invite more illegal immigration. The money would be put in place by a scholarship fund and wouldn't be offered to every student only the ones that worked hard and earned what they would be given. With the matter of illegal immigration I think that they shouldn't have to go back to their own country for ten years unless they were for some reason or another harming people. Once they were to become full citizens though not only would they have to pay the full taxes and be able to get jobs allowing them to pay taxes they would be watched for period of time, like people who are on parole are, in order to make sure that they aren't wasting the chances given to them. With students that are undocumented but aren't the best this shouldn't apply because they are just taking up room that other people who are citizens have the priority to. It would take a while and a lot of effort and revision but parts of the Dream Act have good ideas that just need to be changed a little so that the people who it effects will give back in return later.

lhill said...

Illegal immigrants should not be granted in state college tuition. The fact is it is not fair to the legal citizens who are paying taxes and money to provide an education for their own children. This would just make legal citizens pay for other people to go to college. It would also give other people the motivation to illegally immigrate to the United States to get an education. This will cause our already suffering economy to fail even more. Jobs will be filled with illegal citizens instead of legal ones who need a job and are officially part of the United States. Our unemployment rate will increase and money problems will become more prominent. Although it is sad that some immigrants work hard to finish high school with top grades and then are prevented from continuing their education, the economy can not withstand more money being taken away to help people who are not even legal citizens.

Unknown said...

I think illegal immigrants who get a certain score on their SAT/ACT tests and have maintained a certain GPA should be able to receive in-state tuition. If they decide to take the tuition, they would have to start paying taxes so they wouldn't exactly be going to college for free. They would be paid for by taxes, but by going to college, they could become a productive member of society and pay that debt back. These students should be allowed to gain citizenship without going back to their countries for 10 years, however their parents would have to. It doesn't really award illegal immigration, because not everyone will be able to get in-state tuition, and for those that do, it's a reward for doing well in school, not illegal immigration.

Alison Lindsay said...

I think that illegal immigrants should not be granted in state tuition, this would just encourage illegal immigration. But, at the same time i don't believe it is fair that the child has to take the fall for their parents mistake. So, i think the solution is to allow students to apply for citizenships, and allow them to stay in the US till then, but until they are official citizens they should not be given in state tuition! This would not be fair that students living in another state have to pay a much higher price for university meanwhile students who aren't even citizens get a lower price.

k.rosmarin said...

I think that if we grant state tuition to all illegal immigrants, that is motivating more people to illegally immigrate into the United States. If more and more people come to the United States, then it would get way overpopulated and if we grant state tuition to all of the illegal immigrants, the amount of money we have will drop severely.

On the other hand, I do not believe that we should punish children just because their parents illegally immigrated. Everyone deserves an education. So, I think that if the undocumented kids get a certain score on their SAT and ACT tests, then those students should get tuition. But, if students do not achieve the certain score on the tests then they should be able to stay in the US while gaining US citizenship.

k.mcgill said...

I believe that undocumented students who have good SAT/ACT scores should still be able to go to college. I think that everyone should have a chance for a good education. Yes, they are undocumented, but can they really say no about their parents decisions? Not really. All of this will also encourage these people to work hard. I also think that these undocumented students should have decent grades in order to receive the in-state tuition. These people should also be working on becoming an American Citizen, not just going to college. In my opinion, in order to help these students as much as we can, the DREAM act should be passed.

KHunt said...

Though I think that this document would increase illegal immigration, I'm not sure it's all bad. I think that it should be passed, although maybe with some minor adjustments, partly to please the opposition and also to just generally improve it. The main reason I think that these students should get to go to college is that they have the grades necessary, and that's a big deal. Maybe more so than people think, because often immigrant students don't do all that well in American schools. Also, like we talked about in class, the students usually didn't know what they were doing was illegal when they moved here, so they shouldn't be punished for their parents' actions.
I think that creating a way for these students to become citizens would be good. That way, there could be a rule that they receive government funding for the first couple years, and then become citizens and apply for scholarships and start paying taxes like everybody else. During the time they are receiving funding, there could be a rule that they have to help out at the school or do community service or something to partially pay back the government. I know this is all really idealistic and probably won't happen, but I don't think it's fair to deny students who could be beneficial to our country an education.
The biggest issue obviously is still the money and the fact that it's tax money which these students are not paying for. I don't really have a good answer for that. But I still think that we should allow them to go to college.

PBrunsgaard said...

This law has the potential for being either really great or a complete disaster. One one side of the arguement, the students should not be punished for their parents crime, but if their parents knew what was best for them, why did they move here illegally? But on the other hand, there are very many undocumented students who have great potential and could help the development of this country.

This idea could be modified to benefit the good students, but not reward illegal immigration. For instance, it could require certain test scores and they would have the option to apply for a citizenship from the US if they get into the program. There could also be rules requiring the parents to pay taxes for a certain amount of years before they can apply for the scholarship. The DREAM act has good potential but it is still lacking some fundamental aspects.

dsherwood said...

I think that giving in state tuition to undocumented students would look bad, and would give illegal immigrants more reason to come to the United States. However, I firmly believe that someone devoted to learning and someone that has good grades and test scores should be able to have a proper education. Having in state tuition for these undocumented students would look much better if there was a way for them to obtain citizenship. That is why I believe the DREAM act is so important. If the immigrants could first achieve citizenship while living the U.S. it would not only make them more successful but also make the giving of state tuition more just.

The money would most likely come from taxes, however the money is need for these people deserve an education for the same price the other residents pay. They should not be punished for their parent's action, and should have to opportunity to be successful citizens. For hundreds of years this country has been the country of opportunity and like all the immigrants that have flocked to this nation, these people deserve citizenship, education, and a life.

k.chend said...

I think that illegal immigrants should be given in-state tuition because if you work hard, you should able to have the freedom to do what you want. However, I believe that in addition to SAT/ACT scores that the student must get, I believe that illegal immigrants should have to do a specifc amount of community service so that they could immediately help the community. Also, each illegal immigrant will eventually do their share as they become citizens, which means paying taxes and impacting the community. I think everyone in America should get that opportunity illegal or not.

kchenL said...

I think that it can go either way in this. I personally am on the fence with this issue.(I hope that is allowed)On one side, I would very much disagree with this issue, because the illegal immigrants would be getting college tuition for free, and that wouldn't be fair to the people that are paying taxes. Also is we let this slide by, it would he giving to-be illegal immigrants a reason to why they should come to America. Where does this money come from to pay the college tuition? It would come from taxpayer's wallets, and i'm sure that those people wouldn't be very happy about that.
There is also a counter to this, and it is also why i'm on the fence with this issue. (Like Mr.N said) What if the kid's parents came to America as illegal immigrants and brought their child along? The child couldn't have said "no" to the decison. It wouldn't be the child's fault that they were an illegal immigrant. It wouldn't be fair to them.

jen forrister said...

I think that undocumented students, should be allowed to get in-state tuition for college. It is not like they won't be paying at all for college, but they would just get the same chance at in-state tuition. The money could come from taxes, and that way the students could one day get a job and contribute to the economy and taxes. If their SAT and ACT scores are high and they have a good GPA and are planning on going to college, they should get a fair chance. I don't think undocumented students should be punished and given less of a chance at a full education because of what their parents did. I do think that if the students choose to go to college, they should have to apply for citizenship.

bkrahenbuhl said...

Undocumented students should definitely be granted in state tuition for college. If this is a step in getting illegal immigrants citizenship, I am for it. It may be rewarding illegal immigration, but it is worth it.
I don't understand why everyone thinks money is a problem. Right now, most of these students can't pay out of state tuition. If they can pay in state tuition, isn't there more money coming in to the college. Unless I'm reading something wrong, money isn't a problem. Undocumented students should get in-state tuition to college.

omcmahon said...

I think that illegal immigrants should be granted in state tuition. If these students have the grades necessary, I don’t see any reason to deny them the education just because of their parent’s decisions. The students usually don’t know what was happening when they moved here, so they shouldn't be punished for their parents' actions. 
I think that creating a way for these students to become citizens would be the right thing to do. Then they could become citizens and apply for scholarships and start paying taxes. I agree with Kelsey, that they may have some responsibilities to help out at the school or do community service to start to pay back the government. I think that we should allow them to go to college, but regarding the risk of promoting illegal immigration I believe that there could be a rule passed about how many years that they have already been living here to grant them in state tuition. so that it can be more regulated, considering that if they have been here most of their lives it was most likely their parents doing and they shouldn’t have to pay the price of it.

Aflynn said...

I think that if illegal immigrants have access to state tuition, that would just be unfair. Illegal immigrants don't pay taxes that are put to things they use just as much as everyone else. Part of what state tuition is is getting some money for college because you gave money to the state in taxes! People will start abusing the right, to get a cheaper education, and things could very easily get out of hand.
Yes, i beleive that it is not their faults their parents came to America illegally. Thats why I think that they should make it easier and faster to become an American citizen, so they won't have to pay for their parents wrong doings.

jfu said...

I believe that illegal immigrants should not be granted in-state tuition. Although they are, in a way, being punished for their parents’ actions, granting in-state tuition would be an incentive for more illegal immigration to occur. If tuition was granted in Colorado, undocumented residents within the United States would all move to this state, or other states where in-state tuition was being given. There are 12-14 million of illegal immigrants, of which many are students who would be interested in moving to states where they could receive tuition. Taxes would have to increase dramatically to support the tuition being granted. All throughout their public education, the students’ parents have not been paying any taxes, so no money would be coming from the illegally-immigrated families to allow the student to attend college. Although the students themselves did not make the decision to immigrate illegally, their parents knew what they were doing, and the consequences of their actions. The undocumented students’ parents are most likely also illegal immigrants. By revealing themselves as an undocumented resident and applying to receive in-state tuition, the students would expose their parents who would then be deported.

E.Kronenberg said...

I do not think that illegal immigrants should be givin in-state tuition for college. I believe if the US was to pass such an act there would be a large increase in illegal immigration. If we have an increase in illegal immagrants and they are using tax payer money for their in-state tuition then we are losing a lot of money. But on the other hand the US needs to come up with a system that allows these people to become educated and get jobs so they can survive. For example they could allow the students that are overly qualified (4.0+ and great test scores) the ability to receive in-state tuition. If a student can do this I believe they deserve this exception.

H.Gurung said...

Undocumented students should be allowed in-state tuition only if they achieve a certain, high score on the SAT or ACT, to make sure that the student is truly invested in a serious education. I don't feel as though just any illegal immigrant should be allowed the privilege of in-state tuition if they're not paying taxes.

Also, if the student does achieve the SAT/ACT requirement score, then I think the student and his/her family should begin the process of becoming a US citizen. And if the student does end up doing well, it will be a positive thing for the family as well as the US.

Undocumented students shouldn't be held back due to their parents' decisions.

CMorley said...

I don't think that any undocumented student should be granted in-state tuition, ever; this would provide a much greater motivation for parents to bring their children here because they would know that if their children got the right grades, the kids could get a job here in America and possibly help the parents become citizens or support the parents in some other way.

I think that, instead, the undocumented students should, if they have the necessary test scores and grades, be granted a much-accelerated path to citizenship, because (in 99.9% of all cases) it is through no fault of their own that they are here. They were likely very young at the time they came: some may not even have been born yet.

I do think, however, that the parents of these undocumented students should be forced to go through the normal, 10-year, go back where you came from and wait a while process.

The choice, I think, should look like this: when an undocumented student applies for college, if the colleges find that they are undocumented, they inform the federal government. The feds then send the student a letter that basically gives the student the following choices:

1) You become a part of an accelerated-citizenship program, where we help you become a citizen in a year [for example] without having to leave the country. Follow steps x-y-z. After becoming a citizen, you re-apply to all those colleges. As compensation to the federal government, you will pay slightly higher taxes [5% or so] for 10 years so that we get back at least some of the money that your parents didn't pay us.
2)You go back to where ever your parents came from, wait ten years, then apply to become an American citizen.

I think that, given these two choices, it would be much better for our country than simply kicking them out or making them take other, much lower jobs that these students are over-qualified for.

Stuart Turner said...

I believe rewarding illegal immigrants with an easy way to citizenship is wrong. This would definately boost the amount of illegal immigration in the country and only make matters worse. Also these undocumented students do not pay taxes or any fees so where would the money come from to send them to college? I dont think other peoples hard earned money should simply be given to these undocumented simply because they would like to go to college. I understand that in many cases its not actually the students fault that they are in America it was usually the parents that made the decision to cross the border illegally, however I dont believe that tax payers should give away their hard earned money to these students even if they didnt have a choice.

t.meyers said...

I think that these illegal immigrants should be able to get in state tuition for college because if they have worked their hardest and got the grades and scores they need, they should be awarded for their hard work and not punished for something they were not in control of.

Illegal immigrants are still people and deserve the same rights as everyone else which means that they should have an equal chance to get into college. I dont think the money would be lost because if these people can get a good education and contribute to our economy, they could help us more than hurt us.

b.knud-hansen said...

No i am 100 percent against letting unregistered immigrants get the bonuses that US citizens and tax payers get such as in state tuition. It will only increase illegal immigration because it gives i bigger incentive to cross the border for cheaper college. On the other hand i think that there should be a faster way to let them become citizens, but i do not think the immigrants should be a loud to participate in the benefits they need to become citizens and ay taxes. We would be wasting state money coming from every tax payer to pay for illegal immigrants colleges. That does not help the society out in any way. Instead of having a new road or school we have non US citizens getting deducted college expensive. That is just wrong and a waste of our money.

j.vanzeghbroeck said...

The issue of giving illegal imagrants in state tuition is a dificult issue. On one side of the argument is that everyone should be able to have an education so they can have the persuit of happiness. Another argument is also that it wasn't there choice to come here illegaly there parents brought them over and the could not do anything about it. There are also some problems with giving them instate tuition. It might serve as an insentive for illegal immigrants to come to the u.s. a. I think that they shouldn't get full in state tuition because they have not payed tAxes like everybody else. If try payed taxes then they would recieve the cheaper education. They should however get it a little cheaper so that it is possible to get an education for them. If they can not get an education then they won't be able to have thief persuit of happiness. 

c.fitch said...

I believe the people who came here illegally should get an incentive or reward to stay. So telling them that, if they come here illegally their kids can go to college cheaper is not a good choice, especially since these people do not pay taxes. I also do not believe the children should be punished by being forced to go home for ten years and then come back. I believe that in order for a student to go to college for state tuition they must be a legal immigrant. I think that the dream act should allow students to become citizens faster, they can even keep them in the country. However, I believe this would also be rewarding illegal immigration. Therefore, I believe the people who came over here illegally should become somewhat of a “partial citizen”, meaning they pay taxes and get in-state tuition, yet they cannot get a good paying job without becoming a citizen through the naturalization process.

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