The Colorado State Senate passed a bill this week that would open the door for undocumented students to pay in-state college tuition. On the surface, it seems like a compassionate, reasoned bill.
Who could possibly be against children getting an education? Isn’t the promise of “public education” the ability to gain knowledge, further one’s abilities, and ultimately prosper in the future? Of course, and this bill does not prevent undocumented students from attending college.
But giving undocumented students the privilege of paying in-state tuition is a conflict of fairness, not an issue of race, bias or apathy.
In-state tuition is granted to those who can prove they’ve lived in a state for a set period of time. It’s for those families that have adopted the state as their home, contributed to the workforce, and paid taxes into the system. The logic, and fairly so, says that if you’ve been paying taxes in that state, then a contribution toward education has already been made.
Unfortunately, proponents of the bill, at times, tend to shade their arguments with the specter of racism. They say anyone who is against the bill is biased against illegal immigrants, and especially those from south of the border.
We’re opposed to the bill, no matter where the undocumented family is from. We don’t think undocumented students from Ireland, Poland, China, Japan, Australia, or even Mexico, should be able to pay the same tuition as an in-state family of any race or cultural background.
We salute and honor all students who want to go on to college. Education is one of America’s greatest assets. But in-state tuition should be reserved for those who are here legally, participate legally in the system, and contribute legally to our society.
In the end, the bill truly is about fairness.