by R.S. Coke

Created on: May 10, 2008   Last Updated: May 13, 2008

Illegal Immigrants and Higher Education

Illegal Immigrants are a part of American life. According to the Center for Immigration Studies there are 37.3 million immigrants in the United States of which 11.3 million are illegal immigrants (Camarota, 2007). Many illegal immigrants come to the United States for a better life, work hard and contribute to society. Some become a burden on an already overburdened welfare and health care system by using a system they do not pay into.

Illegal immigrants especially children of illegal immigrants are in an educational quandary. Countless come as young children, by the time they graduate high school they consider themselves Americans and many anticipate going onto college. But many states have laws that prohibit illegal immigrants from attending college. The states that do allow illegal immigrants to attend college such as Texas, New York and Florida also offer in-state tuition benefits. These states charge in-state resident tuition fees which are considered a form of financial aid. The problem is two-fold. First, a student who is an American citizen could be charged more to go to school than an illegal immigrant, and second, do we educate people who have come to the country illegally?

Should illegal immigrants be able to go to college? On one hand "No". They are in the country illegally and they should not benefit from illegal activity. They should be sent back to the country they came from and follow the legal process just like the thousands of their fellow countrymen who are following the legal process and waiting their turn they should not be rewarded for breaking the law, even though they are not culpable because they were minors when their parent brought them into the country illegally. On the other hand "Yes! Illegal immigrants should be able to go to college".

Uneducated illegal immigrants are more likely rely on the welfare and health care systems. Making education available to illegal immigrants is the only way to give them a chance to prosper and increase their chance of not being reliant on social services. Illegal immigrants who came over as children should not be punished for their parents' sins and ought to be given an opportunity to become a legal immigrant when they enter college.

Giving illegal immigrants an opportunity to go to college is one thing, allowing them to pay less than American citizens, now that's another thing. One could argue that without the tuition reduction many would not be able to go to college. Can't the same be said for Americans? Well the pot is only so big, who should get the financial help to go to college an American citizen or an illegal immigrant?

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