There is a bill being discussed that will qualify illegal immigrants and their children for in-state tuition. So far it has attracted little attention, but there is some chance of controversy if it continues forward into the Assembly. Introduced by state Rep. Pedro Colon, D-Milwaukee, this is not a case of no-strings-attached subsidizing, but a fair and legitimate way of providing equal education opportunities to those who have worked for them.
If passed into law, the bill will require that the immigrant have either a diploma or equivalent from a Wisconsin high school and have resided in the state for at least a year following the first day they attended high school. They will also be required to sign an affidavit stating they will file for residency as soon as they are eligible. Currently in the Assembly Committee on Government Operations and Spending, it was the focus of hearings last week, with 71 people testifying in support of it. Their reasons ranged from the promise of diversity to simple fairness.
State Sen. Tom Reynolds, R-West Allis, was the only person to speak against the bill. When questioned as to why, his chief of staff, Steve Kreiser said, \We have immigration laws in this country for a reason and someone who has chosen to violate those laws and is here in contravention of U.S. law ought not to be getting the benefits that we normally afford U.S. citizens,"" according to an article in The Daily Cardinal. Yet the children of illegal immigrants seldom had any choice in coming here. Their parents and those who do not have children have come seeking the opportunities that living in America provides. They are here because of a promise for a better life.
Kreiser also talked about taxpayer subsidies of in-state tuition, pointing out that illegal immigrants do not pay income tax. But many illegal immigrants are working for legitimate businesses, jobs where Social Security and Medicare are deducted from their pay checks. Their illegal status prevents them from filing tax returns to retrieve their holdings, leaving that excess money in the hands of the government.
These are often families that scrape by, who are numbered among the working poor. If they have pushed themselves far enough to graduate from a local high school-which are, one should note, also taxpayer funded-denying them a chance at affordable higher education is criminal. Out-of-state tuition is 180 percent of cost; to charge them that is to deprive them of an opportunity to better themselves. Attending one of the UW System schools may be their only opportunity to get a higher education.
Immigrants to this country often have the most invested in the concept of the American dream. Improving their situation in life through hard work and education is a part of that. They know that a university education will vastly improve their chances for success in the outside world, taking them out of the low-skill jobs that they or their parents worked. By signing an affidavit, they will be committing themselves to remaining here and becoming legal residents and perhaps eventually citizens. These are the kind of individuals that, if they were not illegal, conservatives praise for their ability to pull themselves up by hard work and determination, that they hold up as models of the successful American. The immigrants who benefit from this bill will be productive, successful citizens if given the opportunity.
The university takes pride in its international student population and is constantly attempting to increase the diversity of the student body. In these preliminary discussion stages, the UW System has stayed neutral on the bill because of legal concerns. Lawyers should examine whether the bill will be legal in relation to federal laws on illegal aliens. The university should move from there. This bill, if brought into law, provides not only excellent opportunities to those seeking further education but to the university itself. Given the struggles that have accompanied the implementation of Plan 2008, the administration would be foolish to overlook this opportunity to increase diversity.
With 71 speaking in favor and only one against, the bill is off to a good start. It speaks to the openness of the state that little protest has occurred. If passed, this bill will improve individual lives, the diversity of the UW System, and through those, the state itself.
