Legally, children of illegals born here become citizens, due a deliberate misinterpretaion of the Constiutional Amendment XIV, Section 1. The latter was created to assure recently emancipated slaves were treated as full citizens, not to allow an army of bordere sneaks to cross over here, have their kids and secure automatic citizenship.
But children of illegals born OUTSIDE the U.S. and brought into the U.S. have no such rights.
I believe the issue here lies in the latter situation.
I agree with you. But it is not as black and white as many seem to think. The kid, who may have been an honor roll, exemplary student, likely didn't have a vote in the family council when the decision was made to sneak across the border. Their enculturation is often American and they would likely be a fish out of water in their home country. Sure it is the parent's fault. But the kid winds up paying for it.
This is only to grant them in-county tuition, so it's not like they are granting a full-ride to someone just because they are illegal. Perhaps along with showing evidence of five years in the US, they should also be required to naturalize by the end of their first year in school.