This treats a symptom, not a cause.
If someone is raised in the US as an American, *and* they have lived in a particular State all their lives, *and* they have good grades, *and* the only thing keeping them from fully integrating as a contributing member of our society is their citizenship status, well HELL, fast-track those kids to become US citizens!
It is utter nonsense to keep hard-working, successful people *out* of the US or to keep them from education or employment that benefits us all. Just as it is utter nonsense to force such people to spend the ten or twenty of the most productive years of their lives having to fight to get citizenship, so that they will only finally become citizens just in time to retire.
And don't even tell me that by keeping out an ethnic Mexican but otherwise totally American kid from being trained as an architect, it will suddenly make the offspring of Kid Rock and Pamela Anderson a brilliant research scientist in his place.
Now don't get me wrong. I strongly believe that States shouldn't give illegals in-State tuition. What I do believe is if the kids are Americanized in all other ways, they *should* get fast-tracked to citizenship ASAP, without their having to leave the US to do so.
I know several "illegal" kids who came to the US as infants, know nothing of Mexico and know no one in Mexico, don't speak Spanish very well, have gotten good grades in high school and want to go to college. They are Americans in every sense of the word but one--citizenship.
It is as utterly ridiculous to demand that they go to Mexico to get their US citizenship in ten years, as it would be to demand the same thing of some white kid whose family name is Smith. And anyone who has kids here should feel the same. No way in heck would they send their kids off to live in a foreign country for ten or twenty years just because they don't have a piece of paper.
I doubt that the state of Georgia has the ability to fast-track people in a federal program. Maybe you could recruit these children into the US military and have them earn scholarship money which could be used to pay the higher tuition. Then the citizens of Georgia would not have to pay for the problems the US government refuses to handle.
HF
And, frankly, I'm against anchor babies, so I'm actually pretty strict on illegal immigration, but if these kids have spent their whole lives here, no one is going to kick them out. It's just not gonna' happen. No way. Does anyone here really think they're going to get kicked out? In your dreams...
They need good educations. Let them pay a lot of taxes, and not be a drain on the system! LOL
"Pieces" of paper mean things. The United States Constitution is pieces of paper, but 'paper' around which our laws are based. For every deserving illegal you cite, there are tens, perhaps scores of honest hardworking, even intelligent, aspiring immigrants who (and their parents) are following the law and waiting their turn. As a citizen of Georgia, and someone who actually pays taxes that help run the universities these illegals want to attend at a cut-rate price (something reserved for legal Georgians), I am offended at your suggestions of fast-tracking. The only fast-tracking that should be happening is fast-tracking back to the country from whence they, or their parents, illegally came.
"...It is utter nonsense to keep hard-working, successful people *out* of the US or to keep them from education or employment that benefits us all. Just as it is utter nonsense to force such people to spend the ten or twenty of the most productive years of their lives having to fight to get citizenship,..."
Actions have consequences. If you break our laws by sneaking into our country without permission, you are not entitled to the benefits of a U.S. citizen, and neither are your children (if not born here...but that's another issue ). You are an invading foreigner. Years later, it has finally caught up with you, in the form of not getting special privileges at our universities. Tough nuts. So, you think refusing to give special tuition to invading foreigners is "punishing" them? How about deporting them, back to their home country? How about jailing them for breaking into our country illegally? Everything that these illegals have gained, they have taken without permission. Now you want to "fast track" them toward citizenship. I say fast track them back to their home country.
The issue is not whether the out-of-country kids can go to college and pursue the American dream - they can. The issue is whether they should be given a discount while equally well intentioned in-country kids should not. Let them work a job and take out loans while they go to college. I did, and most other college kids do too.
Yo, Poco, you be too new at the forum to realize it, but you stumbled into a CONSERVATIVE forum, sorry about that, Poncho. Tell us what country will allow you citizenship after you live there illegally for a while. AND furnish you with education, health care, transportation, etc while waiting for said citizenship.
So the way to get citizenship ASAP is to get into the US illegally thus avoiding the lengthy legal process. Maybe we should display signs saying that at all of our consulates around the world. Beats standing in line.
And anyone who has kids here should feel the same. No way in heck would they send their kids off to live in a foreign country for ten or twenty years just because they don't have a piece of paper.
Maybe we should send the parents back with them. If the parents were here legally, their children would be legal as well.
this is so vague and subjective... what does "Americanized in all other ways" look like? someone who prefers McDonald's over the corner taqueria? or perhaps someone who prefers The Young and The Restless over "Yo Soy Betty, La Fea."
I know several "illegal" kids who came to the US as infants, know nothing of Mexico and know no one in Mexico, don't speak Spanish very well, have gotten good grades in high school and want to go to college. They are Americans in every sense of the word but one--citizenship.
i'm amazed that you know "several" who fall into this category... i grew up and lived in San Jose, California for 34 years and know none like you described... all the illegal immigrants (from Mexico) i've ever known still had an allegiance to Mexico...
What's really sad is that the President, the Republican Senate, Tony Snow, Mehlman, Martinez and the Chamber of Commerce agree with your nonsensical disregard fot the law.
They are criminals, arrest and deport them!
While it is unrealistic to expect the U.S. government to round up and deport every illegal immigrant in this country, situations like this present a perfect opportunity for a government to put its foot down and acknowlege that there IS, in fact, a very clear difference between a person who is in this country legally and one who is not. And quite frankly, any government that does not do this is acting in a grossly negligent manner and can no longer justify its existence.
Having said that, there may be plenty of good reasons why it may be a good idea to admit people like this into our colleges. But it must be done under some very specific circumstances -- perhaps something like this:
1. The prospective student can only be admitted to the college in question if he/she is sponsored by a U.S. citizen or organization (similar to the process in which an employer sponsors an employee who is seeking permanent resident status).
2. The prospective student is charged the in-state tuition rate, and the sponsor pays the difference between the in-state and out-of-state rates.
3. The sponsor has the option of sponsoring the student alone, or the student and his/her entire family. The sponsor assumes all public financial costs associated with the student and his/her family.
4. And yes, if immigration law requires the student and/or the family to go back to their country of origin for a period of time before immigrating legally (it's nowhere near ten years if there is a sponsor involved), THEY MUST DO IT.
They aren't being made a human sacrifice, they are being asked to pay out of state tuition.
When my daughter decided to go to Arizona State University she too would rather have paid in state tuition fees, but she had to pay out of state tuition, those are the rules.
Let them enlist in the military. They will be fast tracked for citizenship.
Well, then, marry her.