Illegal Immigrant Tuition Bill

Written May 08, 2003  Yesterday, the Illinois Senate voted 55 (yes) - 1 (no) - 1 (present) to grant illegal immigrants the same access as citizens and legal residents to the limited number of spots in our state universities, granting them the privilege of substantially lower in-state tuition for higher education. This bill creates another incentive for further illegal immigration and directly diminishes the chances of legal residents being admitted into their own state universities. I voted "No" and am deeply distressed by the passage of this legislation. I was even amazed when Latino Senator Martin Sandoval (D-12) repeated twice on the State Senate floor, "We have declared war...a war to obtain these rights." What is the benefit and value of citizenship, or even legal residence, if state politicians give away these privileges to everyone so freely? In the more rural areas that I serve, the expression goes, "Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free?" An appropriate level of legal immigration is good; illegal immigration is not. People who come to the United States to build a better future by exercising their initiative within the laws and customs of our country are welcome. Those who don't follow our laws by their very first action are off to an unacceptably bad start. That action should not be encouraged by further incentives. As a staunch advocate of legal immigration, I fully support comprehensive reform of federal naturalization requirements so that legal immigrants can become "equal" partners in the American Dream, rather than "competing" partners. My concern is that we should be passing public policies that bring us together rather than those that drive us apart. When scarce resources, like the limited number of spots in our state universities, are taken from one group and given to another group, those who "lost" tend to resent those who "gained." At the local level, I work with community organizations that provide citizenship programs and English classes. In Springfield, I am actively pursuing legislation that benefits legal immigrants of Illinois. SR 131 urges President George W. Bush and the United States Congress to award U.S. citizenship to every legal immigrant serving in the Armed Forces upon their honorable discharge. Americans are generous people, but politicians are going too far. Illegal immigrants are allowed to hold jobs without enforcement, provided free healthcare by hospitals, receive elementary and secondary education in our public schools for free, and now get equal status at our public universities. I think that it's a fair question for citizens and legal residents to ask, "Whom do these politicians work for anyway?" I hope that it doesn't happen to you, but the bottom line is that when your child does not get into a state university and scores of illegal immigrants do, please contact and thank those politicians who voted "yes." Let's help illegal immigrants by not ignoring the truth about their residency status, but instead by recognizing and addressing it properly through comprehensive immigration reforms at the federal level.