Another View: Immigration issue shouldn’t deny aspirations of children

April 3, 2008

\While immigration policy is debated at every level of government, there should at least be agreement that children should not have to suffer for circumstances they did not create or are unable to control.

Given the recognized importance of education, both in terms of child development and long-term impact, it makes good sense to provide children with the opportunities they need to succeed. Unfortunately, some efforts would deny undocumented children the chance to learn and show what they can do in a college or university.

Tennessee lawmakers have been considering legislation that would deny children from undocumented families the ability to get a college education. A bill in the General Assembly seeks to prohibit admission and enrollment in a college or university in the state unless the student establishes citizenship or can provide proof of being in the nation legally.

Meanwhile, federal legislation, known as the DREAM Act, would allow undocumented immigrant students to apply for legal residency and enter public colleges or universities, including the potential of admittance with in-state tuition rates. In addition to being a basically principled step, the legislation should be viewed in terms of real-life conditions facing those students.

The issue involves children who played little if any role in the decision-making of the adults in those families. These children have often grown up in American schools. During that time, they have worked hard, like other students, to achieve. They graduate from American high schools after learning and completing the same coursework as their peers. They also have aspirations in life that spring from their work in school. What sense does it make to prohibit those children from further pursuing their goals through education because of disagreements over decisions made by their parents?

If policy makers are unable to see the fairness of such proposals based on principle, they should consider the social and economic impact of limiting young people’s opportunities in education. Take away the goal of college, and it takes away the motivation to excel in high school. That can even contribute to the dropout rate. That has an effect on young people’s potential to earn. It can even lead some kids into trouble. Higher education is not only an opportunity to improve the quality of life for those students but an opportunity to make greater strides in broad terms for everyone. To deny students those chances seems not only unfair but unwise.

The college opportunity issue is only one of many issues facing lawmakers on immigration. The nation needs a healthy debate on these issues at every level because the subject is far more complex than the simple answers often offered might suggest.

A practical, level-headed approach is necessary to address economic, workplace and education factors, but surely the nation and communities across the land can deal with immigration without making it tough on children, whose only desire is to do well in life, potentially to the benefit of many others. As long as decision-makers keep that perspective in mind, they will increase the chance that the right answers will be found.

-- Gannett News Service