Avenues of progress limited

By: Anthony Pereira / Contributing Writer

This is the land of opportunity, but by closing the avenues that are most important to our nation’s continued success, we close off the possible avenues for progress.

Students that are in the United States illegally should be able to pay in-state college tuition. These students live in that state; therefore, they should pay the same as everyone else who lives there and attends a college or university.

The gray area arises when we consider that these students have an advantage over other students from outside of that state. That is an advantage many Republicans, such as former Pennsylvania Governor Rick Santorum, feel should not be given to them, because they did not get there legally. This is a debate based on political principles more than anything else.

The difference between in-state tuition and out-of-state tuition is substantial. At the University, the out-of-state tuition, at $590.86 per credit hour, is more than three times the $177.56 per credit hour that any Florida resident would pay.

The generally conservative view is that immigrants need to get here legally, and only then can they, or their children, be offered the same benefits as citizens or legal residents. This is a view shared by the most popular right-wing figures such as Sarah Palin, Michelle Bachmann, and Mitt Romney.

Minnesota Representative Bachmann has said, “I think the American way is not to give tax-payer-subsidized benefits to people who have broken our laws, or are here in the United States illegally.”

What Bachmann is clearly missing here is that our country was formed by people arriving here whichever way they could.

The view that someone is entitled to more than someone else simply because of how they arrived somewhere is ethically and morally wrong. This issue should be one left for the states to decide, so for Republicans to advocate for something as far-reaching as passing a federal law is a clear sign of political inconsistency.

Republican Texas Governor Rick Perry, on the other hand, believes that these illegal immigrants should have their shot at the American dream for the same price.

This is a completely different perspective from the majority of his Republican colleagues. On CNN’s Tea Party-sponsored debate, Perry firmly stood by his beliefs on why illegal immigrants should be paying the same as citizens, stating, “You pay in-state tuition… it doesn’t make any difference what the sound of your last name is. That is the American Way, no matter how you got into that state.”

This position is not a Republican one, so it comes as no surprise when former Senator Santorum, called Perry “soft on immigration” at the Google and FOX-sponsored Republican debate.

I would normally disagree with the majority of Perry’s policies, but he is doing the right thing on this one. Allowing these immigrants to pay in-state tuition would only make things better. It would only add more talented and well-educated people to our workforce. Competition is not something we should fear; it is something that makes every industry better, and it is the foundation for a strong capitalist nation.

Immigration is something that has made this country what it is today, and we need to decide which ideal would keep that legacy going.

Forcing illegal immigrants to pay more for college is not the way to move forward. Opening the doors for as many people to get a quality education is a much better idea, and it is the best way to keep avenues of progress open.