On Monday, the state senate of New Jersey will vote on a bill which would provide in-state tuition benefits for illegal aliens at public colleges in New Jersey. This bill has been hotly debated for the last 8 years in New Jersey, with a sizable amount of support from the very liberal state population. If passed, New Jersey will become the 12th state to provide this incentive for non-citizens. Out-of-state, legal immigrants and American citizens would still be required to pay out-of-state fees, but those whose families blatantly disobeyed our country's laws would only need to attend a New Jersey high school for three years and file an affidavit with the college pledging to apply to legitimize their citizenship status as soon as possible.
The states which grant such benefits, as well as the proposed bill in New Jersey, are in clear violation of Federal Law Title 8, Chapter 14, Sec. 1623 which states:
"an alien who is not lawfully present in the United States shall not be eligible on the basis of residence within a State... for any postsecondary education benefit unless a citizen or national of the United States is eligible for such a benefit."
Besides that fact, providing in-state tuition for illegal immigrants would only make immigration issues worse. Why would someone seeking to live in America go through the process to become legal, when they could simply cross the border and receive not only in-state tuition but preferential treatment? It seems that every year, liberal elites classify American citizens more and more as second-class citizens in their own country, while fighting for the "rights" of people who have no legitimate claim to be here in the first place.
Taxpayers in New Jersey are already overburdened by the state's budget, which reached $1 billion this fiscal year and will result in "cut funding for schools, municipalities, higher education, hospitals and pension plans to help close the gap." But even while New Jersey citizens are facing reductions in their basic institutions, the state is opting to extend financial benefits to those here illegally.
Aside from the fact that in-state tuition for illegals would place an extra burden on taxpayers, it would also open American citizens to a larger pool of competition for spots at state universities, many of which are at capacity as it stands. The fact is that illegal aliens will be taking spots that normally would be held by American citizens.
Supporters of in-state tuition for illegal aliens argue that the children of immigrants who came here illegally should not be penalized for the actions of their families. Under the same logic, should I be responsible if my family chose to reside in Georgia as opposed to Alabama? Since, because of the action of my family, as a current resident of Georgia, I have to pay out-of-state tuition where I go to school in Alabama. After I graduate, I will be joining the service to pay for the loans I have had to take out to pay for out-of-state tuition. Someone tell me why I am responsible for the actions of my family, but illegal aliens are held to a separate standard?
The United States should put its own citizens first. The movement to grant illegal immigrants in-state tuition undermines American standards of justice and fairness, along with the basic rights of citizenship.
