The question on how to secure our borders and what
to do with the hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants
who cross them every year is both daunting and divisive.
After months of wrangling, arguing, and politicking,
the U.S. Congress could not even put together a comprehensive
immigration bill to be considered by the president.
The Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors
(DREAM) Act, which would provide a legal path of
residency for children of illegal immigrants who complete
three
years of college or serve in the military, also hasn’t
escaped the controversy. When NASFAA came out in support
of the DREAM Act last October, members sent both dissenting
and supportive comments. Late last year, in a show
of bipartisan support, Senators Richard Durbin (D-IL),
Chuck Hagel (R-NE), and Richard Lugar (R-IN), re-introduced
the DREAM Act as a new stand-alone bill. Because the
federal government has failed to effectively address
illegal immigration, many states have developed
their own laws, which vary in how to deal with both
illegal immigrants and their children’s access
to higher education. But Marcia Weston, NASFAA’s
director for college access marketing, asks higher
education advocates to closely examine those state
laws to see who will be affected by them before forming
an opinion.
“We don’t want to throw the baby out with the
bathwater,” says Weston. “No matter what
your opinion on higher education access for children
of illegal immigrants may be, there are state legislative
initiatives underway that would benefit far greater
numbers of students than just children of illegal
immigrants.”
Weston
points to Colorado State Senator Paula Sandoval’s
recently introduced education bill as an example. Currently,
Colorado students prove their residency based on their
parents’ residency. Proving parental residency
requires students to fill out a mountain of forms,
said Sandoval in an interview with NASFAA, such as
their parent’s income tax forms, driver’s
licenses, and more—all of which have to be examined
by school administrators. Sandoval’s bill would
allow U.S. citizens who have attended high school
in Colorado for at least
three years automatic in-state tuition rates without
having to prove their parent’s legal residency. “This
bill makes it easier for students and easier for
college administrators,” explained Sandoval.
Even though Sandoval’s bill only applies to
U.S. citizens, some oppose the bill because it doesn’t
require students to reveal their parents’ legal
status. But Sandoval contends it shouldn’t
matter because the target of her bill focuses only
on U.S.
citizens, irrespective of their parents’ legal
status.
Weston says it’s important to move
this debate beyond illegal immigration. “This
bill would do an immeasurable amount of good for
other underserved
populations,” says Weston. Besides children
of illegal immigrants, youth from foster care, who
are
homeless, or who are estranged from their parents
would benefit from this bill.
Sandoval also feels that the
bill is much bigger than just the illegal immigration
debate. Her point has
been well received; both of the major Colorado newspapers
have come out in favor of her bill. The bill is also
supported by several colleges and universities, who
see it as a benefit to students and the schools because
it reduces the amount of administrative effort needed
to confirm residency. Even some usual opponents of
bills that benefit children of illegal immigrants
have remained silent on the bill, not coming out in
support,
but not opposing either.
Weston believes Colorado may
be just one example of how legislation that can positively
affect a wide variety
of needy students can get lost in other debates.
“We have to be careful that we’re not inadvertently
denying access to thousands of underserved students
by getting caught up in complicated debates that are
really just side notes to much larger issues,” said
Weston.
The National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) is
a nonprofit membership organization that represents more than 13,000 financial
aid professionals at nearly 3,000 colleges, universities, and career schools
across the country. Each year, financial aid professionals help more than
16 million students receive funding for postsecondary education. Based in
Washington, D.C., NASFAA is the only national association with a primary
focus on student aid legislation, regulatory analysis, and training for financial
aid administrators. In addition to its member Web site at www.NASFAA.org,
the Association offers a Web site with financial aid information for parents
and students at www.StudentAid.org.
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