Governor Deval Patrick's initiative to allow in-state tuition for children of illegal immigrants has ruffled more than a few feathers. Patrick's plan would circumvent the state legislature, which shot down a similar proposal three years ago, by going directly to a vote from the state Board of Higher Education.
The mere fact that Patrick is planning on avoiding a legislative vote makes it obvious that his plan lacks popular support. Students from the Massachusetts Alliance of College Republicans have already marched from Boston Commons to the State House to protest the proposal.
Their anger, and the anger of the legislature, is understandable upon first consideration: After all, the lower cost of in-state tuition is made possible by taxes, which are paid by legal residents. Forcing those legal residents to shoulder the burden of cheaper tuition that illegal immigrants would be receiving hardly seems fair.
However, neither is it "fair" to punish students for the actions of their parents. Students who have worked hard academically throughout their lives should be given the opportunity to attend college - something that, without in-state tuition, is simply impossible for many children of illegal immigrants.
Moreover, providing in-state tuition to children of illegal immigrants has serious economic consequences - and these consequences support Gov. Patrick's plan.
In Utah, one of the 10 states that currently provide in-state tuition to undocumented students, the costs associated with such a move were only $300,000 in 2003-2004, according to System of Higher Education numbers. This is hardly a back-breaking amount when one examines the total state budget.
The Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation estimated in 2006 that giving children of illegal immigrants in-state tuition would actually earn $2.5 million for Massachusetts from tuition money paid by immigrants attending state colleges.
The simple truth is that these students won't be paying increased out-of-state tuition costs if Patrick's plan is not implemented; they simply won't be paying tuition at all, because they won't be able to afford to attend college.
In the long run, any small costs taxpayers would shoulder by providing in-state tuition to undocumented students would wash out when the state economy benefits from the increase in skilled, college-educated workers. The long-term benefits of providing more students with higher education are only positive.
Ultimately, the best solution involves addressing not only the plight of immigrant students, but the entire immigration situation in America. Making sure that the people who come to the United States do so legally, and thus become tax-paying citizens who automatically qualify for in-state tuition, should be the government's goal.
In the meantime, however, a temporary solution that will improve the economy and help integration is to provide children of illegal immigrants with in-state tuition. Though Gov. Patrick's plan may be unpopular with tax-paying residents, it is the right move for all Massachusetts residents, documented or not.
