College is expensive for most families, but for children of undocumented immigrants, it is nearly impossible to afford.
The Associated Press reported last month that “many states treat illegal immigrants as international students, charging them hefty out-of-state tuition regardless of whether they were raised in the state.”
And the Republican party's official platform states that the federal government should have the authority to withhold funding to public universities that permit undocumented students to pay in-state tuition.
With threatening calls from Republicans to limit federal funding, state universities could hesitate to offer scholarships to undocumented immigrants. As a private university, GW should take this opportunity to establish a specific scholarship geared toward undocumented Americans, giving them the chance to pursue an education.
Encouraging immigrants to get degrees by offering scholarships would not only break the cycle of poverty among illegal immigrants, but it would also benefit the nation as a whole. More educated people in the workforce would undoubtedly lead to future innovation, which would in turn help develop a more robust economy.
While it is not illegal for universities to accept undocumented immigrants, they are not allowed to file for financial aid because of their undocumented status. Immigrants did not benefit from the $163.4 million the Student Financial Assistance office allocated this year to help students pay for tuition.
For most children of illegal immigrants, college is too expensive to even begin to consider. A study published by the Associated Press Aug. 24 shows that 5 to 10 percent of undocumented Americans who graduate from high school decide to apply to college. A scholarship specifically for this demographic would offer an incentive to pursue higher education.
Hampshire College, a small liberal arts institution in Amherst, Mass. plans to do just that. The college announced last week in a press release that it plans to support one undocumented immigrant every four years with a $25,000 grant. As time progresses and donations increase, the college hopes to raise enough funds to support one student yearly.
Hampshire’s special scholarship is funded through private donations. The University’s Division of Development and Alumni Relations, tapping into a network of 250,000 living alumni, should search for graduates who would be interested in establishing a fund for undocumented Americans.
"The University does not have a specific scholarship identified for residents who are not legally in the United States," Dan Small, the Associate Vice President for Financial Assistance said in an email.
But a growing trend among educated communities shows that immigrants largely benefit society, and can be a tremendous resource to our own economy.
Whereas 47 percent of individuals with a high school degree or less think that immigrants are bad for the country, a mere 20 percent of people with a postgraduate degree feel the same way, according to a Gallup Politics poll from 2011.
Even though strides have been made under President Barack Obama's administration with an executive order that granted legal residency to high-school educated undocumented residents, the future for the undocumented looks foreboding if he is unsuccessful Nov. 6.
So until we have legitimate immigration reform laws on the books, we should make educating the undocumented Americans that live here a priority.
Institutions of higher learning like GW have an important obligation to start a national trend.
Justin Peligri, a sophomore majoring in political communication, is The Hatchet’s contributing opinions editor.
Can we please just leave the batshit insane liberalism to Hampshire College?
The “batshit insane liberalism” that the previous comment is referring to is responsible for the equal protection and rights that women and racial minorities enjoy in both our school and in society. So no, let’s not just leave it for Hampshire College. That said, I applaud the columnist for shining light on an issue that affects the lives of millions of college-aged students living in this country. These kids are here because their parents wanted something more for them, and instead of shunning them and pushing them down into poverty, we should empower them through education so they can become productive, contributing members of society. Great article!
how about you use the correct word, illegal. big difference between lacking some form of documentation or inappropriate documentation and illegal.
so your title should be “a scholarship to support the illegal.”
“These kids are here because their parents wanted something more for them…”
They’re here because their parents broke the law. That was a deliberate choice. The rest of us should not be asked (or obligated) to support these choices.
How about taking care of all the intelligent but underprivileged AMERICAN children first, before rewarding interlopers or their offspring?
“Insane Liberal”- what if my parents wanted a better house for their family? By your rationale, why buy it, just go to some rich neighborhood and squat in one. Personally I would have like one of those great pads with an in-ground pool and hot tub, a video game room, and a big screen TV with surround sound. And someone to pick up after me and do my laundry.
The racist comments on this article would be surprising, but then I remember that GW is a racist university with a racist history and named after our racist first president. So, ya know, whatever.
C,
How about you end with the ad hominem attacks and actually contribute something to the discussion. Let’s hear you defend illegality.
We’ve got to slash the tires of the obese Medicare mobility scooter users.
Orly, go back to challenging Oblamer’s certificate of live birth.
Who’s your hero, C? People like Malcom X who talked about the “white devil”? “Black leaders” who preach bias against whites, and Asians, and Jews? Tell us.
These immigrant children should not pay for their parents breaking the law. They grew up here and don’t see their home countries as their actual homes. They want to contribute to the their adopted country, even though that very country refuses to acknowledge them. I find it amazing how quickly we forget our roots. We are a nation of immigrants. We have children who came to this country simply because their parents made a decision to bring them here. They had no say in the decision. Then they assumed our language and culture and probably cannot live anywhere else. I myself am an undocumented immigrant, but have my education funded by a private organization. I have many friends who were born here to previously undocumented immigrants. Their parents contribute significantly to their communities and employ dozens of AMERICANS. While I am not suggesting we should open up the shores and borders to everyone who wants to come here, I believe we should work to accomodate those who had the decision to come here made for them.
Thank you Justin for a excellent article. People need look beyond the oversimplified “Liberal x Conservative” debate and try to understand the issues.
Here’s an exercise I encourage everyone to try: Imagine your parents tol you after graduating that you were born in another country and brought here at a very young age. Too young for you to remember. You graduate high school or college without the documents necessary to obtain financial aid to go to college, or get a job after graduating from college (assuming you were able to afford it). Should you be deported for breaking the law? Should you be denied in-state tuition or financial aid because you broke the law? Would you, after this revelation, consider yourself to be less of an American?
Unfortunately, this story happens everyday. Many students are discovering these things in their senior years of high school when their parents tell them the truth about their statuses.
How dare those liberal leftists suggest we reward squatters!
Let’s also offer a scholarship for convicted felons? Call it the Marion Barry scholarship (or, if we want to name it after an alumnus, just wait a few more months and call it the Vincent Gray scholarship).
Or if we’re after diversity, how about we offer a scholarship for white heterosexual males…last time I checked, this population is a minority at GW and needs some affirmative action protection!
this isn’t a state school. Illegal immigrants pay the same gw tuition as legal citizens. Why should an illegal pay less than a citizen?
The article was referring to financial aid, not tuition.