It is unfair to charge in-state tuition to one student and full tuition to another at a public university if both grew up in Massachusetts but differ only in their citizenship.
That’s why the State Legislature is discussing the In-State Tuition Bill, which would allow children of illegal immigrants to pay in-state tuition rates for public universities. Currently, students without legal citizenship documentation pay nearly triple the amount for out-of-state tuition rates, leaving most without any hope of attending college, even if their application for American citizenship is being processed in the meantime.
As one pastor said at the State House, “We are all children of immigrants,” and denying in-state tuition to some based on their citizenship alone – even for students who grew up most of their lives in Massachusetts – would be denying them an opportunity of a lifetime, and taking away their right to receive an affordable education.
Any student who shows the motivation and the desire to go to college and receive an education should not be let down by a flawed system, and it is the lawmakers’ duty to ensure that no flaw in tuition rates will stop students from pursuing their dreams.
Children of illegal immigrants have the potential to contribute to society just as much as any other citizen, and are not any less important for the state than children born in Massachusetts with American citizenship.
America has always been a land of immigrants, and it would be doing a tremendous injustice to prevent the children of illegal immigrants the right to fair chance in this country.
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