An Oct. 8 article by The Eastern Echo explained the work Student Body President Matthew Norfleet has done to further an Eastern Michigan University “Dream Act.” This policy would give EMU Foundation scholarships to the children of illegal immigrants
because they have to pay out-of-state tuition.
This “Dream Act” is a horrible idea for a number of reasons.
First, these illegal immigrants are violating federal law simply by being here. The fact they were brought here as kids should not matter. They are adults and are responsible for their own actions now, including choosing to remain in this country illegally.
People talk about being fair to these individuals, but who is advocating we should be fair to those who wait patiently, for years, to get into this country? Those who disregard our laws are cheating the people waiting.
Second, I believe the act of being here illegally shows a lack of integrity on the part of the illegal immigrant. They, even those who just became adults, know they are violating our laws and simply refuse to wait in line like the others.
Continuously violating our laws shows many of these people are probably willing to lie and cheat to get a leg up on everyone else; an attitude which does not belong in an academic setting. The actions of their parents should not be held against them, but now they are adults it is their responsibility to do the right thing.
Even if these people can be fair and trustworthy, their actions don’t show it. I don’t know any of these people personally, so I can only form an opinion based on their actions, although it is often said actions speak louder than words.
Third, we have enough legal residents who need help. There are many people who can barely afford to go to EMU, even with the financial assistance that is already given to them. I believe that is a bigger issue, and those people should be a bigger priority. These American citizens aren’t breaking the law by living here, and they and their families have probably paid more in taxes than many illegal immigrant families.
If you want to help more people, why not just help legal citizens who are unable to go to school here? Why not help those who are helped enough to barely afford to be here? Why are you going to expand the pool of those who receive assistance to those whose mere presence is a violation of federal law? There are plenty of people who need assistance, so why not help them?
Expanding this pool is a bad idea. We should just help those who are already in it.
