Fouled-up system victimizes worthy immigrant students
Washington state needs teachers, especially bilingual ones in those districts, mostly in Eastern Washington, where Mexican immigrants are swelling the student rolls.
Perfect fit, you would think.
The only catch is, Maria probably can't afford the education because she doesn't qualify for the same low in-state tuition that the classmates she has known since first grade do. She is not a legal resident of the U.S. but a citizen of Mexico. Her father has been trying for a dozen years to get legal-resident status to no avail.
Maria, who asked that her real name not be used for fear of inviting trouble with immigration officials, is a sad example of many promising, hard-working young people who, through no fault of their own, find their chance at education foreclosed because of choices their parents made.
The Children's Alliance estimates that as many as 23,000 undocumented children under the age of 18 live in Washington state. The majority are Latino and were brought here by parents lured by opportunity in a contradictory system that limits immigration yet relies heavily on undocumented workers to harvest crops.
"These kids are the victims here," said Jim Rigney, coordinator of migrant education at Davis High in Yakima. "We can deal with the parents on a different level.
"It's a highly complex, difficult problem that does not lend itself to a xenophobic, throw-them-out-of-the-country solution."
A Seattle Democrat has one partial solution, and a conservative Utah Republican has another.
Rep. Phyllis Gutierrez-Kenney, D-Seattle, will try again next legislative session to pass a law that would permit students like Maria to qualify for more-affordable in-state tuition. At the University of Washington where Maria has been accepted, in-state tuition for the next academic year costs $4,336, while nonresidents must pay $15,337.
Last session, Gutierrez-Kenney's bill and two others failed to pass out of committee despite considerable support from both Republicans and Democrats. Some speculated the bills stalled, in part, because of concerns about foreign students after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in Washington, D.C., and New York.
Interestingly enough, the New York State Assembly just last month approved a similar measure. Texas, Utah and California also recently have passed laws permitting undocumented state residents to pay in-state tuition.
Gutierrez-Kenney and others, including Ricardo Sanchez, director of the Latino Educational Achievement Project, have been drumming up support around the state to make another run at getting the law passed. Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels came out early in support, and the Seattle, Pasco and Sunnyside school boards all have passed resolutions supporting the concept.
Their aim is to find a way to give these innocent children some hope and capitalize on the investment our state and communities already have made in them. School districts must educate all children without concern about immigration status. The average annual cost per student is $7,000, according to the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction.
For Maria, that's $84,000 invested. Think about the return on that investment if Maria must forgo college to work in the fields or a packing warehouse. Better that she get a college education, become a teacher and give back to the system that educated her.
Don't forget, her parents, although not legal residents, have contributed too, paying state and federal taxes all along.
Once Maria graduates, she still might have trouble finding work because of her status. But U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, touched by the plight of these children, has proposed the Dream Act, which would allow undocumented students to "earn" permanent residency once they graduate from college. The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee last month approved the bill, which still must be approved by the full Senate and the House.
Maria, who always avoided discussing her dreams with her teachers and friends, is hopeful about the efforts, but skeptical.
"This wasn't something I chose. I was 5 when we came here," she says. "I've adopted this country as my own. It makes me very sad."
U.S. immigration policy, particularly when it comes to Mexican immigrants, is completely fouled up. The system forbids illegal entry, yet tacitly permits undocumented workers to underpin industries. Until a more coherent approach is adopted, we should take responsibility for the most innocent victims of our wink-and-nod policy and help those most promising to find a way to contribute more fully to our society.
Permitting eligible students to qualify for in-state tuition is a start.
Kate Riley's e-mail address is kriley@seattletimes.com.