Hollywood, Fla.
One of the foundations of the “American Dream” is that all children in the United States have equal access to a free and public education that will open the doors of opportunity for a better life. In Plyler v. Doe, the Supreme Court affirmed that our Constitution ensures this vital guarantee not only as an individual right for undocumented children but as an investment in the future of the country.
Yet every year, many foreign-born students who speak English and graduate from the same elementary and high schools as the children of citizens and legal permanent residents find the doors of higher education essentially shut tight against them for one reason alone: They lack legal immigration status because as young children, they were brought to this country by their parents. Regardless of their academic achievement, athletic prowess or service to their communities, many of these promising students are unable to attend college in the United States because they do not have the access to in-state tuition rates and financial assistance other graduates of American high schools enjoy. Such financial barriers to higher education for deserving students deny us all the contributions these potential teachers, doctors, lawyers and scientists could make if only given the opportunity.
The United States has a regrettable history of barring access to higher education for reasons of race and national origin. Among the many injustices suffered by African Americans when segregation was the law of the land, African American students were barred from admission to most colleges and universities. At one time, young Japanese American students interned with their families during World War II could not attend college in several Western states. The financial barriers undocumented young people encounter in trying to attend college differ from these legal bars; but in practical effect are often the same, and the results are identical.
A strong bipartisan coalition in Congress is committed to removing these financial barriers. During the last session of Congress, the Senate Judiciary Committee reported out the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act, and a companion bill, the Student Adjustment Act, had strong support in the House. Under these bills, young people between the ages of 12 and 21 with good moral character who have lived here for at least five years and have earned a high school diploma or GED would have received interim legal status while enrolled in higher education, making them eligible for in-state tuition and financial assistance. Some students currently enrolled in college would also be eligible for benefits under the bills.
The AFL-CIO strongly supports legislation conferring interim legal status on deserving students who wish to continue their education and give back to the country that has done so much for them. Extending to these undocumented students the same access to financial assistance other students enjoy—and hence, a real and meaningful opportunity for higher education—will enable them to contribute fully to their chosen country, thus enriching us all.