ASSET worthy of universal approval

The Colorado Senate approved a bill last Monday that plans to offer more affordable tuition to undocumented immigrants seeking higher education. The Advancing Students for a Stronger Economy Tomorrow bill (ASSET), which strives to give qualified students tuition discounts when attending public institutions, would be optional for Colorado’s colleges who already have the right to opt out of offering tuition breaks to undocumented students.

In order for students to be eligible to receive reduced tuition from ASSET, they must meet the criteria outlined in the bill. Necessary qualifications include attending a Colorado high school for at least three years and graduating from it and actively seeking legal status.

ASSET would not use taxpayers’ money or any existing state funds to subsidize its tuition breaks. In fact, ASSET would have a positive impact on Colorado’s economy, since its independent resources would funnel money into Colorado’s public institutions. Additionally, since seeking legal status is a requirement to receive tuition breaks, these students would eventually be able to work as citizens and contribute to the economy.

Implementing ASSET would also benefit the state’s individual economy and college matriculation rates. Many of Colorado’s undocumented citizens attend college and seek employment in nearby Kansas and other states where in-state tuition is offered to this particular group of students.

The bill has seen opposition from Colorado’s Republican representatives, who say that endorsing undocumented students is equivalent to condoning illegal residency. They also argue that Colorado should wait to pass ASSET until after the federal government addresses the Dream Act, which seeks to give U.S. citizenship to illegal “U.S. residents who entered the [country] as children” and who have graduated from post-secondary institutions or are looking to join the military. However, the Dream Act only deals with students who have already finished college, and would not help undocumented students find a way to afford higher education.

These are not people who have come to the U.S. and expect immediate access to the same privileges as naturalized citizens; they have already invested extensive time and energy into going through and succeeding in American school systems.

ASSET draws attention to the lack of educational opportunities that exist for non-citizen immigrants who have been living in the United States for an extended amount of time, specifically those who moved to the U.S. at a very young age. Rather than looking at ASSET as a liberal attempt at giving special privileges to illegal immigrants, it should be seen as an attempt to put pressure on both individual states and the federal government to reconsider laws that prevent education for undocumented citizens. The students in question have lived in the United States for most of their lives and must show genuine desire to gain citizenship. They are not asking for special consideration. They are asking to be treated like kids who grew up in America.