The New York Times recently told the story of Angela Perez, a young woman who graduated from the International High School in Queens, N.Y. fourth in her class with a 3.8 GPA, but was unable to go to any college. Perez is an undocumented immigrant who didn't even apply to college because she could not afford to go. Since she isn't a citizen, she is ineligible for any financial aid or loans to make her education possible.\nCurrently, Congress is trying to remedy this situation by allowing these students to receive aid and to earn citizenship by graduating college.\nAlthough there already is a shortage of money available for financial aid and there is a need to take care of our own people first, we need to extend the opportunities we enjoy to other people. As a nation, we constantly talk about spreading Democracy and freedom throughout the world. A step in that direction would be to offer education to less-advantaged, yet hardworking immigrants.\nWhen these students graduate from college, they'll be more likely to stay in our country and contribute to our success. Some might be afraid they will be taking away jobs in engineering and medicine, but that is a small price to pay for nationwide growth. Why wouldn't we want the best and brightest working on an AIDS vaccine or performing open-heart surgery?\nWithout this program, many students, like Perez, will be unable to attend college. In addition, those who can afford to go to college won't be able to get many jobs after graduation since they aren't a citizen. We need to need to open our arms to these people, instead of pushing them away.
Dissent
Graduation should not shorten naturalization process\nThe law has always been that any person who is not a U.S. citizen must live in the U.S. for seven years before they are eligible for full citizenship. There is no reason to change that rule or to make exceptions.\nLegislation has been proposed for non-U.S. citizens to become citizens after only four years. All they have to do is go to college and graduate with a degree. The current laws regarding citizenship have worked for most of the nation's history. So why change it now?\nI realize that some of those students who come to the U.S. to study want to live and work here. And I understand that with only a green card, landing a job can be tough. This is why the U.S. government -- if they want those students to remain in the U.S. -- might consider implementing some kind of post-graduate work program. That way, once these students complete the necessary seven years of life in the U.S., they could then apply for citizenship like nearly every other person who immigrates into this country. \nA student should not be granted citizenship after only four years simply because they went to college. If they want to be a U.S. citizen that badly, then they will have to wait the standard seven years like everyone else. \n-- Mike Malik
