Undocumented education

The Indiana General Assembly passed a bill almost two years ago to ensure that undocumented students living in Indiana would have to pay nonresident tuition rates at state-funded institutions of higher learning.

Just a reminder for all IU students not paying out-of-state fees — the cost of tuition and room and board for nonresidents is estimated to be about $40,000 for the 2012-13 school year. This tuition rate is only going to increase.

Many of Indiana’s undocumented immigrants have lived here their whole lives. Just like their peers, they hope to earn a college degree and contribute to their home state to their fullest potential.

But increasingly, they are unable to afford a college education. Proponents of this measure argue that it doesn’t limit students from going to college — it just doesn’t give them the benefit of lowered tuition.

But when the price of an out-of-state degree is around $40,000 per year, pretending it doesn’t severely limit a student’s ability to get a degree is at best thoughtless and at worst deliberately and cruelly disingenuous.

For undocumented immigrants, especially those who came in early childhood, this is a severe threat to their futures. Indiana is often the only home they’ve ever known and where their families and affections now reside.

Securing citizenship is a lengthy, complicated process, especially for young students with limited resources and time.

Some estimate there are about 3,000 young people in this type of position across Indiana, people whose road forward is hugely uncertain.

Fortunately, the Indiana Senate is currently considering Bill 207, which would partially counter some of these detrimental measures, making students attending public colleges before a certain date still eligible for in-state tuition rates.

This would help many immigrant students — several of whom recently testified to the Senate Education Committee — who had to drop out of college after their tuition bills tripled.

Although a total repeal of the original bill would be even better, passing SB 207 would be a critical step in ensuring that all of Indiana’s students can receive proper job training and a college education.

It’s still early in the legislative process, and the Indiana legislature tends to be unfriendly to immigrants, but hopefully Indiana will recognize the plight of young students who have spent their entire lives in this state and consider it their only home.

Every student should be able to obtain a college degree.

The more we push back against the moral and pragmatic significance of providing a comprehensive education for undocumented students, the more we inevitably damage the way we conceive and prioritize education for any student in this country.  

The website Indiana Dreams features a blog where you can read stories of young, undocumented students in the state whose future aspirations are being threatened.

­— gwinslow@indiana.edu