The White House recently unveiled a proposal called America’s College Promise, which aims to make two years of community college free for eligible students. The proposal, much like a plan created by Tennessee Governor William E. Haslam last year, will make higher education more accessible to low-income students and, according to the White House, could save full-time community college students an average of $3,800 in tuition per year. However, the proposal currently excludes undocumented students from these benefits.
We have previously argued undocumented students should be given the chance to pay in-state tuition at public universities, in keeping with the ideals of the DREAM Act. In fact, President Barack Obama issued an executive order last November extending the protections of the 2012 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program to an estimated 5 million undocumented immigrants, a decision that greatly improved educational opportunities for undocumented students who can more easily complete college degrees, given their parents can now work legally.
The President has demonstrated a commitment to aiding undocumented students and families by significantly rolling back deportations. Given the large increase of undocumented immigrants no longer at risk of deportation, making community college accessible to undocumented students is not only consistent with the President’s previous policies, but also necessary for those students. The cost of higher education is often insurmountable for undocumented immigrants. California remains the only state where undocumented students can apply for state aid to fund their educations, and only a handful of private schools offer financial aid regardless of citizenship status. Decreasing deportation — a laudable step — without increasing educational opportunity puts undocumented students at an obvious disadvantage: according to the group Connecticut Students for a Dream, an estimated 65,000 undocumented students graduate from high school nationwide annually, but only 5 percent of these students are able to pursue higher education.
The increasing importance of higher education makes such statistics even more problematic. The White House estimates that by 2020, 35 percent of job openings will require a bachelor’s degree and 30 percent will require some level of college. If undocumented students are unable to gain entry into higher education, their level of opportunity relative to their peers will actually decrease.
Offering these students educational opportunity is a question of fairness. Undocumented students who enter the country illegally probably do so at the behest of their parents, and deserve the same educational opportunities as those who are born in the country. Additionally, undocumented immigrants contribute to the economy, paying an estimated $15 billion to Social Security every year, while only taking out $1 billion. These workers deserve more benefits than they are currently receiving. Making college accessible to undocumented students would not only level the playing field, but could also potentially benefit the economy even more by giving more students the skills to develop new innovations.
Though America’s College Promise has garnered some bipartisan support, inclusion of undocumented students in the plan could threaten to derail that support. However, 19 states currently allow undocumented students to pay in-state tuition at state schools, including Virginia (despite a recent challenge in the state Senate). A more politically viable option for the President’s plan could stipulate the inclusion of undocumented students in states that already have such laws.
If undocumented students don’t make the cut in the final version of the bill, state legislatures should strongly consider improving on the President’s plan by including undocumented students in their states. Since these undocumented students will remain in the country under DACA, it is to the country’s benefit to provide them with equal educational opportunities.
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