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Immigration See other Immigration Articles Title: Punishing illegal immigrants Punishing illegal immigrants These workers, who pay taxes, shouldn't qualify to vote, but their children should be able to pay in-state tuition Tuesday, April 12, 2005 We Oregonians share our state with thousands of illegal immigrants. How many, no one knows for sure, but it's estimated that half or more of the 1.6 million agricultural workers in the United States are here illegally. Oregon is heavily dependent on them, too. This "off the books" demographic is deeply distressing to many Oregonians. They wonder, rightfully, how much we should accommodate this new reality and how much we should actively discourage it. In this session, the Oregon Legislature can set some parameters. Legislators should decide: Should illegal immigrants continue to be licensed to drive, as they are now? Should they be permitted to pay in-state tuition at Oregon universities, rather than be classified as out-of-state residents, as they are now? And should they be registered to vote? They aren't eligible now. Many Oregonians will respond vehemently: No, no, no. But a little deeper reflection on the welfare of our state argues that we should say yes to driver's licenses, yes to in-state tuition and no to illegal immigrants registering to vote. Voter registration. Voting has been, and should always remain, a perquisite of U.S. citizenship. Nothing should be allowed to change that. House Bill 2583 would require Oregonians to provide evidence of citizenship when registering to vote. Having to produce a birth certificate would keep many from registering, not because they aren't citizens but because their birth certificate isn't handy. Currently, the first question you are asked when you register is whether you are a U.S. citizen. You can be liable for steep fines or a prison sentence if you answer falsely. "Right now, there's no data to suggest we have any kind of major problems with this," says John Lindback, state elections manager. Driver's licenses. Currently, you do not have to be a U.S. citizen or even a legal resident to obtain a driver's license. You only have to show proof of your Oregon address, pass a knowledge test and a behind-the-wheel test. As The Oregonian's Michelle Cole reported Monday, Oregon is one of only nine states that do not require proof of U.S. citizenship or legal residency to drive. Since Sept. 11, 2001, driver's licenses have become the focus of a flurry of efforts to tighten national security, but we continue to believe that these licenses function mainly to set minimum standards for driving. The reality is that illegal immigrants are working here and they're going to be driving, too. Denying licenses to them won't keep them off the road. It will ensure that more of them drive without skill, training or knowledge of state law. Illegal drivers pose far more risk to us than licensed illegal immigrants. In-state tuition. Currently, illegal immigrants' children must pay out-of-state tuition to attend Oregon universities. The difference between paying in-state and out-of-state tuition is $12,000, which might as well be $12 million if your parents work in the fields. Senate Bill 769, which cleared the Senate Education and Workforce Committee last week, would grant in-state tuition to noncitizens if they go to an Oregon high school for three years, graduate and have plans to become citizens or legal residents. This is fair. Their parents may be illegal residents, but they do pay taxes. This change would give more children of illegal immigrants an incentive, not only to aim for college, but also to stay in high school. When a bachelor's degree looks like a moonshot, it's difficult for teachers to persuade students to take hard subjects or work for good grades. Picking fruit looks like fate. Forcing illegal immigrants to pay out-of-state tuition doesn't just punish illegal families by keeping them in their "place." It also punishes Oregon with depressed academic achievement and a higher dropout rate. The Oregon Legislature shouldn't succumb to a reflexive wish to punish illegal immigrants, or a reflexive desire to accommodate them, either. The Oregon Legislature's guiding principle should be what's best for our state. How about instead of finding ways to accomodate criminals, we prosecute them. No voting, no driver's license, no in-state tuition, no welfare assistance, no free medical care, just arrest and deportation! Problem solved by simply enforcing existing law. What better way to respect those who obey the law, than to quit rewarding those who break it?
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#1. To: Mr Nuke Buzzcut (#0)
And while we're at it, why are we paying welfare to anyone except those who are truly unable to work? Why do we need to import labor while we're paying people to sit on their asses because they don't feel like working?
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