Following the examples of 10 other states, North Carolina's State Board of Community Colleges voted last week to allow undocumented immigrants to attend all 58 of the state's community colleges. Such prospective students must prove that they graduated from a U.S. high school, and they must pay the $7,700 out-of-state tuition. They will also receive no financial aid. North Carolina Gov. Beverly Perdue opposed the decision, saying she found it hard to understand why the state should educate these people "when they can't work legally in the state after they're educated."
Undocumented immigrants make up 3.8 percent of the North Carolina's population and 5.8 percent of the state's work force. The group is integral to the state's economic system. It is unfair to say that providing these people with higher education will only be a drain on the system. And the more education they have — particularly education that comes from United States schools — the more likely these workers will be to seek higher paying jobs in the country, to stay here and to become naturalized. That means more highly educated Americans working well paid jobs and contributing to our economy.
After the North Carolina board cast its vote, protestors collected to demonstrate against it. One protester stated, "Basically, it's our schools, our colleges. People that pay taxes should be attending these schools." This statement reflects a common misconception. Undocumented immigrants do pay taxes in high numbers: In the 10 years between 1996 and 2006, approximately 11 million Individual Tax Identification Numbers were distributed to foreigners without Social Security numbers. Since so-called illegal aliens cannot reap the benefits of many public services, they contribute in numerous ways to a system that they can never take part in. The New York Times reported in 2005 that undocumented workers contributed $7 billion a year to the national Social Security system — yet they are not eligible for any social security benefits.
As for states' coffers, undocumented immigrants again often give more than they take. According to a report from the Texas Office of the Comptroller, undocumented workers produced more in state revenues than they cost in state services during fiscal year 2005, resulting in a $424.7 million net gain for the state.
It is shortsighted to assume that undocumented immigrants looking to receive higher education will only burden a state fiscally. Not only do the North Carolina board's new regulations dictate that they have to pay full tuition to the state's community college system, but a better education will also help them attain higher-paying jobs and therefore pay the state more in taxes.
The depressed urban neighborhoods that many undocumented immigrants inhabit will also benefit. Dealing with the conditions in such neighborhoods causes a drain on public funds, and denying residents affordable education leads to criminality, among other negative side effects.
A proportion of people who grow up in these neighborhoods and receive an affordable, quality education can be expected to come back and work in their original communities — and such an influx of newly successful, familiar faces is the best way to both model and facilitate development in such needy neighborhoods.
As companies outsource more and more jobs, the United States should be concerned with keeping intelligent, educated youth in the country. Providing higher education to undocumented immigrants who have graduated from U.S. high schools and are fully capable of contributing to society will only further encourage them to stay in the country, support its economy and hopefully gain U.S. citizenship.
