<p>"The student who arrived here illegally as a toddler can thus be considered a criminal, or a victim of her parents' actions, depending on one's attitude"</p>
<p>We're all a "victim" of our parents' actions - that's the whole nature of being a dependent child. The gov't does not give extra fin aid $ to those "victims" whose parents didn't save money when they could have, or whose parents had too many children, or made poor financial decisions, or just don't want to pay. The idea that undocumented aliens/illegal immigrants are a special class who should not bear the consequences of their parents' decisions is not logical to me. </p>
<p>I haven't made up my mind on this whole issue - but this argument doesn't work for me.</p>
<p>They most certainly would not be victims. There parents made the right decision, they decide to take the chance and come to America precisely to have a better life. If anything by virtue of just being here their life is probably better.</p>
<p>NEM2, the govt DOES give extra fin aid $ to those students whose parents, FOR WHATEVER REASON, are lower down on the financial totem pole. It does not care how or why the parents are in the financial situation they are (didn't save, too many children, etc.), just that the student be given an opportunity to go to college for their own benefit and that of society as a whole.</p>
<p>Dbate, that's just silly semantics. Either the minor is legally responsible for the actions of her parents or she not. If responsible, you can label the child a "criminal". If not responsible, the child is being "punished" for a "crime" she did not commit.</p>
<p>Now, to the heart of the matter:</p>
<p>The OP tells us that the student in question seems American in every way except that she does not have the necessary paperwork. The people of this country have already invested in her K-12 education.</p>
<p>Should the people now (a) welcome this individual as a citizen, (b) allow her to remain, but only in the shadows of our society or (c) deport her? What do our current laws say? What's best for our society? What's fair for the individual in question? How can we change our laws to provide a solution that is better for our society and/or for the individual in question?</p>
<p>I don't know what the best solution is, but the current status quo is not the answer. We could throw this student in jail, deport her, amnesty her or give her special "Guest" status, but to allow her to remain in our midst while denying her the opportunity to be a successful, productive member of our society is perversely classist.</p>
<p>There are many options as to what we do with this student and her family. We do not want to enforce our laws and deport them and others like them, most of the time, as we can see from the number of such folks being put on that route. We do not want to welcome the individual and the many like her as a citizen as they are illegally in this country whereas there are many law abiding folks going through legitimate channels to get into this country. By rewarding the line cutters, we would encourage more breaking of the laws. So basically, what we do is let those who come into this country have to cope with the limitations illegal status incurs while enjoying the privileges that line cutting and just coming here without going through legal channels, give folks. THat means she and kids like her can go to college just like citizens, but they are not eligible to government money. Seems fair to me. </p>
<p>I don't like this one bit. I think the laws should be changed to those we can enforce. I don't care if they are loosened and let more immigrants into our country, or tightened and make it more difficult, but I would like to see the laws enforced much more consistently.</p>