Jonathan came from Guadalajara, Mexico, with his parents when he was nine years old. They entered the United States legally, with work visas, but never left once their visas expired.
Jonathan's 18 now, and graduated near the top of Poudre High School's Class of 2007. The next step for a student of his caliber is college. He hopes one day to be a teacher.
Higher education will be available to him, but in New Mexico - not Colorado - because legislators in The Land of Enchantment eliminated the double standard our lawmakers so steadfastly perpetuate. (Public schools cannot refuse to educate children regardless of immigration status, yet the state's colleges and universities are not permitted to extend in-state tuition to these same students once they graduate.)
Under a bill passed in 2005, New Mexico can't deny post-secondary education benefits based on immigration status, according to the director of admissions for the University of New Mexico. State financial aid is intended for residents, but a provision makes it possible for out-of-state students to establish residency and thus qualify for in-state tuition and an institutional scholarship.
This will pay virtually all of Jonathan's expenses as a full-time student at UNM, and enable other students from Poudre and Fort Collins High Schools to pursue college educations, too.
We're not suggesting Colorado extend in-state tuition to out-of-state residents. Far from it. But we do argue that Colorado is penalizing itself so long as it refuses to recognize that students who are not citizens but who've lived in this state since they were young, done well in school and stayed out of trouble would be far more valuable to society if they also could go to college here. And yes, that means availing themselves of in-state tuition.
This recognition is embodied in legislation that has been proposed and rejected by the Colorado General Assembly in recent years, as well as the so-called DREAM Act (Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors) that has not yet succeeded in gaining the approval of Congress.
If "education is the foundation of Colorado's economy," as Gov. Bill Ritter believes, then there's a lesson waiting to be learned here, taught by our neighbors just over Raton Pass.
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