SITTING next to me as I write this column is a check made out to the United States Treasury for my quarterly estimated income tax payments. It pains me to see this money leave me, but at the same time I realize that paying taxes is my duty as a citizen of this country. With the responsibilities of paying taxes and possibly being drafted should a war break out comes many privileges such as the ability to attend this fine public university with a tuition bill that is comparatively small.
Recently a Hispanic rights advocacy group filed suit against the University and six other colleges on behalf of illegal aliens that may be denied admission based on their immigration status after a memo from Virginia Attorney General Jerry Kilgore. Not only does this lawsuit have absolutely no legal merit, but it is an affront to the very notion of public supported education.
Public education in this state and in this country is supported by the tax dollars paid by the citizens. Since illegal aliens pay no taxes, it is ridiculous to assume that they somehow have a right to attend public universities, especially at the in-state tuition rate. In the end, we all will bear the burden of paying for the education of people who are not lawfully allowed in this country through increased taxes and tuition.
Members of the administration declined to comment citing the pending legal investigation. According to a University spokesperson, it is the University's policy not to admit illegal immigrants.
If we go far back enough, nearly all of us are the sons and daughters of immigrants; so we cannot be inherently biased against people just coming to this country as our ancestors were in the same situation. Unfortunately, the open-door policy no longer can exist, and we have controls on the number of people who can enter the country each year for a reason. Between job displacement, overcrowding and the tax burden that poorer immigrants place upon the public, it makes perfect sense to limit the number of immigrants. This being said there are a great number of people who do enter our country each year through a perfectly legal process. It cannot be fair to those who have gone through the process and crossed the t's and dotted the i's to allow those who are not legally allowed to be present enjoy the benefits of a tax-paying citizen.
Invariably, someone will announce that this issue is all about the race of the illegal aliens; however, this is absolutely not the case. While it is true that the majority of immigrants, both legal and illegal, are not white males, this does not set the stage for a mass hysteria regarding discrimination. The point is simple: If you are in the country illegally, you do not receive the benefits of legal residents and citizens.
A very good point to remember is that there is a substantive difference between the term "illegal alien" and "undocumented citizen." The group supporting this frivolous lawsuit will do everything they can to promote the idea that the only difference between a citizen and an "undocumented" one is that the latter does not have his or her paper work properly filed. This is just not the case. It is offensive to me to know that when I turned 18, I, as an able-bodied male, registered for selective service (registering with the military in case there is a draft) as was required of me, yet someone present in this country illegally would have no such obligation. It is absurd to think that someone has some sort of right to the benefits of this country without the associated obligations.
In the end, we cannot allow people who are illegally present in this country and do not pay taxes to enjoy the benefits of a citizen or legal alien. There is no doubt that this baseless lawsuit filed against seven Virginia colleges will fail; however, we must all realize that we have laws and regulations regarding immigration in this country for a reason; if you want to attend a public school supported by tax dollars, then you must make sure you are in full compliance with those laws.
(Daniel Bagley's column appears Mondays in The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at dbagley@cavalierdaily.com.)
Read More
PATEL: Personal development courses support students beyond the gradebook
By Heer Patel | 2 days agoThe University must rethink its approach to education beyond traditional major-specific requirements and mandate personal development courses.
EDITORIAL: Commercialization threatens U.Va.’s educational mission
By Editorial Board | 3 days agoAfter all, measuring the University’s worth in terms of accrued capital, operational efficiency and numerical rankings molds this space into just another cookie-cutter institution.
YOUNIS: Why every U.Va. student should say yes to English
By Ayat Younis | January 9, 2025Every student at the University, regardless of their primary field of study, can professionally and academically benefit from engaging with the English department.
