Don’t let Kansas strip away immigrant high school students’ in-state college tuition | Opinion

More than 20 years ago, my life was forever changed when I met the smart, dedicated, and humble Kansas high schoolers who confided to me that they were stuck in the labyrinthine U.S. immigration system. Having come to Kansas as young children and excelling throughout school, some learned the barrier of their immigration status only when working with guidance counselors to apply to college.

Although their dreams were on hold, they committed themselves to their studies with determination that inspired me, and we worked together to keep their goals alive. In 2004 and with the support of their teachers and classmates, these students and their tremendous potential caught the attention of the Kansas Board of Regents and legislators of both parties. Moved by testimonies from talented young people — from Newton, Overland Park, Garden City, Topeka, Wichita, Kansas City — policymakers carefully considered and passed legislation that gives immigrant students who have completed high school in Kansas the chance to pay full in-state tuition prices at our colleges and universities. Kansas was the sixth state to create such a policy. By 2024, 25 states had in-state tuition policies for qualified immigrant students, many of which also include eligibility for state grants and loans.

In Kansas, however, only U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents can receive financial aid, and college is expensive. As a result, relatively few immigrant students in Kansas have been able to continue their education under this longstanding policy — just over 450 per year — but their accomplishments offer resounding evidence that it works. Immigrant students’ tuition dollars and diligent studying contribute to our institutions, where they continue to impress teachers and inspire their peers. Their achievements against many odds are a credit to their communities and an asset to our state.

Twenty years later, many of the young people forever imprinted on my heart are now U.S. citizens, because the immigration process is expensive, complicated and slow but not an entirely closed door. Thanks to Kansas policymakers’ foresight and young people’s extraordinary efforts, they are college-educated citizens — the teachers, architects, nonprofit leaders, attorneys and nurses we need. Their degrees mean they pay more in taxes, amplifying their positive economic impact. And because this is the state that gave them an opportunity to turn their aspirations into successes, they are mostly still Kansans — exactly the kind of win-win education makes possible.

In every corner of Kansas today, there are students just as exceptional, preparing to graduate from high school and committed to equipping themselves to be the employees, community members and eventual citizens our future demands. Policymakers should reject the short-sighted cruelty of Senate Bill 254, legislation that redefines “public benefit” to include “tuition and fee amounts offered by postsecondary education institutions to residents,” thereby repealing our longstanding in-state tuition policy for qualified immigrant high school graduates. .

Immigrant students have demonstrated that giving them a chance to realize their ambitions is good for Kansas. It was true then and is true still today.