ANALYSIS: Illegal immigration puts strain on American college students’ education

As students head back to campus this fall, many colleges and universities are prioritizing the education of illegal immigrants at the expense of American students’ education and safety. 

Under the Biden-Harris administration, over 10 million immigrants are estimated to have illegally entered the United States. Once across our border, illegal immigrants are given preferential treatment, special programs and benefits by the Democratic party at the expense of the American taxpayer. The alarming reality is that these Democratic policies threaten the resources available to American students, as well as their safety, jeopardizing their futures. 

As American students face skyrocketing tuition prices and mounting student debt, illegal immigrants are increasingly granted access to in-state tuition, free community college, state financial aid, and exclusive scholarships that are often unavailable to their American peers. Simultaneously, the growing number of illegal immigrants raises serious concerns regarding security within our communities.

[RELATED: Gavin Newsom considers plan to force public colleges to hire illegal immigrants]

Laken Riley, a 22-year-old American nursing student at Augusta University, was killed in February while she was jogging at the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia. Riley lost her life at the hands of an illegal immigrant from Venezuela who crossed the border illegally under the Biden-Harris administration in September 2022. Her death is a tragic reminder of the dangers posed by open borders and unchecked immigration.

The Biden-Harris administration’s failures at the United States-Mexico border have created a world where college-age women are no longer safe jogging on a college campus. 

The Biden-Harris administration’s open border policies have allowed tens of thousands of illegal immigrants to enter the U.S. who have criminal records both here and in their home countries. The administration’s failure to vet the millions of immigrants who have poured across our border has created a world where Americans face significant danger in our own neighborhoods. At the same time, the Democratic party has relentlessly fought to provide countless educational resources to undocumented students, taking resources away from our own American students. 

Currently, 25 states, along with the District of Columbia, allow undocumented students to pay in-state tuition at public colleges and universities. Undocumented students may pay significantly lower tuition rates than the out-of-state students sitting next to them in their classrooms. For example, Campus Reform reported that out-of-state students at the University of North Texas pay nine times more in tuition than illegal immigrants living in Texas.

Furthermore, several states, including California and Massachusetts, have enacted policies that allow undocumented students to enroll in free community college programs. 

Nineteen states have also extended state financial aid to undocumented students. While millions of American students struggle to afford college, illegal immigrants can be granted state financial aid, taking this funding away from American students.

Alongside scholarships from various colleges, including the “Undocumented Scholars Award” at George Mason University and financial aid for undocumented students at prestigious universities like Harvard University and Georgetown University, American lawmakers are increasingly pushing for additional programs and benefits for undocumented students.

The Biden-Harris administration’s recent proposal to include DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) recipients in the publicly-funded TRIO programs underscores this trend. Designed to support low-income American students, first-generation college-goers, and individuals with disabilities, these programs would now extend benefits—such as academic tutoring, personal counseling, mentoring, and financial guidance—to undocumented students. If enacted, this proposal would stretch the available resources for American students even further, making it more difficult for American students to access resources paid for by American taxpayers. 

A statement from the White House projected that expanding TRIO services to DACA beneficiaries could increase illegal immigrants’ enrollment in American colleges and universities by 50,000 or more in the coming years. 

[RELATED: WATCH: Legal immigrant weighs in on Biden’s open border policy]

In the United States, reading and math scores have fallen to the lowest level in decades. National test results suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns and the shift to online learning had devastating effects on American schoolchildren. Unsurprisingly, when children are not in classrooms, they are not learning as effectively. 

With such an alarming trend in mind, it should be common belief that the American education system should prioritize American students. 

American students and their families have every reason to feel frustrated as lawmakers and the Biden-Harris administration appear to prioritize the needs of illegal immigrants over those of legal citizens. Hard-working Americans shouldn’t have their tax dollars spent on the education of individuals who entered the country unlawfully instead of their own children.

Kamala Harris advocates for making college tuition-free for all students, including undocumented immigrants. Her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, has already signed legislation allowing undocumented immigrants in Minnesota to apply for free college tuition at state academic institutions. Such legislation places a very heavy burden on American educational institutions and taxpayers. 

The Biden-Harris administration argues that funding the education of undocumented students will ensure every person has a “fair shot” at the American dream, but in reality, they are advocating for the American dream to be taken away from our own citizens and handed to foreigners. 

American lawmakers should be advocating for an educational system that serves the interests and safety of American students first. A nation that does not prioritize its own children’s education and safety risks losing the very foundation of its future.