Undocumented Immigrants To Get Tuition Breaks – and More!

A headline buried inside the Journal News read, Undocumented Immigrants Getting Tuition Breaks. This is the very type of issue and position that is what’s wrong with our current crop of legislators. The issue can be morphed into a Town of Greenburgh issue. Maryland, Illinois and Connecticut are all poised to allow illegal immigrants, undocumented workers, aliens, etc., the ability to go to school, as are Oregon and Rhode Island. While the need for an education is paramount to all, it should be to all if they are a legal, tax paying resident of their state and our country.

Recently, Victor Rojas, 16 years old, of Greenburgh, was arrested for hosting an underage drinking and drug-use party of about sixty kids. Police arrested Rojas and charged him with underage drinking, hosting a party with alcohol, and such. Where were his parents during this illegal event? Police found a sixteen year old girl passed out on the floor from apparent an alcohol overdose. His parents were also charged. Interestingly, he gave his address as 21 McKinnley Street in White Plains. And, while being questioned, he bit a police officer. So in addition to being arrested for 25 counts of unlawfully dealing with a child for allegedly supplying alcohol at the party, he added assaulting a police officer. It remains to be seen if he will be prosecuted as a youthful offender or an adult.

The other crime here, beyond the drugs and alcohol usage is that he and his family were committing fraud against the White Plains School District using his aunt’s address in White Plains. So Rojas’ phony permanent address enabled him to attend the White Plains schools instead of the Greenburgh schools. His mother would drive him to school daily and pick him up at the end of the day. The crime? Falsely attending one school district’s school while living outside the district and financially defrauding them by attending their school.

Many would say it’s no big deal. But it is. These same people would say the undocumented immigrants (not so with Rojas), vis á vis illegal aliens, need an education too. In fact they’re entitled to it. While that’s debatable, who pays for it is not up for debate, so in fact, they are not entitled. The taxes to fund our school systems are paid by taxpaying property owners – nobody else. Legal citizens pay. If they are actual property owning immigrants, who followed our rules and regulations about being here and are playing by the rules, they have a say in the issue. As such, these are the people that should be making these decisions, not some vote-hungry politician who knows if it’s presented in their liberal state, not enough people will rise up and vote against it. In time it will get worse.