Editor:

I am writing in response to the recent article about tuition and undocumented students (“Bill could raise tuition for undocumented immigrants,” Jan. 20).

Undocumented students often live in fear and do not say anything to support HB 144 or condemn HB 7. I’m a freshman under the tuition waiver offered by HB 144. I have privately funded scholarships that pay my educational expenses. Yet my future at the U is uncertain.

I want to clear up some misconceptions about undocumented people. For HB 144 to apply, a student must have attended a Utah high school for at least three years and graduated or attained a GED. Students must also file an affidavit stating that they have filed an application to legalize their immigration status or will soon.

People say that undocumented students are taking taxpayer money. Yet undocumented people pay federal and state taxes. The majority of undocumented workers also file taxes every year with ITINs, Individual Tax Identification Numbers.

Another argument is that undocumented workers are employed “under-the-table.” It’s very hard to be employed under-the-table. Out of the 38 adult family members and friends I know currently working without proper documentation, zero are paid under-the-table.

Undocumented students aren’t eligible for federal or state financial aid, or any scholarship that isn’t privately funded. Give them the right to education by supporting HB 144.

Help us not live in fear. My parents brought me here in search of a better life. I don’t want to disappoint them.

I hope you’ll be able to recognize the societal racism behind this bill; it is never talked about in context of undocumented Canadian students. This law is aimed to enforce the status quo and to keep minorities from being successful.

I hope that you will not encourage anti-progressive legislation such as HB 7; make your support for HB 144 known. I encourage you to write letters to local legislators letting them know your opposition to HB 7.

Anonymous