Tuition for Illegal Immigrants

Illegal immigration will always be a subject of debate in Texas. Debate they do, over HB 159, as reported by Michelle West for the Daily Texan in here article House hears public views on state tuition. This bill would repeal laws that allow illegal immigrants the ability to pay in-state tuition. Some argue that this encourages illegal immigration. Some argue the children of illegal immigrants shouldn't be punished for a crime committed by their parents. I would argue that the enforcement of punishment for illegal immigrants has become a bit sporadic. I'm no nativist, I simply think that to enjoy all the freedoms of being a US citizen, one must legally become a US citizen. In addition, no one will take our laws seriously if they are not enforced. West wrote, "Farrar said obtaining citizenship after immigrating illegally was nearly impossible." As a college student myself, I understand how difficult it is to fund one's education. Instead of extending extra rights to illegal aliens, I think we should focus on enabling the children of illegal immigrants to be more able to gain citizenship so they may enjoy the rights of citizenship and legal residence.

Car Burglaries and Consequences

Do stiffer sentences act as adequate deterrence for crime? Texas State Representative Rafael Anchia thinks so. Anchia is the co-author of legislature that increases the severity of the punishment for car burglars. Thomas Korosec reviewed this subject in his article Texas Lawmakers Eye Crackdown on Breaking into cars. Korosec reports that ever since the courts have lightened up on car burglars in the mid-1990s, these crime rates have sky rocketed. Admittedly, so has the number of dope heads looking for some loose change to support their habits. Perhaps drugs are to be blamed. Either way, those people should be behind bars, whether for use of illegal substances or theft. Personally, I believe Texas and the U.S. has become too lenient on most criminals. Criminals will have no incentive to stop breaking into cars if all they get is a whack on the nose and a 90 day sentence in jail. Longer sentences will mean overcrowded jails (as if that wasn't already a problem), so how about changing the quality of their stay so as to make jail one of the last places they would ever want to visit again?