JBeukema
Rookie
- Banned
- #21
So you're good with him staying, but not with him applying for a grant or loan to pay for school so he can become a more productive member of our society and better contribute to the strength and prosperity of the nation?.PATERSON Vidal Tapia is by all accounts International High School's brightest prospect. A teacher-described "pillar of strength" at the Paterson school, he carries a 4.0 GPA, a National Honor Society membership and a slew of community service hours. He was tapped as his class's valedictorian to give the commencement address in June. Eventually, he wants to work for NASA.
But his plans might fall short of even graduation, not because of any academic problems, but rather an immigration snare. By next week, the 19-year-old senior could be sent back to his native Mexico, barred from returning to the United States for a decade.
Yet Tapia is far from closing the book on his American pursuits. He hopes to finish high school, receive a waiver, return in six months and apply to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He sees himself as a future rocket scientist, dabbling in every intellectual sphere
Paterson high school valedictorian faces 10-year ban from U.S. due to immigration status | NJ.com
My first reaction was "give him a damn waiver". Exceptions are made all the time.
But when I thought about his plans to attend MIT, I got pissed. No one in his family speaks English, which leads me to believe they might not have the quarter mil to pay for his schooling. So - who's gonna pick up that tab?