Ousting students senseless

I am writing in regards to the Dec. 2 article “Whitworth joins other colleges urging Trump to keep immigration program for students.” Immigration is a huge problem and needs to be dealt with efficiently. However, the new incoming administration would be smart to heed the colleges’ pleas for their students.

Trump initially said he would deport all undocumented immigrants (11 million), including 6.8 million workers, but backtracked that number (2 million to 3 million). President Obama has already deported about 2.8 million undocumented workers in eight years, an average of 43 percent were convicted criminals. The amount of undocumented, convicted criminals is very low at this time. The cost of mass deportation would be born completely by taxpayer money, about $11,000 per undocumented immigrant. The question remains, what is the best way to go about deportation?

This is a very divisive time in America, and unfortunately this issue has been politicized. Rounding up university students is definitely not the way. These students represent what America is all about, through hard work and tenacity anyone can achieve the unthinkable. We need to be fiscally responsible and ask ourselves, do we really want to use $11,000 to oust one hard-working student?

Shannon O’Connell

Spokane