In your editorial ("Enlightened Decision on 'Illegal' Students," Sept. 25) lauding the State Board of Community Colleges and Sandhills Community College President John Dempsey, you write: "The vast majority of the students who will become eligible for admission under this change are not guilty of climbing any fences.... Most of them are children of illegal immigrants who themselves have broken no laws."

The 14th Amendment reads: "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and the State wherein they reside."

The basis for your approval is that "undocumented students," children of illegal immigrants, must pay out-of-state tuition and are subject to well-delineated restrictions. However, all children born in the United States are United States citizens and citizens of the state wherein they reside, regardless of whether their parents are illegal immigrants. Thus, they cannot be lawfully charged out-of-state tuition rates and are entitled to financial aid and all the benefits of citizenship.

The emergency Medicaid provision pays for the delivery expenses of children born to illegal immigrants, so proof of birth for citizenship is not a problem.

Your premise is fallacious. By agreeing to admit "undocumented aliens," North Carolina's community college system is rewarding illegal immigration by abetting violations of the law, and the floodgates to foreign invasion are open with an entitlements welcome center. And you call this courage?

The best American tradition is the opportunity that comes with hard work. People who come to this country should come legally to seek the rewards of hard work in a free nation, not illegally, expanding our bankrupting entitlement rolls and increasing our security risks.

Whether it's one or two illegals, to some of us, the law is a big deal.

Robert Page

Pinehurst