Let's not tell some students they're not 'Oklahoman enough' William Langdon

The U.S. Department of Justice has sued Oklahoma over our state regents’ policy allowing certain non-U.S. citizen high school graduates — young people who have lived here for years and met academic requirements — to pay in-state tuition at our colleges and universities. Attorney General Gentner Drummond has chosen to side with the federal government’s position that this policy is “preempted” by federal law because it treats undocumented students “more favorably” than out-of-state U.S. citizens.

That argument ignores Oklahoma’s own long-term interests. These students are not strangers parachuting in to exploit a benefit. They are our neighbors’ kids — raised in our communities, educated in our schools, active in our churches, sports teams and volunteer programs. The only difference between