From this:

The University of California at Berkeley announced on Tuesday that it has received the largest single scholarship in the country for undocumented students.

The Evelyn & Walter Haas Junior Fund has awarded Cal $1 million to be used exclusively for undocumented students at the school best known for its diverse campus and history championing liberal issues and civil rights. At this point, fund spokesman Denis Chicola said Cal is the only school to be awarded such money...

...Until last year, it was illegal to give undocumented students scholarship money. Because of the Dream Act, it is now possible to award undocumented students money, Chicola said, but just how Cal will disburse the funds has yet to be decided.

[[Hass Jr Fund]] president Ira S. Hirschfield is quoted as saying of the (temporarily legalized) illegal aliens who'll get the money, "[t]hese motivated, hardworking and inspiring students are an asset to our state and our country".

Assuming they are an asset to us, that means they're not an asset to their home countries. One of the reasons why the Third World is in the shape it is is because of braindrain. Ira Hirschfield would make that worse.

For instance, less than 6000 students in Mexico excel at math, and Mexico needs every single one of those people. Unfortunately for them, people like Ira Hirschfield implicitly encourage those few smart students to come to the U.S. instead of staying in Mexico and helping that country reform.

At the same time as helping harm the Third World, the Haas Junior Fund isn't helping struggling Americans. There are large numbers of Americans who are qualified to attend UCB but don't have the money. Instead of helping them, the Haas Junior Fund is helping citizens of other countries. Those foreign citizens have another option: most can return to their home countries and get free or low-cost educations there. American citizens don't have that option.

Please write the following with your thoughts:

@HaasJrFund
@irahjf (Hirschfield)
@lindawoodhjf ("Linda Wood is senior director at the Evelyn and Walter Haas Jr., Fund, a family foundation in San Francisco")