America is in the midst of a massive demographic shift. The U.S. population hit the 300 million mark in late 2006, and a full 36 percent of the last 100 million people who contributed to that growth were Hispanic. Moreover, in 31 of the nation's 50 largest cities, minorities are now the majority. Just last year, Phoenix, Tucson, and Denver joined this list. While the vast majority of these Hispanics are legal citizens, the uproar about illegal immigrants detracts from the need to fully address some of the issues that are emerging from this new face of America, including issues related to higher education. Given the Hispanic population growth and higher education's historical role in ensuring an educated populace, higher education's voice in the immigration debate has been far too silent. Thus, the author states that it is time for higher education to play a more active role in the immigration debate. Furthermore, additional perspectives are offered by Gregory H. Williams, president of The City College of New York, and Philip R. Day, Jr., chancellor of City College of San Francisco. (Contains 8 notes.)