Collegiate Education: Undocumented Dreams

The importance of education from a four year institution can never be underestimated. I can't imagine where I would be if the opportunity to pursue higher learning at a university, specifically, the University of Southern California wasn't available. Once I graduate, the doors that will be opened to me because I have earned a college degree will be limitless. With the economy in its present state, and the job market being as competitive as it ever has been, I am comforted because I will be armed with a bachelor's degree that will make it easier to find a career. The friendships and professional relationships I establish in college will help me to step into a career and not some job that pays me minimum wage, or worse, a job I hate. The possibility to pursue the “American Dream” is what every citizen and non-citizen strives for. Even though I am not a citizen of the United States, I do have legal residency to work, live, and pursue an education. I have lived in America for the last twenty one years and I do not know of any other home. Because I come from an improvished background, I was compelled to apply for Federal Financial Aid (FAFSA). Without financial assistance, there is no way I would have been able to afford to attend any university, yet alone a private one. The grants that I have been fortunate enough to receive through the school and government agencies have made it possible to follow my dream. This being said, I must speak about the requirements when applying for Federal financial aid. The government mandates that you have some form of legal residency in the U.S. Without any proper documentation, there is no financial assistance, and here is where the problems lies. Many undocumented students are attending and graduating high schools all across America but because they hold no legal residency in the United States, they have no real prospects of ever attending four year institutions. As the law-school bound writer of "Round-up..." put it, "We are left to wonder, what if". She is reluctant to identify herself because of her "illegal status", but she is quick to point out that she has graduated from college and holds a masters degree which she is unable to use. The sacrifices that she has had to make to pay for her own tuition out of her own pockets are staggering, it is amazing that she was able to further her academic career without any assistance. Luckily, I was able to show my legal status and thus received the aid that opened the path for me to continue my education. Other students today aren’t as blessed, they are undocumented an therefore can't participate in what it means to be a citizen, including in its educational realm. They are here through no fault of their own, these men and women have attended and graduated from high schools in the U.S. The "illegals" hope to have the same opportunity to join the ranks of a college student, but for this section of society there will be no going on. They are stopped in their tracks, for them there is no assistance. At a point in my life I was just like them, an undocumented student. The very thought of not being able fulfill my potential and to go after my dreams saddens me. I have found two posts that further illustrates the constant struggles that these students face on a daily basis. They are forced to confront the reality that they may not be able to pursue their education and much worse, the threat of deportation. The first post, ”Round-Up-What is up in the DREAM Act blogosphere?” is written by an unknown writer, the second, “ Immigrant College Grad’s in limbo, Can’t get Jobs” is written by Daniel Gonzalez who again wishes to remain anonymous for fear of deportation. Through an interview he conducted with "Guillermo", he stated that, "It stinks having an education and not being able to use it", when asked about his college degree. Both of these posts advocate for the passage of the Dream Act, a proposal that would have helped many college bound students who are of  AB540 status, my comments in response can be read either by clicking on the links to the actual websites or viewing them below. 

“Round-Up-What is up in the DREAM Act blogosphere?”
Comment

I first want to emphasize how hard it is to find updated and relevant information regarding undocumented students pursuing education beyond high school, secondly, I want to thank you for taking the time to bring such an important topic to the consciousness of America. Your post is both a mixture of facts and insight into what undocumented students face in their everyday lives. They face the prospect of not being able to afford tuition, while at the same time the possibility that if they are discovered to be of illegal status, deportation is all but expected. According to your post, there are thousands of undocumented students that gradu

ate with diplomas from four year institutions and are unemployed. They have no real hope for the future and are left in limbo because of their status. These people lack proper documentation to apply for the very careers that they went to the four year institutions for in the first place. Undocumented university grads are forced to take on low paying jobs that don’t require a college education. They struggle to pay back the loans that they acquired throughout their undergrad careers. Again, there are many undocumented students out there that do not recognize their rights, and more often than not they are intimidated by all the propaganda out there discouraging them to look for help because of the fear of deportation. Another issue that you brought up in your post was the fact that government agencies were conducting raids in worksites that they believed "illegals" were being employed. The government does not realize that they aren't just deporting a person (see right), but in  actuality, the bread winner in the family, the father, a mother, and sometimes the brother and or sister. Your post included information on the federal DREAM Act, which would allow students brought illeglly to this country the ability to gain legal status in order to collect Federal Financial Aid and eventually lead to citizenship. You call for President Obama’s administration to take a stand and vote in legislation that will help the undocumented youth of America. I specifically love the way you incorporated people’s posts with your own. Your blog is also a great resource for current information regarding legislation or the lack thereof for undocumented students. The links that you supplied were really helpful in understanding the full story. My questions revolve mostly on the non-passage of the DREAM Act, where do we go from here? Is the bill really dead in congress and or is there a possibility that Obama will somehow reintroduce the legislation to make it a law? In the end I commend you for going out on the limb and informing us and allowing each individual to make up his or her mind when it comes to such a contested subject.

“ Immigrant College grad’s in limbo can’t get jobs”

Comment

I want to first take the opportunity to thank you for your post, I believe that immigration legislation should be more of a priority in the current administrations agenda. It took me awhile to find your post but after reading it I was astonished to find that (as stated by your post) there was estimated to be 1 million undocumented students between the ages of 5 and 25 in the United States. That is a staggering number, and it alone stands as proof as to why we need to make changes to the current system before it gets to the "point of no return". The most shocking element of your post was to find out that ASU founded a "special program" to make sure that undocumented students receive the same opportunity that men and women with "papers" received to attend college. The problem is that this program has run out of money and can no longer continue without governmental help. Carmen Cornejo director of Cadena, (a local grass roots group) pushing for the DREAM Act, when asked what she thought of the current lack of immigration legislation responded, "It is petty. When someone tries to rise from the ground up we try and squash them". I was astonished that young men and women were graduating top of their class with honors in engineering and still could not get their careers started because they did not have legal residence (see left). Again, immigration reform has fallen out of the public realm and as far as it being a priority, it is not. The reason that students remain unemployed is that legislation is taking to long, we need to realize that this section of society only wishes to become a productive and inspirational citizens. DREAM Act, had promised students the chance to become legalized if they either served in the armed forces or completed some college. But the legislation stalled in congress (2001) and has yet to see the light of day again. Perhaps one of the problems that DREAM Act faces today is the current state of the economy, but we need to realize by creating jobs and productive people we are in turn helping the common wealth of the U.S. With so many Americans out of work, many fear that if this legislation bill is passed it would only further hinder “Americans” in the workforce.There are opponents that believe that immigrants shouldn't gain legalized status or for that matter any help with tuition. They argue that this would only take away jobs that were meant for Americans in the first place. They also go on to say that if we make an exception for them, it will inspire other to come to America illegally thus producing more problems with illegal immigration. Undocumented youths will continue to face harsh realities if legislation is not changed, the fact is that because they are without "papers", they are not guaranteed a career after college or for that matter not even a dead-end job. Daniel states, " They are doing jobs that are not related to their education or degrees, that is the sad part of all this". Daniel, I am curious, what do most of the undocumented students do to prepare themselves for the realities of their situation? Do you see a solution to not only the problem of undocumented students already here in the United States but to illegal immigration as a whole?