As the Royce Hall bells sounded at the strike of noon Wednesday,
students in multicolored robes and graduation caps took their seats
in front of Janss Steps ““ but the occasion was one of
protest, not of celebration.
About 65 students participated in the mock ceremony, and about
another 100 turned out to watch the rally, whose purpose was to
garner support for the Dream Act ““ legislation which would
increase access to college for undocumented immigrants.
Each student wearing graduation attire was meant to represent
1,000 of the estimated 65,000 undocumented students who annually
cannot get jobs after college or financial aid because of their
immigrant status.
The act is a piece of bipartisan legislation pending in Congress
which would allow immigrant students to apply for legal residency
if they have lived in the country for more than five years, making
it easier to attend college and obtain jobs after graduation.
It would also allow individual states to determine whether or
not to grant immigrants state resident status and charge them
in-state tuition.
Opponents of the Dream Act say if the law is changed to make it
easier for undocumented immigrants to attend state schools, the
community would be hurt because for every non-resident student
allowed into the system, one legal resident would have to be turned
away.
Opponents have also expressed concern that the bill may open the
door to providing amnesty for all illegal immigrants.
Signs at the ceremony read “All we want is human
rights” and “We have the right to a dream! Make it a
reality!”
Many at the event derived support for the Dream Act from their
personal experiences.
One recent UCLA graduate, Ricardo Lopez, told the audience his
story, which spans the past decade and a half.
Lopez said he left Mexico City to come to the United States when
he was 8 years old. After initially being unable to attend college
because of his immigrant status, he said he fell into a
depression.
Though Lopez eventually studied molecular, cell and
developmental biology at UCLA, he said the road there was a long
one and that his graduation day in 2003 was a victory not just for
him, but for all undocumented students.
“What is illegal about me? Nothing. … Just because we
don’t have the paper doesn’t mean we’re less of
an individual,” he said.
For Nienke Schouten, an 18-year-old who graduated high school
last week, her pending status as an immigrant may be the decisive
factor in whether she will be able to attend UC Berkeley, where she
was accepted.
“We are not criminals,” Schouten said. “We
only want better lives. We want to give to society. Let us
give.”
After speaking, Schouten and others began walking up Janss
Steps. In a planned scene, four participants wearing shirts labeled
“INS” ““Â the abbreviation for the Immigration
and Naturalization Services ““ stopped the mock graduation
progression, blowing whistles.
Local community members joined in the rally, along with Father
Mike Gutierrez of Santa Monica’s Saint Anne’s
Church.
He told the crowd they “must remind the Senate that dreams
are what make this country,” and handed those present at the
ceremony a large cardboard “key to education.”
“(Legislators) are from immigrant families. They forget
where their families come from. Our goal right now is to remind
them of their ancestors and their dreams,” he said.
People at the rally voiced their views to Senate Majority Leader
Bill Frist, R-Tenn., by calling his office from a cell phone.
Frist’s office did not return calls from The Bruin seeking
comment Wednesday afternoon.
The bill, which has received bipartisan support in Congress, is
also receiving bipartisan support from members of campus.
As an immigrant from South Africa, Nick Louw, vice chairman of
the Bruin Republicans, said he wholeheartedly supports the Dream
Act.
“It’s responsible legislation in that it lessens the
burden on children of illegal immigrants. … It’s on the
students to give back to society,” Louw said, adding that his
group would not be taking an active role in either fighting or
promoting the act.
Also present were students who said their education was
suffering without the Dream Act. Arcelia Ramirez, a student at
Compton Community College, said she came from Mexico to the United
States 15 years ago seeking a better life.
But with her application for residency still being processed and
the cost of community college so high without financial aid, she
said she can barely fund her education and will not be able to find
a job after graduation.
To opponents of the Dream Act, Ramirez says, “Think about
us because … a lot of us have dreams. We want to become doctors
and teachers, but we can’t reach our dreams.”
“By letting us become doctors and teachers, we can help
the whole world,” she added.
With reports from Menaka Fernando, Bruin senior
staff.