In America ““ still an ocean away from the American dream

On a foggy Saturday morning at the beginning of the month, hundreds of high school students poured into Haines Hall for a teach-in on “Underground Undergrads,” that small, embattled group of undocumented immigrant students, who struggle substantially more than most to achieve this country’s dream.

René, a sophomore in the Los Angeles Unified School District whose father brought him illegally from Haiti five years ago, attended the conference at the behest of a teacher. “I want to go to college because I want to help my family,” he said. René, whom I have given a pseudonym in order to protect his anonymity, would be the first in his family ever to attend college, but he will have serious trouble doing so because of his status. Undocumented students are barred from any state financial aid.

Californians should urge the governor to support the state’s DREAM Act, which lifts this barrier and would allow René to pursue his dream. He had no say in the decision to come here. Now, just a teenager, he’s an American, and he’s got big dreams. There’s no reason not to let him fulfill them.

The Census Bureau estimates that 65,000 students like René will graduate from high school this year. Forty percent of those students are in California. These are students whose parents either brought them here illegally or whose parents have overstayed visas to keep them here. They came to the U.S. when they were minors and, most often, had no say in the decision.

Now, though they have adopted American culture and call this country their home, they cannot advance in our society. They can’t get driver’s licenses, or even a simple ID card. Worse, they are barred from any state financial aid or loans that could help them attend a state college.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do in 12th grade,” René worries. Though he could apply to college, attending would be a tremendous financial burden. Only 5 percent to 10 percent of undocumented high school graduates will make it to college. Even fewer will graduate.

Matias Ramos, Daily Bruin columnist and cochair of IDEAS, a UCLA advocacy and support group for undocumented students, spoke during the teach-in about the plight of that small number who make it to college. Stephanie Solis, a fourth-year English student who was featured in a Daily Bruin series on undocumented students, spoke as well. She is one of these students. Paying for college is a constant struggle that has often forced her to drop out for a quarter. Once she graduates, she won’t be able to fulfill her dream ““ to work in publishing ““ because she’s not authorized to work here legally. This shouldn’t ever happen to a person who is, on everything except paper, an American. Her parents brought her here when she was three, and she has no memory of her birth country, the Philippines. Based on the number of students IDEAS has contacted, there are at least 100 undocumented students at UCLA and many more across the state.

There are two identical versions of the California DREAM Act, which would allow Solis to compete for aid like the rest of us, currently moving through the state legislature. One is sponsored by Assembly Speaker Fabian Nuñez, D-Los Angeles, in the Assembly, and another is sponsored by State Sen. Gilbert Cedillo, D-Los Angeles, in the Senate.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed an identical bill last year, arguing that if enacted it would place undue strain on the state’s financial-aid system. This scenario is unlikely to be the case. We’re talking about a tiny number of students applying for aid. My math, based on the numbers above, gives a liberal estimate of just 2,600 students per year. Given the number of students served by the state financial-aid system, that’s a drop in the ocean.

One might worry that new aid would cause an influx of undocumented students, but experience shows this not to be the case. In the 10 states that have passed such laws since 2001, none have seen any “displacement” of native and legal immigrant students at public universities.

If these students had come here as adults, one could argue that they should be ineligible, since they have broken the law, but these students had no choice but to go. They should not be punished because their parents broke the law. To deny them the chance to advance is to punish them for a crime they did not commit.

The California DREAM Act will not solve all of Stephanie’s and René’s problems. They will still be unable to work legally, even if they do graduate from college. The federal DREAM Act, which failed a test vote in the Senate last year, would have let them do that by legalizing their status.

These students are Americans. They’ve grown up here and built their lives here. We should lobby our leaders continuously so they give them the opportunity to do what the idea of this country is all about ““ living their dreams.

E-mail Reed at treed@media.ucla.edu. Send general comments to viewpoint@media.ucla.edu.

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *