Having survived homelessness, working multiple jobs and studying through many sleepless nights, Diego Sepulveda risked his hard-fought place at UCLA by openly declaring his undocumented status.
After all his work to become a UCLA student, Sepulveda said he owes his education partly to a bill that allows him to pay in-state student fees even though he is undocumented.
The California Supreme Court decided to uphold Assembly Bill 540 last week following a long court battle. The legislation allows undocumented students attending UCLA and other California universities to pay in-state student fees if they attended at least three years at a California high school and received a GED or high school diploma.
AB 540 has allowed people to receive a college education who would not be able to afford the steep out-of-state student fees, said Sepulveda, a fourth-year Chicana and Chicano studies student.
“I would not be at UCLA if it weren’t for this program,” he said.
“I receive $7,000 toward my tuition costs because of AB 540, and it has allowed undocumented students to graduate with a higher place in society.”
Sepulveda, whose younger sister is a U.S. citizen, said going to college has given him the chance to break down stereotypes and give undocumented citizens hope for what they can accomplish.
“I have to do everything to take advantage of my education,” he said. “It’s my responsibility to show my sister what this country can offer and what we can accomplish.”
The bill raises questions about whether the state has an obligation or the funds to provide financial aid to undocumented students, said Laura Abrams, a UCLA associate professor of social welfare.
“There are both economic and human implications of this legislation,” she said. “On one hand, we must consider the rights of the people who are in California, but what California can afford in light of the budget crisis cannot be ignored.”
People who oppose AB 540 point to the money the UC system loses from undocumented students not paying the higher out-of-state student fees, Abrams said.
“We are facing an economic downturn, and it is necessary to look at the practical aspect of the bill and what it will cost California,” she said.
But ignoring a large demographic in California by not addressing undocumented students’ futures is not a viable option, Abrams said.
Following the ruling on AB 540, Cristopher Santos and Ernesto Zumaya said they have new hope that the embattled Development, Relief and Education for Minors Act, which would provide a path to citizenship for undocumented students, will pass in Congress.
“AB 540 lays the groundwork for the state and federal DREAM Acts,” said Santos, Undergraduate Students Association Council external vice president and a fourth-year psychobiology student.
While AB 540 covers state student fees, it does little to integrate undocumented students into the workplace after they graduate, said Zumaya, a fourth-year English student.
“The irony of AB 540 is that it requires students to sign a document that says they will apply for citizenship after they complete their university education,” he said. “However, it does little to make this happen. The DREAM Act allows students to find work easier after they graduate.”
Arne Duncan, the U.S. secretary of education, has called for passage of the DREAM Act to benefit undocumented students. In a teleconference with student journalists last week, Duncan said passage of the act would benefit around 55,000 students each year nationwide.
The nation has an educated population of talent that needs to be tapped into, Duncan said.
“I think this is such an opportunity for young people to be successful and help our workforce,” he said.
With reports from Samantha Masunaga, Daily Bruin senior staff.