Image from Korean Resource Center
In the recent debate over immigration reform there was a lot of talk about the need for humane legislation for immigrant workers and families, but not enough discussion about how immigration reform would benefit undocumented students.
Immigrant students who are undocumented face big time barriers to higher education. The LA Times reported that every year, 50,000-60,000 undocumented students graduate from high school after having lived in this country for at least five years. And that’s just the reported number! Forty percent of those undocumented students live in California.
There are a whole lot of Asian students that are undocumented too, but you wouldn’t know from how the media has focused most of its attention on Latino immigrants. According to the National Korean American Service and Education Consortium Asians make up over 1 million undocumented immigrants. One out of five Korean Americans are undocumented.
It’s not uncommon for some Asian high school students to not even know they’re undocumented for different reasons. Sometimes their parents just don’t tell them they are until they’re ready to apply for a driver’s license, work or go to college. Other times, Asians don’t consider themselves undocumented because they entered the country legally, overstayed their visas once they expired, and never actually crossed a border “illegally.” Fear, shame or lack of knowledge about current immigrant laws are some other reasons why Asian parents might not tell their children they are undocumented or why Asian students might keep their immigration status to themselves.
Most undocumented students were kids when their parents immigrated to this country, and had no control over whether their parents came here legally or illegally. They may have been in this country almost their entire lives, and attended most of their K-12 education here and expect to go to college like their peers.
Yet once these students graduate from high school and attempt to go on to college, the process can be a nightmare. Undocumented students might not even know they can legally apply and attend college and might be discouraged or afraid to apply in the first place. If they do apply and get into college, they find out that they do not qualify for federal financial aid, which makes it close to impossible for an undocumented student to attend a public university with cheaper tuition. They can get private aid at a private college, but tuition at private schools is much more expensive, which is why some undocumented students opt to attend public schools.
Undocumented students who do attend college often have to work long hours to pay for school themselves. They deal with financial aid officers and college administrators who are not accustomed to dealing with undocumented students. They deal with going to school with other students who don’t have the slightest clue that they are undocumented. They try their best to adjust and have as close to a regular student life as possible.
For undocumented students who can’t go to college because their families can’t afford it, all they can really do is wait for the laws to change. One of my friends who is undocumented worked hard to pay for his undergraduate education himself. After college he applied and was admitted to law school. However, without federal financial aid, there’s no way he can afford to pay for law school and he has had to defer his admission, hoping that the laws will change soon so he can go to school. Hopefully the laws change soon since a lot of young people’s livelihoods are at stake.
Although the comprehensive immigration reform bill is unfortunately off the table for now, Congress is currently considering passage of the DREAM Act, which stands for Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors. The LA Times reports that the Dream Act would enable qualified undocumented students to access financial aid and take steps towards becoming lawful permanent residents. A similar state version that would create a California DREAM Act and enable students to apply for aid to attend California’s public colleges has been proposed and is being considered by the legislature.
The Korean Resource Center reports that the Dream Act provision could be voted on this week. If you want to help support the ability of undocumented students to attain higher education please contact your Senators and ask them to support the DREAM Act amendment to H.R. 1585, which is the Department of Defense Authorization Bill. You can call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 to contact your Senators’ offices.
Posted by carmina at July 18, 2007 12:21 PM
Comments
Congress members who prevented immigration reform should be sued. What a disgrace! Let's punish racist Republicans next year. People like Senators Sessions, Lou Dobbs belong to Nazi Germany. And they know that long-term, they will be on the losing side of the battle.
Posted by: Ivan at July 18, 2007 6:48 PM
amen!
Posted by: Jimmo at July 18, 2007 10:38 PM
Close minded groups such as Numbers USA should be outlawed. Having groups like that around screams bigotry and prejudice.
Posted by: shan at July 19, 2007 7:13 AM
I just called CA Senator Boxer's Washington and San Francisco Office asking her to support the Dream Act amendment to H.R 1585. Her office confirmed that she does support it so awesome stuff!
I also called CA Senator Feinstein's SF office asking her to support the act. They said that my message was recorded and "would be forwarded to her." I checked her website and did not see anything related to her supporting the act. Make your voice heard People! Thanks for the heads up Hyphen!
Posted by: Mark at July 19, 2007 4:09 PM
A Senator Boxer's Washington Office: 916-448-2787 and San Francisco Office: 415-403-0100
CA Senator Feinstein's San Francisco office: 415-393-0707
Posted by: Mark at July 19, 2007 4:12 PM
I'm wondering abut the strength of your magazine. If you would be interested in following a story?
I'm building something to launch in 2015, that will provide free green energy... using solar and sea energy farms.
Ryan
Posted by: Ryan at July 20, 2007 5:51 AM
Dream Act???
Some of us once had dreams of our own. One of mine was to have three children.
The Unacknowledged Holocaust
Back in the 60’s the Federal Government came into the public schools and brainwashed us as little children with the message that the children we were about to have were unwanted because the population was rising so fast. They launched a program called, “Zero Population Growth”. They pushed Family Planning and birth control pills. I think you and I now both know that you only have to trick people for their few child bearing years and there is no going back.
Many of us never had a say in the future of our unborn.
I am the result of two living cells. One from each of my parents. They are the result of two living cells, one from each of their parents. I wasn't just born. I am a continuation of life. I am a living thing that reaches back into time perhaps 400 million years and the result of billions of joining of pairs of cells. It is possible that if you were to follow my
cells back to my parent’s cells and beyond that my family tree touches every living thing here on earth. That is if we limit ourselves to believing life was created here on earth. If it rained down from the immensity of the universe it could reach back into that immensity of time and space, and who knows what relationships and who knows what species.
At least until I came up against the Federal Government and their plan to control the population.
I have seen the Federal Government do little else to control the population.
The open border, United States laws only apply to some, is a serious slap in the face. No, not a slap in the face, it reaches well beyond that. Maybe back to the beginning of time and stretch to the bounds of the universe.
Posted by: Carson at July 21, 2007 2:07 PM
wtf ughh ok....
Posted by: kim at July 22, 2007 5:11 PM
Why is there a need or call for these illegal aliens.... it is absolutely confounding to me to hear any law abiding citizens of this great country to seek assistance for these criminals. go back to where you came from and seek your precious education there...
Posted by: Jose at July 26, 2007 6:35 PM
No... absolutey not....
send these criminals packing...
why should we waste any precious resource to assist these criminals...
Some legal resident of this country cannot get financial assistance for higher education.
why should these undocumented/illegal immigrants get something the legal residents cannot garner from the government.
anyone suggesting it should wake up
you people make me sick... you people are the cause of the demise of this great nation....
Posted by: Jose at July 26, 2007 6:40 PM
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