San Diego State University’s Independent Student Newspaper Since 1913

The Daily Aztec

San Diego State University’s Independent Student Newspaper Since 1913

The Daily Aztec




San Diego State University’s Independent Student Newspaper Since 1913

The Daily Aztec

DREAM Act decision remains in limbo

Grisanti Valencia, right of center, holds a sign along with others during a rally in support of the DREAM Act at Fresno State in Fresno, California, Friday, November 19, 2010. (Eric Paul Zamora/Fresno Bee/MCT)

By Holly Pablo, Staff Writer

Each year, millions of students graduate from high schools in the United States. While most have the opportunity to pursue higher education or enter the labor force, not everyone has access to live the American dream.

Donald Sheppard of the American Immigration Lawyers Association said without proof of legal status, undocumented students are stuck in a “black hole” with fear of deportation, difficulty financing their educations and the inability to secure a job even with a college degree.

He said it is unfortunate because many of these individuals were brought to the states by choice of their family members when they were children; in some cases, they have not lived in their home country since they were infants and cannot speak the native tongue.

Maria*, a first-year graduate student at San Diego State, was 2 years old when her family entered the U.S. illegally from Mexico. She said she lives in fear of being deported or sent to a detention center.

“I’ve been working so hard to obtain my master’s degree and I really want to put it to use in the United States and San Diego, which I consider my home,” she said. “But being undocumented, there’s a lot of hate, bias and discrimination.”

Within the proposed Development Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act, a bipartisan legislation designed to assist alien minors in gaining conditional permanent residence, Maria and other undocumented students may have the chance to be recognized as Americans.

The DREAM Act, which has been shot down several times, faces another Senate vote as early as today. Eligible youth of the DREAM Act must have entered the country before the age of 16, lived in the U.S. for at least five years, have a clear criminal record and possess a diploma or GED, according to Sheppard.

During a six-year period of conditional residency, the individual must complete two years of higher education or military service after which they could be considered for full citizenship.

There are potentially 3,600 students enrolled in the California State University system that would benefit from the DREAM Act, including 168 students from SDSU, based on preliminary estimates compiled by the CSU Office of the Chancellor in March, CSU spokesperson Mike Uhlenkamp said.

The CSU system has generally supported the legislation, Uhlenkamp said. Chancellor Charles B. Reed has joined other college presidents around the nation in signing a letter to members of the assembly in support of ensuring undocumented students the opportunity to pursue higher education.

Essentially, the passing of this legislature would help “legalize individuals that are already here and integrate them into a more productive society,” Sheppard said.

Political science professor Kristen Hill Maher said anti-immigrant organizations argue this act encourages further undocumented immigration because if these undocumented students are given citizenship, they could, in turn, sponsor their parents for citizenship.

Maher said some organizations believe illegal immigrants are motivated to come to the U.S. with intentions to take advantage of government assistance programs, but those organizations fundamentally misread why people immigrate in the first place.

*Name has been changed.

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San Diego State University’s Independent Student Newspaper Since 1913
DREAM Act decision remains in limbo