Thread: Immigrant students lament dead end

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Immigrant students lament dead end
They push for bill that would open up job prospects for those who are in U.S. illegally



11:55 PM CDT on Sunday, May 7, 2006
By ROBERT DODGE and KATHERINE LEAL UNMUTH / The Dallas Morning News


Four years of college, a degree, and still no job. The children of illegal immigrants say their investment in education shouldn't lead to such a dead end.

They are pressing hard for Congress to address the problem – that they can obtain degrees in the U.S. but can't legally get a job – as part of a broader immigration overhaul.

The education proposal, originally a free-standing plan called the Dream Act, is now part of the Senate immigration bill stalled last month amid infighting among Republicans and Democrats. It would create a track for illegal immigrants to become citizens and eliminate federal prohibitions against their receiving in-state tuition at colleges and universities.

The Senate may resume consideration of the bill this month. The plan would increase border security, place millions of illegal immigrants on a path to eventual citizenship, and create a temporary worker program for future migrants.

"We contribute, but unfortunately we cannot fulfill our dreams until Congress decides to give us an opportunity," said Gladys, who emigrated illegally from Peru at 15 and attended Irving schools.

She agreed to talk about her situation if her last name were not disclosed.

She said she received a bachelor's degree last year from the University of Texas at Arlington but, because of her illegal status, she continues to work at the office clerk job she landed as a student.

Gaining legal status is crucial to immigrant students such as Gladys who see their dreams and ambitions reined in when they graduate.

Under the bill's provisions, students could qualify for full resident status if they graduated from a two-year college or certain vocational schools or studied for two years toward a bachelor's degree. They would also receive such status if they served in the armed forces for two years.

"This would give them a pathway to becoming a U.S. citizen," said Josh Bernstein, director of federal policy at the National Immigration Law Center, which aids low-income immigrants.

Critics argue the provisions would encourage more illegal immigration by parents seeking to enroll their children in U.S. schools. They say immigrants are taking college slots away from middle-class American students.

"Seats in public universities are a finite resource," said Ira Mehlman, a spokesman for the Federation for American Immigration Reform, which wants to limit immigration.

'Future leaders'
But backers say children should not be punished for the crimes of their parents. And they argue it is in the interest of the U.S. to make sure young immigrants become productive, taxpaying citizens.

"These students are future teachers, future leaders and are people who have grown up in this country," said Melissa Lazarin, a senior policy analyst at the National Council of La Raza, the largest Hispanic civil rights group.

Today's battle has its roots in Texas. In 1982, the Supreme Court struck down a Texas law, ruling, 5-4, that the children of illegal immigrants were entitled to tuition-free elementary and secondary education. The case opened the doors of public schools to illegal immigrant students but stopped short of addressing their access to higher education.

Lawyer Peter Roos led the case on behalf of Texas immigrant students. He argues that illegal immigrants come here to work and are not crossing the border illegally to enroll their children in public schools.

"Denying education to regulate the borders is an ineffective way of stopping immigration," he said.

Still, gaining immigrant access to a college education proved much harder.

The 1996 federal immigration bill discouraged states from providing in-state tuition by requiring the same benefits be available for out-of-state U.S. citizens.

That prompted some states to take matters into their own hands. In 2001, Texas became the first of 10 states to rewrite eligibility requirements for in-state tuition and skirt federal restrictions. Other states that followed suit were California, Illinois, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, Utah and Washington.

The Texas law came just in time for Rebecca Acuna, now a 22-year-old senior at the University of Texas at Austin. Ms. Acuna, who was born in Mexico and came to Texas with her family, plans to attend law school once she gets her degree in government and sociology.

In-state tuition made it possible for her father, a restaurant manager awaiting U.S. citizenship, to put two daughters through college. And now, Ms. Acuna is one of about a half-dozen students involved in a loosely organized student group pushing for approval of the immigration bill's provisions for students.

"For us, this is not an extracurricular activity," she said. "We are serious."

But state laws, including the Texas statute that helped Ms. Acuna qualify for in-state tuition, are being challenged.

A case contesting a similar Kansas law is being pursued in a federal appeals court after a lower court rejected it. The Washington Legal Foundation, a conservative advocacy group, has filed a complaint with the Homeland Security Department arguing that Texas is violating federal immigration law.

"I cannot see any reason in the world why educators would want to treat American citizens worse than people who are not citizens," said Richard Stamp, the foundation's chief counsel.

Proponents hope the immigration bill's provisions would end such legal challenges.

Barriers would remain
But even if the provisions are approved, they will not eliminate all the barriers immigrant students face in pursuing their careers. Though immigrant students would be eligible for student loans, they would not qualify for aid such as Pell Grants.

That forced Antonio, a 17-year-old Irving student, to reassess his education plans and career goals. He asked to be identified only by his middle name because he entered the country illegally with his mother six years ago.

Antonio plans to attend Texas A&M University and can pay in-state tuition. But without access to grant money, he has given up on becoming a doctor and plans to pursue a less-expensive nursing education.

"I think it's very unfair and unreasonable to reject people like me who want to do something positive in society," Antonio said.

The immigration debate, Antonio said, ignores the plight of young immigrants who want to become citizens.

"They always look at the adults," he said. "They worry about who's going to mow the lawns, cook, be the waiter, but they never look at the people who are getting educated."

E-mail rdodge@dallasnews.com and kunmuth@dallasnews.com

DREAM ACT
The Senate immigration bill could help illegal immigrants' children pursue college. The measure would:

Eliminate a provision in the 1996 immigration act that discourages states from offering in-state tuition.

Make students eligible for conditional resident status if they came to the U.S. before age 16 and at least five years before the bill's enactment.

Grant full resident status to students who served in the armed forces for two years.

Can't get a job after getting a most likely free education here? Then go back to your country and work there.