Thread: (Sob)Pain of crackdown on illegal immigrants personified

Pain of crackdown on illegal immigrants personified
By Kavita Kumar
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
04/07/2008

Alex is in many ways a typical 15-year-old. She likes to shop, dance and talk on her cell phone. And she has a MySpace page.

But unlike most of her friends at a north St. Louis County high school, she does not have a drivers permit and evades questions about when she will get one. "Maybe next year," she tells her classmates.

And when the conversation turns to college, she tries to change the subject. When she can't avoid answering questions about what schools she wants to apply to, she just says, "I don't know yet."

It wasn't until last year that Alex's mother told her that she is undocumented — that when her family came from Mexico when she was 7, they came on temporary tourist visas. That now they are illegal immigrants.

Alex said she remembers that she didn't want to come to the United States.

"I didn't have a choice," she said on a recent night, her hair pulled back with a pink headband. "I remember I was crying."

Alex's mother asked that her daughter's full name be withheld because of their immigration status. Alex is her nickname.

Now, Alex wonders what is the point of doing well in school and feels her dream of becoming a lawyer slipping away, especially after her priest mentioned bills making their way through the Missouri Legislature that could affect whether an unknown number of students like her go to college.

The House has passed a bill that would require institutions to certify that they have not knowingly enrolled illegal immigrants before their state funding is approved.

Meanwhile, the Senate on Thursday passed a bill that would allow illegal immigrants who have taken at least three semesters in a Missouri high school to be admitted to public universities, but not at the in-state or resident tuition rates. The two chambers will now work to reconcile their differences.

'DIFFICULT SITUATION'

The bills would likely affect a small number of students. The Pew Hispanic Center, a Washington-based institute, estimated in a 2005 report that there are 35,000 to 65,000 illegal immigrants in Missouri — or less than 1 percent of the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in the United States.

Even critics who think students like Alex should not be admitted to public universities acknowledge that these students are not directly at fault for being in the country illegally.

"These kids are in a difficult situation," said Ira Mehlman, spokesman for the Federation for American Immigration Reform. "Everybody understands it and everybody empathizes with it. The question is, who is responsible for putting them in the situation?"

The parents, he said, are the ones who broke the law, and it should be up to them to find a way to deal with the situation.

He believes the unseen victims are legal Missouri residents who don't get a spot at a college or university, losing it to someone who is undocumented.

But most public universities and colleges in Missouri have set admission criteria and accept everyone who applies and meets those standards.

Terry Hartle, senior vice president at the American Council on Education, argued that it's better for society and the economy to educate these students, who are Americanized.

"They are living in our state," he said. "They will be better off if they are educated and we'll be better off."

PROOF OF CITIZENSHIP

The U.S. Supreme Court has made it clear that public elementary and high schools must educate illegal immigrants. But the picture becomes more muddled when it comes to higher education.

Zora AuBuchon, general counsel for the Missouri Department of Higher Education, said she's unaware of any federal or state laws that bar public universities from admitting illegal immigrants. Ten states — including Illinois, Nebraska, and Kansas — not only admit such students but also have passed laws that give them in-state tuition rates.

As it is, the choices for students like Alex are limited. Nearly all public universities and community colleges in Missouri are emphatic in saying they would not knowingly admit illegal immigrants.

Most schools say they ask for proof of a student's visa or residency status if they indicate they are not a U.S. citizen. But at the same time, many schools acknowledge that they take a student's word if they indicate they are a citizen.

Officials at St. Louis Community College have confirmed that they started a practice at the Meramec campus several years ago to allow undocumented students who graduated from a Missouri high school to enroll, but by paying the highest tuition rates.

While some parts of that practice may have ended, Paul Pai, the Meramec campus president, acknowledges that undocumented students who can show a Missouri high school transcript can still be admitted under international student rates.

"We don't knowingly identify these students and recruit them," he said, adding that the college has no tracking system to identify them.

"In the absence of federal and state laws, St. Louis Community College provides educational opportunity to all academically eligible individuals," he added in an e-mail statement.

BARKEEP'S QUANDARY

Some critics wonder whether it's worth spending money to educate students who are here illegally if, in the end, they still will be unable to legally work in the United States.

That is the dilemma faced by Suzanna, a 33-year-old undocumented woman who owns a house in Florissant. She had dreamed of one day being a lawyer — and later a teacher — but is resigned to her current job as a bartender.

She agreed to be interviewed by the Post-Dispatch on the condition that her full name not be used.

Suzanna came to the U.S. from Mexico with her family when she was 14.

After graduating from high school, she attended St. Louis Community College at Meramec. She wanted to transfer to the University of Missouri-St. Louis after she got her associate's degree but was too scared to apply after a friend told her that UMSL asks for proof of legal residency or visa status.

Later, she took classes at the college's Florissant Valley campus in the hopes of becoming a teacher. But then she hit another roadblock, needing a Social Security number to take tests and to apply for jobs, she said.

"What good is the degree if I can't use it?" she said.

Still, she is glad she had a chance to further her education. If she gets legal residency, which her sister has applied for on her behalf, she will not be starting from scratch.

'WHAT'S THE POINT?'

As for Alex, she was hoping to go to a good college, perhaps on an athletics scholarship. At the least, she thought she could go to a community college.

She is a mostly "B" student. Now she wonders about a future without a college degree or a drivers license.

"It's scary because when I'm 18 or older, I don't know what's going to happen to me," she said, wiping away a tear.

One glimmer of hope is that her uncle, who is a legal resident, has applied for Alex and her family to get legal status. But the process can take years, and there is no guarantee of success.

Alex's brother, who is 18 and undocumented, dropped out of high school this year because he didn't see a point of continuing his studies.

"I was telling my mom, 'What's the point of doing good in school?'" Alex said. "And she said, 'You should do your best because you never know what can happen.'"

kkumar@post-dispatch.com | 314-340-8017

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/s ... enDocument

As for Alex, she was hoping to go to a good college, perhaps on an athletics scholarship. At the least, she thought she could go to a community college.

Every American students wants an athletic scholarship, but those scholarships are very rare and should NEVER be available to non-citizen students.

She can get a very good college education in Mexico, at a lower cost too. Once she gets her degree, she can apply to work in the US.

College education is NOT an obligation or a right, it is a privilege for American citizens and LEGAL international students (be they immigrants or not).

[b]Now, Alex wonders what is the point of doing well in school and feels her dream of becoming a lawyer slipping away, especially after her priest mentioned bills making their way through the Missouri Legislature that could affect whether an unknown number of students like her go to college. [/b]






The obvious is being overlooked here. This child can receive a very good college education.....free of charge.....in Mexico when the time comes.

She can also become a lawyer, perhaps one who will fight for her fellow Mexican nationals in order to change the corrupt government in her home country. They need her there, not here.

Also, when she is 18, it is up to her to do the right thing if she chooses to stay here.....go home and apply to come in legally. Her parents may have brought her here illegally, that doesn't mean she has to continue that illegality.