http://www.elpasotimes.com/ci_3933822

Undocumented grads face obstacles

By Louie Gilot / El Paso Times
El Paso Times

When Luis' friends graduated from high school last month, their future was clear. They would go to a good college and would celebrate their last summer before adulthood by traveling the country.
Luis, 18, graduated as well, with honors. He was even accepted to his dream school, St. Mary's University in San Antonio, where he wanted to study physical therapy.

But Luis won't be going to St. Mary's, and he won't be hanging out this summer. He'll be working in a restaurant to save money for UTEP.

Although he came from Juárez when he was a young child and considers himself an American, Luis is an undocumented immigrant. As such, he can't get financial aid, and the $28,000-a-year private- college tuition is out of reach. Traveling outside El Paso is also a no-no because he would have to go through a Border Patrol checkpoint. In fact, Luis can't even drive because he can't get a driver license.

"This is where I call home. This is my country. I don't hide when I see a Border Patrol car. Sometimes I get frustrated. Why me? I haven't done anything to anybody," said Luis, who asked that his last name not be used.

The path to higher education for undocumented children like Luis -- and there are an estimated 1.8 million of them in the United States, according to numbers from the Pew Hispanic Center -- is spattered with obstacles.

These students have to pay foreign-student rates in some states, although not in Texas, and can't receive federal financial aid.

But some persevere and make it through.

The salutatorian at Princeton University this year was an undocumented immigrant, according to news reports. The Pew Hispanic Center found that 48 percent of undocumented children who graduate from high school in the United States go to college. By comparison, 73 percent of documented immigrant children and 70 percent of native children go to college.

These numbers might change thanks to the so-called DREAM Act, now a provision in S.2611, the Senate immigration bill passed last month. The act would allow the legalization of undocumented immigrants headed for college.

"It would give them a future to do what we want all kids to do, go to college, graduate and pursue a career. Not be forced to take low-paying jobs," said Iliana Holguin, executive director of the Diocesan Migrant and Refugee Services.

Luis' testimony was read last year at a congressional briefing on the DREAM Act.

Immigrants'-rights activists said the DREAM Act could motivate some to stay in school.

Only 8 percent of the nation's teens are foreign-born, but nearly 25 percent of teen school dropouts were born outside the United States, according to a Pew Hispanic Center analysis of data from the 2000 U.S. Census.

The Senate now has to reconcile the bill with the House version, which is more focused on border security, before the law can be enacted.

For now, those in Texas benefit from Texas House Bill 1403, which since 2001 has allowed undocumented high-school graduates to pay in-state tuition in state schools instead of foreign- student tuition, cutting the amount by more than half to about $2,000 per semester at the University of Texas at El Paso. Texas was the first of seven states enacting such a law. Students eligible for in-state tuition under Texas House Bill 1403 must have resided in the state for three years.

This spring semester, 93 undocumented immigrants were enrolled at El Paso Community College out of a total of 24,450 students. UTEP officials said they do not ask students about their immigration status.

Yvonne Diaz, 18, came to El Paso with her family four years ago.

"Everything was OK in high school, but it got complicated during my senior year," she said. That's when she realized she wouldn't qualify for financial aid.

She turned to El Paso Community College but said she was told erroneously that she couldn't enroll because of her status. It took her a semester to figure out it wasn't so. She enrolled in January to study psychology.

She still struggles to come up with her tuition -- $600 a semester. Of her U.S. citizen friends from high school, "very few are going to college. They work at McDonald's. Many girls have children and are married and stay in the house," she said. "I came to better myself, not to waste my time."

Luis said he'll make $70 or $80 a day as a waiter this summer to pay for UTEP. He said he won't worry about what will happen after college.

"My main goal is to get my college degree. That's why my parents came over here. That's all I'm worried about. I hope by the time I graduate, I'll have my papers," he said.

Luis' father became a legal resident two years ago and sponsored him, but the backlog is such that he could be waiting seven years for his green card, according to estimates by the U.S. Department of State.

His two younger brothers, however, were born in the United States and are U.S. citizens. As long as they study hard, Luis said, getting to college will be easier for them.

Louie Gilot may be reached at lgilot@elpasotimes.com; 546-6131.

Information on college options for undocumented immigrants: www.onlinecollegenetwork.com.



College dreams fade






College-bound
Who goes to college after graduating from high school:

48 percent of undocumented immigrants' children.

73 percent of documented immigrants' children.

70 percent of native children.
Source: Pew Hispanic Center.



The DREAM Act

Students who have been brought to the United States more than five years ago when they were 15 years old or younger and demonstrate good moral character would be permitted to apply for a six-year permit to attend college after graduating from high school. Permanent residence could be granted at the end of the six-year period.

The federal provision that discourages states from providing in-state tuition to undocumented immigrant students would be eliminated.

Each year, about 65,000 U.S.-raised students would qualify for the DREAM Act.

Sponsors of the bill: Sens. Richard Durbin, D-Ill.; Chuck Hagel, R-Neb.; and Richard Lugar, R-Ind., and Reps. Lincoln Diaz-Balart, R-Fla.; Howard Berman, D-Calif.; and Lucille Roybal-Allard, D-Calif.
Source: National Immigration Law Center.