Staff Photo by Allison Kwesell A group of undocumented youth are in the planning stages of starting a group called "Youth in Action" to encourage other undocumented youth to pursue their college education.
DALTON, Ga. -- Ricardo came to the United States when he was 12 and is studying business administration.
Sandra immigrated here when she was 9 years old and is majoring in psychology.
Beyond their search for higher education, both college students also share a secret: They were brought to the United States illegally by their parents.
Sandra and Ricardo started a group called Youth in Action, coordinated by the Coalition of Latino Leaders, to encourage others in their situation to go to college and get involved with the community.
They asked to be identified only by their first names because of their legal status,
"Our main goal is to encourage (other undocumented youth) to change their way of thinking that 'This is it;' that if you don't go to school, that's it; that if you are not legal, that's all you can do," said Sandra, a 24-year-old Mexico native.
The group held its second meeting recently and plans eventually to host activities and events to get others involved.
"We want to bring different speakers to share their testimony, provide college and scholarship information, to get them to think outside the box," she said.
Ricardo said he wants to make a difference in other teens' lives, including his brother, who is also here illegally and is graduating from high school. "I can see he isn't the way I was," Ricardo said. "I knew I was going to college, (and) he's thinking about it. Not because he doesn't want to go, but because of the situation we're in."
In Georgia, illegal immigrants have to pay out-of-state college tuition rates, which can be three times higher than in-state, and they don't qualify for federal aid or loans.
In July, 2007, the Georgia Board of Regents instructed colleges and universities not to give lower in-state tuition to illegal immigrants under a state law forbidding such tuition breaks.
America Gruner, founder of the Coalition of Latino Leaders, said she often gets calls from teens who are undocumented and don't think they can continue their studies.
The Development, Relief and Education of Alien Minors -- or DREAM Act -- would legalize the status of those who came to the United States before age 16 and who join the military or enroll in college. It was reintroduced in Congress in March and has been referred to a Senate committee.
Ms. Gruner said Sandra volunteered to form a support group at a meeting organized by the coalition to discuss the DREAM Act.
"There are smaller children in our homework club who they could help and serve as a positive role model, or perhaps help adults learning English or studying for their citizenship test," she said. "They can be productive members of society while they wait for a change."
Area representatives and senators have said they will not support the DREAM Act, which was first introduced in 2001.
"The Dream Act would reward those who have obtained an education in a system in which they have not contributed," U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., wrote in an e-mail. "While I am sympathetic to students who are seeking financial assistance for educational purposes and were brought to this country by their parents without a choice, I am not supportive of programs that reward those behaviors ... when there are thousands of United States citizens who are in need of similar educational funds," he said.
Ricardo will complete his bachelor's in business administration in May, eight years after graduating from high school with honors
He said he understands "that coming here illegally is a crime, but sometimes we don't have a choice."
"I just ask (people) to walk in our shoes sometime, to see things from our point of view and then they can judge about immigration reform, see if they think differently," he said.
PDF: Dream Act of 2009 factsheet
WHAT IS THE DREAM ACT?
* A bill that would legalize those up to age 35 who entered the country before the age of 16; graduated from a U.S. high school or obtained a GED; have good moral character (no criminal record); and lived continuously in the United States for at least five years before the passage of the bill.
* Persons would have six years in which to obtain a two-year college degree or complete two years of military service.
* The bill also would allow states to give tuition benefits to undocumented students.
Source: www.dreamactivist.org
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Encouraging others to break our laws when a personal need is desired...yeah...makes perfect sense in our day and age....
What gives these illegal aliens the right to invade this Country? Yes, what right?
I for one, am sick and tired of these illegal aliens snubbing their nose at our immigration laws and the many other laws of this Country. If our Federal Government can not ENFORCE our immigration laws, and get these illegal aliens out of this Country, then let the States do it! One way or another, an end has to come to this illegal immigration, and not with AMNESTY! Amnesty will only encourage more illegal aliens to invade our Country and reward those who broke our laws and raped the American taxpayer in many ways...depressing our wages, taking our jobs, overwhelming our schools with their ILLEGAL ALIEN children, driving without a license or car insurance, all the crime from stolen identities to rape, drugs and everything else.
It's time for ZERO TOLERENCE with these illegal aliens. It's time for them get out of this Country and back in their own Country where they belong. When we get rid of the illegal aliens, we will get rid of all the problems that go with them. THAT IS A FACT!
The correct term is illegal aliens, not undocumented youths.
When did the Free Press make a position solely to inform reads about illegals' activities?
It is sometimes distressing how we can many times we blind our minds and only acknowledge what is beneficiary to us. We are proud to be part of this great country, the United States of America, or so we say; however our actions contradict our sayings. This great country, which we are all proud of, was founded under one principle that we have long forgotten, making it the cause of many of the problems our country faces (and it is not illegal immigrants), we have forgotten the Word of God, and we have forgotten to love one another.
I wonder if you who have left the past two comments go to church on Sundays or whether you claim to believe and love God? I hope the answer is no, because if the answer is yes, you are nothing but hypocrites sitting in church praising God and hating all people who are not white and speak English.
Now, let’s look at things objectively. Why are you not honest and come out and say: “I’m tired of these illegal immigrants because I’m racist and discriminate people who are not white and speak English”? Or why we don’t admit to the fact that the American government robs illegal immigrants of taxes and investments to the 401K? Because do you know that illegal immigrants who work are putting money towards the 401k,or other retirement plans, and they will never be able to claim that money? I wonder, who is keeping this money? Or why do we not look at the fact that many areas have good equipment in schools thanks to the illegal students, because did you know that money is distributed to cities (therefore to schools and many other public places) based on population? Therefore, if we don’t have illegal immigrants, it equals no tax money for school, jobs, teachers, etc.
Now, could we not recognize that this great country of the United States of America has become great at the expense of illegal immigrants’ work (not just Hispanics but also African Americans, at one point, and from nationalities around the world)?
And since many are concern about how this illegal immigrants can harm our economy, which is a fable, do we not want these undocumented students to give something back to our country, since the country has already invested in them at least from 5th grade all the way to high school? Do we really want to send them back to enrich another country, and persist to be blinded to the fact that it is beneficiary for the United States for them to be able to work legally; making this a win-win situation for the United States?
What is lost here are the facts. I have an emotional response too-one that is based on knowing and loving many Spanish speaking friends (both legal and illegal) from many countries. I speak and love the language and various dialects. I have worked with the Zapetecas and Mixtecos, the poorest of the poor indigenous peoples of the americas-who are abused and used by both Spanish and English gov'ts and peoples. Many employers here in the US (CA is the worst) use and abuse the illegal population. All of this causes me to 'see' emotional 'red'.
What is fact though is that anyone coming across our borders from any country is here illegally. Their children suffer and are innocent. If I were to sneak across any sovereign nations borders, I would be arrested, jailed and possibly killed. We are in a 'recession', I say it's a Depression in reality.
When the whole Appalachian trail of states is filled with black and white Americans whose families live in abject poverty and this, for 200 years, why haven't we, as a people been outraged by this lack of compassion? Where are all the groups and our gov'ts aid for these people who are so overlooked? Is this racial or elitist in origin or both?
Traditionally, it's been individuals and churches who have stepped up to the plate and aided the poor. Maybe we need to re-mobilize and re-think how we give charity and take it away. Maybe, billionaires like Oprah and Bradjolina and Bill Gates could spend a little of their huge fortunes in helping the children of illegal immigrants finish their schooling?
Where are the Latino/Cubano/South American communities and why don't they get together en masse and raise money to help these children? Some individuals do, but not enough. Some are too busy creating anti-white, anti-American groups like La Mecha and La Raza (the 'Race').
For all chidren are worth the effort in my view. They are all God's children too. They and we need to be taught to respect one another, at least for the goal of all of us being 'Americans', as our ancestors became.
Emotion sounds good sometimes, but using our brains and putting our collective heads together always works out for the best.