The LA Times has a front page article on the need for agricultural workers. It also tells of a series of raids in southern California - these raids are announced as attempts to capture gang members and criminals who are also undocumented.
So when DREAM ACT students traveled on a train from LA to Santa Ana, dressed up in suits and telling people "this is what a Dream Act student looks like" -- do people actually believe them? We have been saturated with images of an evil, predatory "Illegal aliens" --- the words sound so harsh, is this the descriptoin of a real human being?
When will the U.S. media begin to correct this mis-representation? Most undocumented people are not criminals or gang members. Many are the parents of these very same students.
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Illegal immigrant students lobby for a chance at legal residency
A bill making them eligible for green cards is expected to come up for a vote by the full Senate before Nov. 16.
By Jennifer Delson, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
October 5, 2007
Illegal immigrant students boarded rush-hour Metrolink trains in Santa Ana last week to bring attention to pending legislation that could make them eligible for green cards and put them on the path toward U.S. citizenship.
These young adults, brought to the United States by their parents when they were children, tried to explain to commuters why the federal government should give them legal U.S. residency. Without green cards, the students said they could graduate from college but would probably have trouble pursuing professional careers.
Frank Nuñez, who has spent 23 of his 24 years in the United States, wore a business suit and boarded the Metrolink train headed to Irvine.
"We want to get the word out, and we want people to see us, to see that we aren't what people think illegal immigrants look like," Nuñez said. "A lot of people think of an illegal immigrant as Paco who just crossed the border yesterday and is in front of Home Depot looking for work."
Aboard the train, Nuñez approached passengers and said, "Hello, my name is Frank, and I'm an undocumented student," before lobbying for their support of the proposed federal law.
Nuñez and other students around California will spend the next several weeks trying to drum up support with more train rides, teach-ins and campus protests promoting the Dream Act, which stands for Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors. The act is expected to come up for a vote by the full Senate before Nov. 16. Opponents blocked a previous vote on the legislation, denouncing it as a reward for the children of lawbreakers.
"For the next two weeks, we will see a lot of activity from immigrant students on college campuses and in high schools and in the community," said Horacio Arroyo, who has coordinated statewide Dream Act initiatives for the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles. "They will range from educating undocumented students to what their rights are, to telling them to call their representatives."
In another Metrolink car, Long Beach State student Jessica De Nova made a confession to a fellow passenger.
"It's hard for someone to say it," she said to Greg Ebbensgaard, who was heading home from an Irvine manufacturing job. "But I'm an undocumented student. It's important for me to say it because I want you to get an image of what we look like."
Ebbensgaard looked at De Nova, who wore a black blazer and had her hair in a stylish bob, and said he wanted to learn more about the Dream Act.
"We need people like you," he said. "They always focus on illegal immigrants as criminals. That's what's hurting you guys. They should narrow the laws so they just block criminals from getting in the country."
Other students, such as Carlos, who asked that his last name not be published, were not warmly received. He told commuter Mike Bander, 58, of San Juan Capistrano: "I go to college, and it's important to me and other undocumented students who are fighting for their dreams that you support the Dream Act."
Bander, a high school teacher in Huntington Park, was not swayed.
"I'm not against these kids going to school, but our funds are limited, and there are only so many pieces of the pie," he said. "It's possible that when they go to college, they take a seat from someone who is a citizen."
The National Immigration Law Center in Washington estimates that at least 65,000 high school students in the U.S. graduate each year without legal immigration status.
Under the Dream Act, immigrants who have been in the country for at least five years, have a high school diploma and meet other requirements could receive conditional legal residency. Over the next six years, they would have to spend two years in college or the military to qualify for permanent legal residency, a step toward citizenship.
Rick Oltman, spokesman for Californians for Population Stabilization, opposes the legislation and believes it has little chance of passage.
"If we just give the students a break, who will be the next group we will have to give a break to? We're constantly moving the line," Oltman said. "It's unfortunate for these kids . . . but who should feel the discomfort, these kids or American citizens' kids who feel the discomfort when they take away resources and seats in college classrooms?"
Students across the state are also asking Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to sign the California Dream Act, which would relax some financial aid requirements for undocumented students. The act was approved by the state Legislature on Sept. 11 and remains on the governor's desk.
At the Korean Resource Center, a campaign is underway to get Los Angeles-area residents to sign postcards that will be sent to members of Congress, said immigrant rights coordinator Yong Ho Kim. The postcards read: "One in five Koreans are undocumented. Please pass the Dream Act so that young people can go to college and achieve their dreams."
In Orange County, a coalition has prepared a resolution for local city councils. A vote on the Dream Act resolution could be taken in the Santa Ana City Council later this month, said James Johnson, community liaison of the Orange County Dream Team, a coalition of students and allies lobbying for the legislation.
On Oct. 13, the group will perform a 20-minute play at the Breath of Fire Theater in Santa Ana. The play's title, "Nine Digits Away From My Dream," refers to the need to have a Social Security number to secure a good job.
"We're fighting for young people who didn't have any say in their situation," Johnson said. "They did what they were told and came here with their parents. They went to school. They have goals, and they are reaching out for them. We need to help."
jennifer.delson@latimes.com
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1 comment:
Regarding the article on the students boarding Metrolink trains, the first issue this raises is about Metrolink policy. Did the students violate the Metrolink policy against soliciting on its trains? This policy is described in the Metrolink Ride Guide on page 7. From the passenger point of view, we expect Metrolink to enforce its policies even-handedly, so why didn't the conductor require these students to comply with the policy.
Next, I'd like to comment on the way that the story was presented in the Times. The photograph accompanying the story clearly shows pre-teen students. These students were not those who boarded the trains. They were also all, by appearance, Hispanic, while the article went on to describe a Korean effort in support of DREAM. The apposition of young children to the article is then clearly designed only to engender compassion. All of the "students" described in the article must have been old enough to be high school graduates because anyone high school age or younger would have been violating the state education law by skipping school.
So we have three people described in the article.
Frank Nunez (No college, 24)
Jessica De Nova (Long Beach State, no age)
Carlos (No college, no age)
I'm going to guess here, but all three are, once again, apparently, Hispanic. Of course, when the pro-illegal immigrant groups lobby, they always charge racism or anti-Hispanic sentiment against their opponents. Well, here was an opportunity for free publicity in the Los Angeles Times, and the pro groups only presented faces of illegal immigrants with south-of-the-border heritage. I would posit that the pro groups can be more aptly labelled racist because of the their own lack of inclusion of Asian, African, and European illegal immigrants.
Back to the students. Only one identified the college she attended. And one didn't want to be identified. The reporter made special note of how well-dressed they were. Call me cynical, but did the reporter get any background about these "students". Which high school did they graduate from? Which college did they attend? Are they currently enrolled in a college program? Did they graduate? How many years have they been in this country illegally? Did their parents bring them to this country before they were 16 (the DREAM requirement)?
Having seen the past tactics of the pro groups, I would venture to posit that one or all of these "students" would not actually qualify for the DREAM Act. Perhaps, one or all are even legal residents or citizens. And perhaps, one or all are being paid by one or more of the pro groups as activists. If any of these possibilities are true, doesn't that call into question their statements and activities.
I guess my question is why are U.S. citizens required to take self-serving descriptions of the people presented in these anecdotal articles as the gospel truth? While if we take a position opposing the pro groups, we are labelled out-of-hand as racists, bigots, xenophobes, or any number of other disparaging labels. Why is it un-American to demand that the laws of the country be respected and enforced?
Now to the specifics of the DREAM Act. If it were truly to help individual young people who have demonstrated initiative to make something of themselves under the burden of being here illegally, I would not oppose it.
The problem is DREAM is not about that. DREAM is about fraud. It encourages fraud from the onset with an application that can't be challenged and immediately suspends any pending immigration actions against the applicant. I have to chuckle whenever I read that the applicants have to "meet other requirements". Meeting any of the "requirements" is as simple as making a statement that the applicant meets the requirement. I had to provide more proof to get my children registered in grade school than a DREAM applicant will have to provide. And if it is discovered that the applicant perjures himself or herself on the application there is no consequence. And if it is discovered that the applicant has been involved in criminal activity either before or after their entry into the United States, it can't be used against them and can't be reported to the proper authorities under severe penalty ($10,000 fine) to the bureaucrat who violates this provision. Even that 17-year-old Santa Monica rapist, as reported in the San Jose Mercury News last week, would be eligible for DREAM.
Perhaps my primary objection, however, is that it doesn't just reward the deserving students who, arguably, cannot be blamed for the actions of their parents. Once the DREAM applicant gets legal status, he or she can begin the chain migration cycle by getting legal status for his or her parents, and so on, and so on, and so on.
My next major objection is that it is not only retroactive, but also prospective. Not limiting DREAM to those that are already here simply encourages foreign parents to make sure they bring their young children with them, because eventually their illegal act will bring them permanent residence status and the full panoply of social and welfare benefits that we Americans provide for our most disadvantaged residents.
And finally, we should recognize that all of the DREAM applicants will have received a significant benefit in achieving a high school diploma and perhaps even a college education funded by the American taxpayer while our own children have had to deal with all the disadvantages of an overburdened educational system. And isn't receiving two years of college or technical school just another benefit? Why aren't American children who graduate high school being guaranteed that same benefit?
And then there is the military service option. This is actually the only option, if it were restricted to actual military service (but it isn't), that tends to demonstrate that the DREAM applicant really wants to repay the country for the huge benefits the applicant has already received. However, if this were the only option, it would exclude too many young people from the amnesty, because the military has quite high standards on who it enlists these days.
So, if DREAM is really for the benefit of the deserving few, then Senator Durbin should limit it to those deserving few and make sure that no one with a criminal history of any kind is allowed to get the prize. And he should also restrict the DREAM applicant from using the chain immigration provisions of the law to bring relatives into the country. And Durbin should also severely penalize anyone who falsifies their application. But Durbin has already stated that he won't make any more compromises. And the reason is that limiting DREAM wouldn't be worth it because it then wouldn't be a general amnesty for millions of illegal immigrants in this country already.
I am a first generation American. My parents emigrated legally as children to this country from Germany during the depression and the rise of National Socialism. In each family's case, it took as many as seven years for all the family members to be reunited in this country.
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