Triangle area high school and college students gathered at El Pueblo, Inc. last night for a planning meeting for the Student Movement for Immigration Reform in support of a new bill in congress called the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act.
According to Luis Smith, a student at Wake Tech, the purpose of the meeting was to educate local youth who are from a family of immigrants or who are immigrants themselves, as well as providing awareness to everyone the local area about the DREAM Act, current immigration reform and why they should support it.
“Most people in the U.S. aren’t really aware of the situations of undocumented immigrants. They only hear what the news and other bias media sources say about why immigrants shouldn’t’ be allowed to attend universities or have to pay out of state tuition without financial aid,” Smith said.
Kathryn Kevin, the youth program coordinator at El Pueblo volunteers at the Student Immigration Reform meetings to help youth who are or may be apart of a family of undocumented immigrants.
“It’s important because their voices are never heard,” Kevin said. “We train them on advocacy, their rights, how the government works, and how to analyze the media so they can have tools to advocate for themselves and their families.”
During the meeting many of the youth expressed personal stories of hardship and deportation due to loved ones undocumented status’ in an effort to illustrate why the DREAM Act is important to future generations of immigrants, their families, and the United States.
“People think that the label ‘undocumented immigrant’ stands for not being human. They are,” Meredith student Carla Marinez said. ”They have rights and liberties just like everyone else. They came here in an effort to have a better life for their family and educate themselves. The U.S. prides itself on it’s freedoms and liberties given to humans but they don’t consider illegal immigrants to be humans that are deserving of these rights. Education is a right.”
According to the group, allowing undocumented immigrants to receive a college education and gain citizenship through the DREAM Act is a step forward in the right direction but there are many obstacles they need to overcome.
“The Dream Act will allow undocumented immigrants gain an education that will be beneficial to the U.S. If they are educated they can obtain a job and work and stimulate the economy. They will be able to legalize their citizenship and achieve the american dream that their families brought them here to have. Most youth are legal citizens but their families are not. They shouldn’t be penalized for their parent’s decision” said Marinez.
According to Carolina Escobar, a post-doctoral student in Population Health and Pathobiology an education deters violence, drug use, and poverty in immigrant communities. It prevents them from being a burden on society. Educations allows undocumented immigrants work for their citizenship and improve their lives.
“People don’t see that aspect of immigration reform,” Escobar said. “They only believe what they hear. People in immigrant communities are too afraid of deportation and having their families split apart to speak out and correct the false arguments that stand in the way of Immigration reform in education. That’s why it’s important to explain their rights to them so that they will not be afraid.”
Escobar said the argument many make concerning immigrants not paying taxes doesn’t hold water.
Their paychecks have social security and Medicaid taken out too. But they don’t receive those benefits. They are paying for something that don’t have the to right to use which actually makes the government programs more money. Every time they buy something like food and clothes they have to pay sales tax as well. “
The majority of illegal immigrants obtain a Tax ID number from a local government office that allows them to pay their taxes at the end of the year like everyone else.
Many of the students explained that most illegal immigrants do not chose to be undocumented.
Citizenship is a long and expensive process. You have to hire an attorney and spend thousands of dollars. Most families come here to make money because they aren’t able to back in their own country. They don’t even have the money to pay for food and families. To obtain citizenship they have to work in the U.S. before they can engage in the citizenship process.
Nowadays you need a good education to get a job that pays well enough to be able to afford citizenship and most immigrants cannot do that.
Overall the members of the Student Movement for Immigration Reform is hopeful about the DREAM Act passing They have put together strategies as well as teams to help rally support for the Act.
“Each team has members with different positions that are in charge of contacting the media, congressmen, and recruiting people in the effort. The team will also share their personal stories in order to shed light on the issue,” John Redlin, a freshman in environment and technology, said.
“Hopefully the teams will be able to provide awareness to the University, other colleges in the area, and the public about the horrible situations undocumented immigrants must endure,” Redlin said. ”People’s lives have been ruined, friends have been lost, and families have been broken apart. Maybe this well show the public why undocumented immigrants deserve an education as well.”
Freshman Manuel Vazquez said she wanted to inform the public that illegal immigrants are a part of the country’s culture.
“Undocumented immigrants are the kids you grew up with in school, on sports, teams, and in clubs,” Vazquez said. “They aren’t criminals. In fact most of them have clean records. They are just like everyone else who want to do their best, get an American education, and make the most out of their life.”
