A sad situation involving children of undocumented workers. I

[harrison]

realize that this scenario is probably familiar to many of you with higher Latino populations, but this is a new phenomenon for those of us in rural Mississippi. During the past few years, we have seen an influx of undocumented workers, mainly of Hispanic extraction.

Like all our forebears, they are here for a better life. Federal law allows for the children of undocumented workers to attend public high school. However, they can not attend college.

So, across this country, there are thousands of children who have achieved much in high school, but are prohibited by law from attending college. They are in educational limbo.

Orrin Hatch and Dick Durbin have introduced legislation known as the DREAM ACT (S 1545) to allow these children to go to college in the US. These children will have to co through an interview process and at some point will have to perform community service or join the military. It is a good law and addresses this problem.

I do not believe that it has enough votes to pass as of yet, but I will tell you that it is heartbreaking to talk with these children. They will tell you of going through graduation and hearing all their friends talk about their college plans and their futures and they can't go. Many of these students would be highly recruited by colleges if the law allowed them to attend.

Their families are here and they don't want to go back to their native country for college, and be so far from their families. My observation is that Latino families are very close knit. Most of them want to be in America, and if they go back, they fear their dream of becoming an American citizen will never come true.

Anyway, if any of you feel compelled to contact your Senator or Representative encouraging them to vote for this act, it would be appreciated.

America is strong because we believe in education and it is the right thing to allow these bright students to continue their education. IF they become citizens, then they will only add great things to this country.

If any of you have more insight into the DREAM ACT or this situation, please share.

Just one voice here in the wilderness hoping to drum up a little support for a good cause.

[2Design]

1. they can become citizens...then go to college

it is great we give our 'free' public education away to others

[harrison]

2. Actually, they have to pay their way to college. And it is very

difficult at this moment to become a citizen. I don't know all the details, but it takes years.

[2Design]

3. If they are smart as was stated...they can start the process while

still in hs...

There are tons of foreigners in our colleges and they get all the scholarships because they are not working so their income is low..

so why can't they do the same thing....

[foreigncorrespondent]

4. Because...

...just for community college, it costs (in CA two years ago), $14,000 a TERM! I should know, Sapphocrat and I looked into it. Where do you think they are gonna get the money from?

[2Design]

6. sorry....seeing foreigners getting aid when I can't ...

I know a friend, who had a student in hs from a foreign country here for student exchange....he got scholarships to get through college free....didn't work .....

I have school loans...and I have to work to support myself and pay rent.....while going to school.....

they are already getting a free education in k=12 that they would not get in their own country....

they need to apply as foreigners and get scholarships or work in hs or apply for citizenship....and get student loans....

IMHO

[foreigncorrespondent]

7. Well that is a petty argument AFAIAC...

...I come from Australia, and here we help people regardless of their citizenship status.

Mate, my partner of four plus years is an American citizen, but I still can't get there and become a bloody citizen myself, so how do you think people with NO connection to the U.S. are gonna be able to become citizens?

Becoming a citizen isn't as easy as being born there.

[2Design]

10. I believe we help a lot already by getting them free education

for k-12...that they would not get otherwise...

but just like with iraq...we want to build and make their country better and give billions away...while we have usa citizens living on the street...

so it isn't they we shouldn't help but to put others before any of us all the time...isn't good either.....

if all the aid is given to non usa...then we have usa citizens living in the street.....

so a balance would be good....

so we are helping them.....and many others...

there are plenty of foreign students in our colleges and getting aid already as I posted earlier.... if they apply as a student from a foreign country...that may be their best bet....

colleges bend over backwards to give scholarships to foreigners over and above usa citizens from what I can see....

I just wish they would give usa citizens as many breaks...but they don't ....is all I was saying...

[Nikia]

5. Does this involve federal aid?

At my college we had several foreign students. I don't know if the college had to agree to only admit properly documented students or if it doesn't really matter. I think colleges can choose to give foreign students scholarships if they wish too. Community college is somewhat inexpensive here in Wisonsin. In Ohio (where I graduated high school), I could have attended a local community college free based on their program to attract high acheiving students. The cost of attending a 4 year college rises much more rapidly than inflation and is out of financial reach of many without some kind of aid. I think that these students should have an opportunity to receive financial aid. I was unaware that they were prohibited legally from attending college though.

[Tansy_Gold]

8. Community college can be expensive for non-(legal)-residents.

I can get really irritated at this "well, if I can't have it for free no one else should have it at all" attitude.

It's like, okay, I should get it free because I was so fucking goddamn lucky to be born here, but anyone else should have to work their ass off.

When the truth is, few of them get anything for free. They and their parents often live in dire poverty, doing without a lot of the necessities that we take for granted. They work a lot of jobs few of "us" would ever consider: picking vegetables, cleaning motel rooms, cheap manual labor jobs with low pay, no benefits, few protections.

I live in Arizona. I see these folks all the time. I see the men who stand on the curb, hoping for a day labor job that might pay as much as $40 for a 12-hour stint at trimming trees or hauling trash. I've seen their kids, caught between hope and fear, living each day never knowing what the next is going to bring. Many of the kids had little say in whether they are here or "there," wherever "there" is/was.

I've got college loans, too, a ton. And I didn't even have the opportunity to finish college until I was almost 50, with a lot less time to pay all that money back. But I think ANY kid who can make the grade, and especially one who can make the grade under the adverse conditions of poverty and undocumented status, that kid ought to be commended and assisted, not treated like some parasite. Not even here on DU.

[napi21]

9. Sorry folks. Get the parents to get here legally!

You think the US should help EVERYBODY, no matter what. Not true.

My son is working in Italy on a work visa. It is almost impossible for him to become a citizen there (if he wanted to do that). He cannot buy property or start a business. The only way he could buy a house is to marry an Italian girl and have her buy the house or start the business.

The people in Mexico need to fight with their President to make things better there so they could stay home and make a decent living and be with their family and friends.

I dosagree with this "Lets do everything for the illegals" just at much as I disagree with the buy the drugs from Canada idea. Mexico should be working to make things better for their citizens, and the US sould force the drug companies to make things better fot the US citizens instead of relying on another Country to bail them out. It's the same thing!

[Valerie5555]

11. Too bad the American Presidency was only open to NATIVE born Americans

and not NATURALIZED Americans in a way, for if Ken Taylor, aka "the exfiltrator" were one, and had he been more inclined to be "bitten by the political bug," I am sure he would have made the Shrub or * sweat buckets and he would have had him give new meaning to the term running :scared: .

[merh]

12. Hello harrison from another voice in the wilderness that is Mississippi.

I will try to contact our legislators, but you know as well as I do that we are in a horrific region and our legislators are up to their a**es in the alligators of the GOP power machine.
Unfortunately we have 4 years of the terror and destruction of the repukes control. Divide & Privatize :cry: