Student body president in CA is illegal immigrant

[struggle4progress]

By GARANCE BURKE
The Associated Press
Wednesday, November 17, 2010; 7:03 PM

FRESNO, Calif. -- The popular student body president at California State University, Fresno has publicly revealed what he had long sought to keep a secret: He's an illegal immigrant.

Pedro Ramirez, 23, previously told campus administrators in confidence that he had been concerned about going public about his status.

But that changed Tuesday after The Collegian, a campus newspaper at the largest university in California's prolific farming region, disclosed his status after receiving an anonymous e-mail.

"I don't want this issue to be about me," Ramirez told The Associated Press Wednesday. "This is a big, big issue that should have been addressed a long time ago. My goal is to bring awareness to that" ...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/17/AR2010111704730.html

[Xipe Totec]

1. K&R

Though the rec was eaten by a snake in the grass.

[pinboy3niner]

2. K&R

[marmar]

3. Somebody's unrec'ing this one hard.....

Good for Pedro. He's quite courageous.

[CreekDog]

12. more courageous than silently unrecommending

:D

[a la izquierda]

4. K & R

"This is a big, big issue that should have been addressed a long time ago." Right you are.

[Name removed]

5. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[AlabamaLibrul]

7. Bye!

[struggle4progress]

8. This is why the DREAM Act is necessary

[marmar]

9. At least you're not trying to hide behind a deceptive screen name.....

I'll give you props for that.

[proud2BlibKansan]

14. For you I'm thinking pepperoni may be necessary

[AlabamaLibrul]

15. Dinner's already been served, man. They just didn't delete the post. n/t

[Name removed]

6. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[struggle4progress]

10. Fresno State student president outed as illegal immigrant. Does it matter?

Fresno State University student body president Pedro Ramirez was revealed to be an illegal immigrant by an anonymous tip. He says he won't step down.
By Daniel B. Wood, Staff writer / November 17, 2010

Los Angeles

An anonymous student at Fresno State University outed student body President Pedro Ramirez – revealing that Mr. Ramirez is an illegal immigrant the day after the state supreme court ruled that illegal immigrants could claim in-state tuition ...

Mr. Ramirez, brought to the US from Mexico when he was 3, says he didn’t know he was not a citizen until he was a senior in high school. Elected student body president last June, Ramirez is working without the $9,000 stipend for his position because he refused to lie on employment papers ...

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Education/2010/1117/Fresno-State-student-president-outed-as-illegal-immigrant.-Does-it-matter

[struggle4progress]

11. Cal State Fresno's student body president is an illegal immigrant

y Diana Marcum, Los Angeles Times
November 18, 2010

Reporting from Fresno — ... He was to study hard, get good grades and claim the prize, but it wasn't until that night in their kitchen when the high school valedictorian was filling out university applications that they told him a missing detail — he wasn't a United States citizen. He was born in Mexico. He came to this country when he was 3 years old ...

School administrators said Ramirez broke no rules by running for president of Associated Students Inc ...

A foreshadowing of Ramirez's step into public discourse came with what at first seemed good news for him. After winning the presidency by a sizable margin in June, he found out that it came with a $9,000 stipend ...

He looked at the forms and realized he couldn't fill them out without a Social Security number ...

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-1118-illegal-immigrant-presiden20101118,0,5635027.story

[struggle4progress]

13. Statement from President Welty

By Dr. John D. Welty | November 17, 2010

... The state Supreme Court upheld Assembly Bill 540, a statute that allows students who have attended a California high school for three years to pay in-state tuition. The court ruled that the high school attendance requirement does not involve residency, and therefore does not violate the federal immigration laws. Under AB 540, enacted eight years ago, the CSU charges in-state tuition to undocumented students who meet the requirement.

Pedro Ramirez, who was born in Mexico and brought to the Valley as a child by his parents, is one such student. He filed the appropriate AB 540 paperwork when he applied for admission to Fresno State. ASI requirements do not address immigration status, so Mr. Ramirez was not prohibited from running for ASI office.

Soon after his election, he personally notified me and ASI advisers about his immigration status, and volunteered to serve without pay as president, since his status does not allow him to receive a paycheck.

I commend Mr. Ramirez and other AB 540 students who are following state statute as they seek higher education ...

http://collegian.csufresno.edu/2010/11/17/statement-from-president-john-d-welty/

[EFerrari]

16. Wow. That's one brave person.

:kick:

[alp227]

17. Hard work matters, right?

Conservatives value hard work...they love America and say "it's great!"...but to them America does not belong smelly illegal immigrants who want a better life. Try to read the comments posted on the original sources for the reports, and notice that the anti-immigrants say "what about the citizens?" all the time. The idea that someone could overcome the circumstances of being in the shadows is just SHOCKING...because aren't all illegal immigrants lazy, welfare-leeching, multiplying-like-rats, gang-banging bums? :sarcasm:

But seriously let's solve the real problems. As long as America remains a great, prosperous country, immigration is NEVER gonna end. Deal with it. Real solutions to the illegal immigration problem? (1) Penalize employers who hire the undocumented. (2) For the current illegal immigrants, "pay a fine & go to the back of the line" pathway to citizenship or deportation. (3) Future preventative measures such as expanded green card system.

I wish Pedro well, and he and others like him should fight the hate and champion the American Dream, which is not reserved for just those who are fortunate enough to be born here.

[Freetradesucks]

18. Is he receiving in-state tuition rates,

I would have a problem. If he is paying full price...not so much.

[alp227]

19. In-state tuition applies to all students who've attended/grad'd from CA high school

regardless of immigration status