Essay about Undocumented Students

If we talk about undocumented immigrants in United States, we usually focus on the benefits and jobs they take from our country, but have we ever stood in their shoes and imagine what life is like for an illegal immigrant? To live as an undocumented immigrant is a bad situation, but I believe to be a child of an undocumented immigrant is even worse, because their choices are limited and they are unaware of their rights to attend colleges. In this research, I will focus on undocumented immigrant students, who are unable to afford for higher education, and the fear of their unknown future which is mainly cause by their undocumented status. The largest invisible group in America, to explore “what are the struggles and unsolved problems of

About half a million children are born to undocumented immigrants every year. These children are not given the opportunities that they so rightly deserve. They spend their entire lives in the United States and are considered illegal immigrants. They are given no choice, but to live their life as an undocumented immigrant. That is what the DREAM Act is trying to solve. The DREAM Act, or Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors is a proposal that would provide permanent residency to undocumented immigrants who meet certain eligibility requirements (The DREAM Act). If the DREAM Act is approved, then the education will be improved. It will improve the economy, the military will receive a significant increase in recruitments, and

applicants are those under the protection of this program whom are of age of thirty one years or

DREAM Act qualifiers are chosen by very specific and narrow guidelines. A few of the conditions include entering the United States before the age 16 and have been here in the U.S. for at least 5 years in a row before the bill has been enacted. The person would have to have either received an American high school diploma or GED, or have been accepted into some kind of college and/or university. The applicant would have to be no younger than twelve and no older than thirty five at the time of their application. Also, they would have to have proof of “good moral character”. There is no solid definition for the term “good moral character”, except

More than 11 million undocumented illegal immigrants fill the US. Over the past hundreds years immigrants have been coming into the United States,this process has continued. And some may disagree and believe in that immigrants should not have a path to citizenship. It is immigrants should have a path to citizenship. Undocumented immigrants should get a path to citizenship

An educational reform in higher education would eliminate the many educational and occupational barriers undocumented students face today. By permitting access to undocumented students into postsecondary education and earn a degree would eliminate poverty and unemployment levels in the country. It is essential to give as many young people undocumented or not the opportunity to enroll and succeed in postsecondary education to strengthen the economy of the United States. The younger generations are the future of this country and undocumented students are not the exception. These young students also play an important part in society today and if given the opportunity to earn a professional degree will most definitely impact American society in the years to come.

Approximately 200,000 to 225,000 undocumented immigrants enroll in American institutions of higher education and represent 2 percent of all students in college (Suarez-Orozco, Katsiaficas, Birchall, Alcantar, & Hernandez, 2015). Undocumented students have low rates of enrollment to programs of higher education in comparison to documented students. When undocumented students begin college, they go through struggles to adapt and assimilate to college life. As a result of feeling disconnected to the campus they attend, undocumented students may look for different options for support, such as clubs and centers offered for students. In recent years, there have been legal changes set in place to support the success of undocumented students enrolled in higher education, which include in state tuition, financial aid, and scholarship opportunities. These changes have given undocumented students more choices and access to

The Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act was introduced in 2001, with yet to be completely passed into law, and was created in order to allow current, former, and future undocumented high-school graduates and GED recipients to pursue a three-step pathway to gain U.S. citizenship through work, college, or the armed services. The first step of this plan regards the recipient’s conditional permanent residence, meaning they have residential status for up to eight years. Secondly, the recipient must soon be granted lawful permanent residence, or a green card. And lastly, they can apply for citizenship after 5 years with their green card. To qualify for this, the child must have moved to the US before sixteen years of age,

“First, the minors must have excellent moral character. This is generally understood that they have not committed any crimes. Second, they must have either graduated from a US high school or obtained their GED certificate in the United States. Third, they must have first moved to the United States as a minor and lived there for at least five years prior to the DREAM Act becoming law.If applicants fulfill these requirements, the DREAM Act would give them official temporary residency status after they either served in the military for two years or completed two years of college. The temporary residency status would last for a period of six years, during which they would be eligible to apply for permanent resident status.”(Salem Press,2013)

Specific Purpose: To persuade the members of my audience to support that undocumented students should have access to in-state tuition.

Many felt like their door is closed because of being undocumented, and some abandon their American dream and gave up hope (Shelepov, n.d.). To challenge the constitutionality of this law and provide equal opportunities for all students, several states decided to establish their own immigration legislation to allowed undocumented students’ access to in-state tuition rates and eligible for certain scholarships or state financial aid. For instance, California, Illinois, Kansa, Maryland, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wisconsin help undocumented students afford to attend college by paying the same college tuition as other residents (The DREAM Act, 2010). The state of California created their own DREAM Act that allowed undocumented students to received reduced in-state tuition at public colleges and universities. They can also receive in-state financial support such as Cal Grant A, B, or C only if undocumented students apply, meet certain requirements and submit an application (DREAM ACT (n.d.). The state of California also provide extending loans if undocumented students have financial need. The dream is coming true for many undocumented students as some states have already made it possible for them to pursue their college

Eligible individuals must be age 35 or younger, hold a high school diploma or GED, and pass a criminal background check … Permanent residency may be offered to those who choose to complete two years of military service or two years of higher education. Early versions of the bill failed in 2001 and 2007…. As of 2016, the DREAM Act has not been passed.”

After six years under conditional permanent residency with a “good moral character,” (Duncan A.19") they can then apply for their permanent resident status and then eventually become U.S citizens. It is reasonable that after meeting such strict requirements and attending American schools for so long, they should be able to become U.S citizens.

The United States is a country affected by illegal immigration. The term illegal aliens or what is most commonly known as illegal immigrants, the word alien is simply a person who comes from a foreign country. A much more accurate expression for these groups of individuals is the term illegal alien. The term illegal alien is a much more precise term because it deals with both undocumented aliens as well as nonimmigrant visa overstayers. Both terms illegal alien as well as illegal immigrant are used to describe individuals who have broken the law of our country to enter and work illegally. The majority of the immigrants who come to this country illegally are in search of the

“Education is the most powerful weapon, which you can use it to change the world.” Nelson Mandela’s quote exemplifies that education is like a shield that will protect us from whatever is harming the world. We can use education to change the world, but what if some people cannot have an education? This is the case of the Dreamers, mostly known as undocumented students. Most of these students did not know they were undocumented, until they either had to apply to college, work, vote or have their driver’s license. It was not until, August 1, 2001, that the bill of DREAM Act was introduced several times, but of all those several times, the bill has failed to pass. Instead of the DREAM Act, undocumented students were given the Deferred Action opportunity,