DREAM Act opens doors
By Arlee Vang
Policy Research Intern, Hmong National Development, Inc.
Within the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities, thousands of high school graduates — who
include valedictorians, honor students, and star athletes — are being shut out of higher education due to their
undocumented status. Though these students may legally attend most colleges, they are unable to apply for most
forms of financial aid. Access to higher education should not be based on immigration status. Many of these
students arrived in the United States as young children and have been socialized as Americans. It is to address
this injustice that the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act, also known as the DREAM Act, was
reintroduced on March 26, 2009. The DREAM Act would allow a path to legalization for undocumented students, as
well as qualify them for financial assistance to alleviate the costs of a college education.
We hope that people become aware of the importance of the DREAM Act and voice their support for the aspirations
of these talented students.
DREAM ACT
Many high school seniors will have finalized their college choices by the summer. They patiently prepare for the
college experience; working four hard years to make it happen. However, the excitement of this time for many
Policy Research Intern, Hmong National Development, Inc.
Within the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities, thousands of high school graduates — who
include valedictorians, honor students, and star athletes — are being shut out of higher education due to their
undocumented status. Though these students may legally attend most colleges, they are unable to apply for most
forms of financial aid. Access to higher education should not be based on immigration status. Many of these
students arrived in the United States as young children and have been socialized as Americans. It is to address
this injustice that the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act, also known as the DREAM Act, was
reintroduced on March 26, 2009. The DREAM Act would allow a path to legalization for undocumented students, as
well as qualify them for financial assistance to alleviate the costs of a college education.
We hope that people become aware of the importance of the DREAM Act and voice their support for the aspirations
of these talented students.
DREAM ACT
Many high school seniors will have finalized their college choices by the summer. They patiently prepare for the
college experience; working four hard years to make it happen. However, the excitement of this time for many
of our nation’s top students is often met with despair and disappointment. Students who have worked diligently throughout their high school careers may
face barriers which seem insurmountable, one of those barriers being their undocumented status. The 65,000 undocumented high school students, many
who came as young children to the United States, are among the country’s class valedictorians, honor students and star athletes. They have been
socialized as Americans, having gone through the American education system. Unfortunately, their immigration status is often derived from their parents.
If their parents are illegal immigrants or in the process of gaining citizenship, then undocumented students are often shut out of higher
education.
However, there is hope in the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act, also known as the DREAM Act.
The DREAM Act will provide students with good moral character, who have been in the United States since the age of 15 or younger, or five years before
the date of the bill’s enactment, a path to legalization. Undocumented students who have been accepted to a college, have been awarded a G.E.D. or
have graduated from high school will be eligible for conditional permanent residence status, which is similar to legal permanent residence status. Under
the conditional status, students will be able to receive federal work study, student loans, and state financial aid in order to relieve some of the financial
burden of a college education. To lift the conditional permanent residency and obtain legal resident status, the student must graduate from a two-year
college or vocational college, have studied at least two years towards a bachelors or higher degree, or have served in the armed forces for at least two
years.
The DREAM Act has very real benefits for the Asian Pacific Islander community. One in five Korean Americans are undocumented, many of them under
the age of 18. Kristina Peralta, a community advocate with the Immigrant Rights Program at the Asian American Law Caucus, works with students in the
Asian Students Promoting Immigration Reform through Education (ASPIRE) program. Peralta states that there are many students who are undocumented
within the Asian Pacific Islander community, but the stigma of being undocumented prevents them from telling their stories. For most Southeast Asian
communities, like the Hmong, who came to the United States as refugees, being undocumented is less prevalent. However, this is not the case for all.
Caroline Vang is hoping that the DREAM Act will finally pass. Caroline’s college dreams were greatly limited because of her uncertain immigration
status. Caroline, her young sister, and her parents immigrated to the United States from France in 1989 when she was five years old. However, due to a
mistake made by the Immigration and Naturalization Service, the Vang family did not go through the normal procedures for asylum seekers. They did not
have information of their status for 10 years, until the federal government began deportation proceedings. Caroline and her family have been able to stay
in the United States, however; thanks to a bill on their behalf sponsored by a Michigan senator.
Nevertheless, their immigration status has prevented Caroline from gaining the full financial support she needed for college. As a result of her family’s
residency status, Caroline was unable to apply for federal financial aid or loans. Caroline had to forego her first choice for college, and attended Macomb
Community College instead, where she was charged an international tuition fee. Even though Caroline and her family have lived in the United States for
close to 20 years, opened a restaurant, and have been tax- paying “Americans,” Caroline was unable to receive in-state tuition.
Caroline knows the psychological impact of being an American in every sense of the word, except on paper. She did not feel comfortable telling her
high school friends about her status, stating, “If my friends had found out about it, I would have been worried.” She was worried about gossip from those
who may not fully understand her family’s situation. Caroline’s story is just one of many students who have worked hard in high school, only to realize
that their dreams are on hold because of their immigration status.
Mark Silverman, the Director of Immigration Policy at the Immigration Legal Resource Center, has high hopes for the DREAM Act this year as it comes
up for a vote. Silverman cites several factors which will be advantageous as the bill moves through Congress. President Obama’s open support for the
bill, as well as the increasing number of non-immigrant voters who are concerned with immigration, are placing pressure on President Obama and
Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform.
Support for the DREAM Act has been building. On April 21, 2009, the College Board, most recognizable to students as the administrators of the SAT,
introduced a report entitled, “Young Lives on Hold: The College Dreams of Undocumented Students.” The College Board’s report, authored by Roberto
Gonzales, stresses the fairness and economic benefit of a path to legalization for undocumented students. Senator Menendez commended the College
Board’s support of education for all students. He stated, “It would be a clear demonstration of the true character and goodness of America to allow her
future citizens the same chance to develop their talents and pursue their dreams.”
The DREAM Act is currently in the Senate Judiciary Committee. The importance of the DREAM Act to Asian American and Pacific Islander communities
is paramount. The immigration status of students should have no bearing on the accessibility of secondary education. In order to voice your support for
the DREAM Act, contact the offices of your U.S.Congressional representatives and senators and urge them to support the DREAM Act. For further
information on how you can get involved, visit www.dreamactivists.org.
face barriers which seem insurmountable, one of those barriers being their undocumented status. The 65,000 undocumented high school students, many
who came as young children to the United States, are among the country’s class valedictorians, honor students and star athletes. They have been
socialized as Americans, having gone through the American education system. Unfortunately, their immigration status is often derived from their parents.
If their parents are illegal immigrants or in the process of gaining citizenship, then undocumented students are often shut out of higher
education.
However, there is hope in the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act, also known as the DREAM Act.
The DREAM Act will provide students with good moral character, who have been in the United States since the age of 15 or younger, or five years before
the date of the bill’s enactment, a path to legalization. Undocumented students who have been accepted to a college, have been awarded a G.E.D. or
have graduated from high school will be eligible for conditional permanent residence status, which is similar to legal permanent residence status. Under
the conditional status, students will be able to receive federal work study, student loans, and state financial aid in order to relieve some of the financial
burden of a college education. To lift the conditional permanent residency and obtain legal resident status, the student must graduate from a two-year
college or vocational college, have studied at least two years towards a bachelors or higher degree, or have served in the armed forces for at least two
years.
The DREAM Act has very real benefits for the Asian Pacific Islander community. One in five Korean Americans are undocumented, many of them under
the age of 18. Kristina Peralta, a community advocate with the Immigrant Rights Program at the Asian American Law Caucus, works with students in the
Asian Students Promoting Immigration Reform through Education (ASPIRE) program. Peralta states that there are many students who are undocumented
within the Asian Pacific Islander community, but the stigma of being undocumented prevents them from telling their stories. For most Southeast Asian
communities, like the Hmong, who came to the United States as refugees, being undocumented is less prevalent. However, this is not the case for all.
Caroline Vang is hoping that the DREAM Act will finally pass. Caroline’s college dreams were greatly limited because of her uncertain immigration
status. Caroline, her young sister, and her parents immigrated to the United States from France in 1989 when she was five years old. However, due to a
mistake made by the Immigration and Naturalization Service, the Vang family did not go through the normal procedures for asylum seekers. They did not
have information of their status for 10 years, until the federal government began deportation proceedings. Caroline and her family have been able to stay
in the United States, however; thanks to a bill on their behalf sponsored by a Michigan senator.
Nevertheless, their immigration status has prevented Caroline from gaining the full financial support she needed for college. As a result of her family’s
residency status, Caroline was unable to apply for federal financial aid or loans. Caroline had to forego her first choice for college, and attended Macomb
Community College instead, where she was charged an international tuition fee. Even though Caroline and her family have lived in the United States for
close to 20 years, opened a restaurant, and have been tax- paying “Americans,” Caroline was unable to receive in-state tuition.
Caroline knows the psychological impact of being an American in every sense of the word, except on paper. She did not feel comfortable telling her
high school friends about her status, stating, “If my friends had found out about it, I would have been worried.” She was worried about gossip from those
who may not fully understand her family’s situation. Caroline’s story is just one of many students who have worked hard in high school, only to realize
that their dreams are on hold because of their immigration status.
Mark Silverman, the Director of Immigration Policy at the Immigration Legal Resource Center, has high hopes for the DREAM Act this year as it comes
up for a vote. Silverman cites several factors which will be advantageous as the bill moves through Congress. President Obama’s open support for the
bill, as well as the increasing number of non-immigrant voters who are concerned with immigration, are placing pressure on President Obama and
Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform.
Support for the DREAM Act has been building. On April 21, 2009, the College Board, most recognizable to students as the administrators of the SAT,
introduced a report entitled, “Young Lives on Hold: The College Dreams of Undocumented Students.” The College Board’s report, authored by Roberto
Gonzales, stresses the fairness and economic benefit of a path to legalization for undocumented students. Senator Menendez commended the College
Board’s support of education for all students. He stated, “It would be a clear demonstration of the true character and goodness of America to allow her
future citizens the same chance to develop their talents and pursue their dreams.”
The DREAM Act is currently in the Senate Judiciary Committee. The importance of the DREAM Act to Asian American and Pacific Islander communities
is paramount. The immigration status of students should have no bearing on the accessibility of secondary education. In order to voice your support for
the DREAM Act, contact the offices of your U.S.Congressional representatives and senators and urge them to support the DREAM Act. For further
information on how you can get involved, visit www.dreamactivists.org.
