Source: Associated Press..
When Fabiola Guevara graduated from highschool 11 years after her mother fled from Mexico, she had nearly a perfect 4.0 grade point average. Her dream was to enroll in a state university nursing program, but she didn't even apply. Guevara couldn't afford higher education.
Like thousands of other illegal immigrant students, Guevara was ineligible for college financial aid. And it would cost triple her mother's housekeeper wages to attend a public university because undocumented students don't qualify for in-state tuition discounts. " I studied here all my life. What am I supposed to do with the rest of my life? Work as a housekeeper? Pick beans in the fields?" says Guevara.
Federal law prohibits illegal immigrant students from receiving government-backed loans and grants to attend college. The law, which was part of 1996 immigration reforms, also discourages states from providing these students in-state tuition rates at public colleges and universities.
But lawmakers in Congress have proposed legislation to help students like Guevara. The Development,Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act, more commonly known as the DREAM ACT would allow undocumented students who arrived in the US before they turned 16 and have lived here at least five years to become temporary legal residents, making them eligible for college financial aid and other benefits.
Foreign-born students could potentially fill teaching and nursing jobs, addressing a shortage that grows more critical as baby boomers retire, Flores said.
"These children are being penalized. It's no fault of theirs that they're not citizens," Frederica Wilson says. Many were brought to the US by their parents when they were five or six and worked hard for years in the US public schools. "I think we owe them. They have a right. They want to be somebody. It's reminiscent of many civil rights battles that I as an African-American had to fight," Wilson said...
Guevara's mother remarried an American citizen and now is eligible to apply for citizenship....
WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Wait just a damn minute! Since when do illegal immigrants have the RIGHTS that legal Americans do??? Why tie this into the nursing shortage?? It has nothing to do with it.. The reason for the nursing shortage is because of the pitiful wages that the colleges pay the instructors. Who wants to leave the hospital arenas to teach when you would have to take a serious cut in pay? That's why the median age for instructors is in the late 50's and they are getting closer to retirement..
How do these illegal students get through our school system without being noticed that they are illegal?? I had to transfer my kids from one school to the next and without their "Original" birth certificates, I was given a rash of crap!!!!!
Here's a couple of solutions!!! Apply for a green card and go through the system!! Become a LEGAL American and we are more than happy to help you succeed. Or you can just marry an American and stay here through that loophole like lots of people do..
Don't get me wrong.. I'm not anti-immigration. My family came over from Germany back in the 1700's.My husband's family came through Ellis Island from Italy in the early 20th Century. Everyone here except for the Native Americans are transplanted from somewhere else. I don't have a problem with others coming into this country to make a better place for themselves. JUST DO IT LEGALLY!!!!!!!! Stop trying to tie other issues into the nursing shortage to play on people's sympathies... These illegal immigrant students should be placing the blame on their own parents who didn't follow the law and come into this country legally... People who leave their countries pass up the opportunities to be their future politicians and hopes for their peoples. Change can only happen by the will of the people. People can only change their corrupt governments by standing up to them. The Mexican people need good medical care just like we do. If you love your homeland, change it! If you want to come here instead, come legally and we will welcome you with open arms!!!
A footnote for thought! Sneaking illegally into Mexico will not get you free welfare benefits, social security benefits, free public education, and free medical care. You will get thrown into prison and will not get a free bus ride to the border..
well they would apply for a green card and go through the system if it didnt take so damn long. They say it takes about 2 years but it can take more than to 10 years in some cases. And if everyone came here from other countries (except for Native Americans) why are they making it so hard now to come here legally nowadays? Before almost everyone could come legally so thats why there was not any need to come here illegally. And also it is true that in their countries they need better health care also but they came here for a reason. Maybe in their countries they are not safe like they are here. And lets be truthful, illegal immigrants are a great help to this country. I dont think anybody else would want to clean houses, work in fields, or build houses for the money that they get paid. And most of them pay taxes!!!
ReplyDeleteI have a close friend who is undocumented, her parents brought her to the US when she was about 12 yrs old. Their visa gave them 6 months to stay in the US but they ended up staying for many years. She went to school here and was even accepted in college bc she had very good grades.. The point is that she will soon be graduating from college with a bachellor's in nursing. She wants to stay and work but everyone is telling her that she can't apply for a greencard bc she is here illegaly and hospitals would not sponsor her nor will the country give her papers. She has even spoken to a lawyer.
ReplyDeleteDo you have any suggestions that would help her?
Anonymous 1, If one would like to come to America to live they would apply to the system and go through all of the steps necessary. If I wanted to move to another country to live, I would do just that. If the living conditions are bad where people come from, change needs to happen. The people need to stand up for themselves like we did in the revolutionary times. Many people died for our freedoms. Why do they think that it should be any different anywhere else?
ReplyDeleteAnonymous 2, I feel badly for your friend who's parents didn't follow the proper channels to obtain citizenship. Obviously, they didn't think of what their children would have to suffer. I think she did the right thing by consulting a lawyer. Hopefully, she will be able to apply for an expedited visa.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry but your remarks are absolutely absurd. Why not stay in their home country? Are you seriously asking this question?? There is NO future for them in their own country. I've been to Mexico many times, and moving up the social scale is close to impossible. Everyone has the right to seek for a better future. In Mexico there is no such thing as welfare, no such thing as homeless shelters. In Mexico you don't have the same advantages that you have here.
ReplyDeleteyea right, is not that easy people, if it wouldn't for the racist immigration people, foreign immigrants would come with their papers in order, but instead of giving green cards and work permits to people who want and need to come and work for their families they are denied. they would give visas, work permits, tourist and visitor visas to people who has money, bank accounts, properties, doctors, lawyer and so on. seriously do you think rich people would want to leave their counties of origin to come and clean rooms in hotels, work in restaurants, construction and so on? obviously not. I think that there are a lot of illegal immigrants who deserve being American more than a lot of "real" Americans that I know.
ReplyDeleteexactly everyone has the right to seek for a better future, plus hey is of human nature to move from one place to another. People who are judgemental of illegal immigrants and said "just come legally" seriously your need to research the topic so your know what are your talking about with evidence and information not just say what other are saying like "monkey see monkey do" get educated, get informed then give your opinion. The more educated one person is, the more open minded, those who criticize without known are usually undereducated, ignorant, and jealous of what illegal immigrants can do even without green card. They raise their children and most of them have descent and better quality of life than many welfare dependent legal Americans.
ReplyDeleteI think that people who say "go to the back of the line" and " follow the steps necessary, that's what I would do," have no idea what they are saying. Just go and live in lating America for one year;then,tell me things are as easy as you think. The situation is like drowning, and either you let me in your boat or I'll drown. Just think about this: If you had a dream, say buy a house,and they told you that you have to apply to buy this house. The wait is about 10 to 15 years to never; meanwhile, you can live in the streets. What would you do?
ReplyDeleteAll people, no matter who it is nor where is it from deserves the right to dream and live a happy life. I think most of illegal immigrants come to the U.S to work hard for their families, and aren't doing harm to this country or the people. C'mone let's brake those chains of racism. God loves us all. Let's live in peace and sharing love with each other. Give all a chance of having a better life. God bless us all.
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