Immigrant students hopeful DREAM will become a reality

By Jazm�n Beltr�n Mendoza

Saturday, July 31, 2004 11:00 PM CDT

MILWAUKEE - A few months ago, 17-year-old Brenda's dreams of becoming an immigration lawyer seemed almost impossible.

But after the Board of the University of Wisconsin System passed a resolution to grant undocumented students in-state tuition, she has a better chance of pursuing her goals.

Brenda, who asked that her full name not be disclosed, is undocumented. Prior to the June passage of the resolution, she had to pay out-of-state tuition to attend any university in the state of Wisconsin.

"Back then I used to feel very frustrated. I didn't think I was going to go (to college) because I didn't have the opportunity," said Brenda, who added that paying out-of-state tuition was impossible for her family.

At the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, a full-time non-resident student during the 2003-2004 paid $17,858. A Wisconsin resident paid $5,106.

This means that for the amount of tuition Brenda would have paid for one year at UW-Milwaukee, a resident would have paid three years and still had $2,540 left.

Even though the resolution has removed one barrier to higher education for these students, they still are not eligible for financial aid.

For this reason, students, educators and advocates for undocumented students' rights continue to press Congress for passage of the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act, or DREAM Act. If approved, this legislation would allow undocumented students to apply for financial aid and in the future obtain citizenship.

"We can ... continue fighting for the rights of immigrant students," said Javier Tapia, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee who for the last three years has been an advocate of helping undocumented students pursue higher education.

Brenda, who emigrated from Mexico City in 1994 at the age of 7, has completed almost all of her education in the United States. She speaks fluent English, watches American television and enjoys doing what other documented teenagers her age enjoy. She is in every sense an American, except that she

doesn't possess a Social Security number, and therefore is not entitled to the full benefits of education.

Her case is not uncommon. Brenda is only one of 65,000 undocumented students who graduate from high schools in the United States every year, according to a study by the Urban Institute, a nonpartisan economic and social policy research organization. In the Racine Unified School District there are an estimated 3,000 to 3,500 Latino students, said Jose Martinez, assistant superintendent for secondary education for the Racine Unified School District. Martinez added that he does not know how many undocumented students attend Unified because schools are not allowed to ask about a student's legal status. At a press conference in Milwaukee organized by Voces de la Frontera, a center that advocates for workers' rights and immigration issues, a young woman from Chicago named Cynthia spoke about her experience as an immigrant student.

"The sadness came during our last year in high school as we realized we had completed all of the requirements to obtain scholarships and financial aid, but none of that helped because, unfortunately, they judged by one number - our Social Security number," said Cynthia, who was an honor roll student during her four years in high school.

"This ripped many of my hopes, froze my goals and shredded my dreams ... I know I can fly very high. I cannot do it alone, I need all of you," said Cynthia, who did not give her last name.

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