[NLA] Undocumented Youth-Legislation Alert

Mon Jul 1 19:19:10 EDT 2002

Dear Colleagues:
The situation where a child is raised in the US, often graduates from a US high school, speaks fluent English, and then discovers that their life is effectively over because they are not documented, is a frequent tragedy here on the border. Their friends are going on to college and/or employment, while they find out that will be lucky to find work as maids or gardeners, at less than minimum wage. In the cases I have encountered, the youth did not realize they were undocumented until they tried to do something that requires documentation, such as sign up for a summer youth program, take the GED exam, enroll in college, or get a job. Until that point, they were just like any other American teenager, with the same dreams and future plans as their peers.

If these teens are discovered, they are deported to Mexico (most of them are Mexican, although not all are), as almost happened to the non-Spanish speaking disabled foster child a friend I know took in as an infant (Congress intervened). Once I had to deal with an entire family of three boys who thought they were born in El Paso--their parents had never told them they were born in Mexico and were undocumented.  They were devastated. I have had teens present local border crossing cards, thinking that meant they were US citizens. A few months ago, I met a teenage foster child, whose mother had abandoned her as an infant and whose father had brought her to the US immediately after--later she was taken away from him for abuse and placed in foster care and he fled to Mexico. Her foster mother confided to me that the girl was turning sixteen in a week and would be released from foster care--right into the hands of INS for immediate deportation to Mexico. On the Mexican side, she would be returned to her abusive father, whom she feared and hated.  The girl had no idea about what was going to happen on her 16th birthday because the foster mother could not bring herself to tell the teen--who was doing well in high school, active in her English-speaking church, etc.

For the teens I have encountered, Mexico is a foreign country, and they haven't a clue how to survive there. Because of difficulties crossing the border, some of them have never crossed back into Mexico after coming here as infants or toddlers. They may have relatives who will take them in, but often these are distant relatives they have never met, and many have nowhere to go at all.

Now legislation has been introduced by senators to create a way to regularize the immigration status of kids like this.  Here is a summary of the legislation, and a call for support: 
Kathleen Bombach

Alert:
Senate Judiciary Action on Undocumented Students this Thursday

If you live in one of the below-listed states, please contact your 
Senator right away.

Urge him or her to vote in favor of S. 1291, the DREAM Act, at 
Thursday's mark-up in the Senate Judiciary Committee. 

(Thanks to National Immigration Law Center for posting this alert)

NOTE: The National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights is joining 
with with national, regional and local organizations in actively 
supporting the the Hatch-Durbin student adjustment bill, S. 1291, also 
known as the DREAM Act. If you would like to become more actively 
involved in nationwide organizing efforts, please contact us by sending 
an email to cgomez at nnirr.org. 

SUMMARY

The Senate Judiciary Committee will address the Hatch-Durbin student
adjustment bill, S.1291, this Thursday, June 20. S. 1291, the (DREAM) 
Act, represents a bipartisan agreement by Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and 
Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL) to provide relief to immigrant students. 
Specifically, the DREAM Act would provide immigration relief to 
undocumented young people of good moral character who have spent five 
years or more in the U.S., who
have graduated from high school here, and who are at least 12 years old 
on the date of enactment. Additionally, the Hatch-Durbin DREAM Act would 
eliminate the federal provision that discourages states from providing 
in-state tuition to undocumented students.

The anti-immigrant Federation for American Immigration Reform has sent 
out an alert on this subject, so you can be sure that Senators will be 
hearing from their side. If you are from one of the below-listed states, 
you can help balance the anti-immigrant calls by calling your Senator 
right away.

BACKGROUND

Each year, tens of thousands of undocumented students, many of whom have 
lived in the U.S. for at least 5 years, graduate from U.S. high schools. 
Most were brought here at a very young age by their parents, and thus 
had no part in the decision to enter the country illegally. Almost all 
of them speak English and consider themselves Americans; they've grown 
up here and are here to stay, but their lives are filled with 
uncertainty and hold little future so long as they cannot regularize 
their immigration status.

Under current law, most children are dependent on their parents for 
their immigration status and have no means of obtaining legal status 
even though they may have lived in the U.S. for many years. 
Additionally, federal law discourages states from providing in-state 
tuition or higher education assistance to these children. As a result, 
most will be prevented from attending college because they cannot afford 
out-of-state tuition and do not qualify for Pell grants or student 
loans.

The current law is detrimental to everybody, not just to the children 
who are forced to defer their dreams. When significant numbers of 
talented students in our communities are prevented from reaching their 
full potential, we all suffer. Class valedictorians, straight-A 
students, and idealistic youngsters committed to bettering society have 
all been subject to the same harsh rules.

A bipartisan coalition in Congress strongly supports legislation to help 
these young people, and several serious proposals are now under
consideration on Capitol Hill. Last year, Senators Hatch and Durbin
introduced separate versions of legislation, and now they have merged 
their proposals into one, the DREAM Act, S. 1291. In addition to the 
Hatch-Durbin proposal in the Senate, several bills have been introduced 
in the House. Representative Chris Cannon (R-UT) introduced H.R. 1918, 
the most important of the House bills, which was cosponsored by Howard 
Berman (D-CA) and Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA). Like the DREAM Act, H.R. 
1918 would eliminate the federal provision that discourages states from 
providing in-state
tuition. It would also legalize young people who have good moral 
character, have lived in the U.S. at least 5 years, are in school in 7th 
grade or above, and are under 21 years old.

SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE MEMBERS

DEMOCRATS

* Patrick Leahy, Chairman (D-VT)
(202) 224-4242

* Edward Kennedy (D-MA)
(202) 224-4543

* Joseph Biden (D-DE)
(202) 224-5042

* Herbert Kohl (D-WI)
(202) 224-5653

* Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)
(202)224-3841

* Russ Feingold (D-WI)
(202) 224-5323

* Charles Schumer (D-NY)
(202) 224-6542

* Richard Durbin (D-IL)
(202) 224-2152

* Maria Cantwell (D-WA)
(202) 224-3441

* John Edwards (D-NC)
(202) 224-3154

REPUBLICANS

* Orrin Hatch, Ranking Member (R-UT)
(202) 224-5251

* Strom Thurmond (R-SC)
(202) 224-5972

* Charles Grassley (R-IA)
(202) 224-3744

* Arlen Specter (R-PA)
(202) 224-4254

* Jon Kyl (R-AZ)
(202) 224-4521

* Mike DeWine (R-OH)
(202) 224-2315

* Jeff Sessions (R-AL)
(202) 224-4124

* Sam Brownback (R-KS)
(202) 224-6521

* Mitch McConnell (R-KY)
(202) 224-2541

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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT:

National Immigration Law Center Los Angeles Office: 213-639-3900 
(general calls and requests for materials) Washington, D.C. Office: 
202-216-0261 (calls regarding policy issues)

__________________________________________________
Tiana J. Murillo
Research Assistant
National Immigration Law Center
1101 14th Street, N.W., Suite 410
Washington, D.C. 20009
P: 202-216-0261
F: 202-216-0266

**************************************************************
National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (NNIRR)
310-8th St., Ste. 303
Oakland, CA 94607
510.465.1984
510.465.1885 (fax)
Visit us at www.nnirr.org

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