Two students stood out from the 130 who filtered through my Santa Rosa Junior College journalism classes this year. Usually students like these keep quiet. They work long hours outside of school, and they don't complain. They haven't shared personal stories, until this year.
The first student, who I'll call "Tony," wrote this:
"I became nobody when my parents decided to step foot in the United States when I was only 9 months old. At 9 months, I became an undocumented immigrant, deprived of a nine-digit Social Security number that would come to haunt my family as our time as criminals in this country ticked on."
Tony wants to be a journalist. He's bilingual, motivated and as talented as any student I've taught. He's got a young face that could belong to several nationalities and a likable personality that will help sources trust him. He was just accepted to a journalism program at a California state university. He's got everything going for him - except citizenship.
Tony is not allowed to possess a driver's license. When a sheriff's deputy pulled him over for speeding, he impounded Tony's car. It cost $300, but Tony was lucky. He could have been deported to a country in which he only spent his infancy.
Tony put himself through SRJC and worked to save for the university, where he must pay full tuition. Tony's brother earned a degree in political science but has a job as a winery bartender. Why? Few businesses will risk hiring someone without a Social Security number. Tony's career choices may also be limited, no matter how many degrees he attains.
My student "Grace" shares a similar story. In the United States since age 4, Grace didn't know she was different from her friends until she wanted her learner's permit to drive. Her parents told she was an "illegal." She grew depressed, and her grades slipped. "I felt like everything I did was useless," she said.
In her junior year, she regained honor roll status and starred on the soccer team. She has donated more than 2,000 hours over the past three years to four area charities.
Grace was admitted to UC Merced but couldn't afford it without financial aid. She now attends SRJC and works full time in hopes of saving enough to transfer. She says she has grown stronger in dealing with her illegal status but still faces harsh daily realities: "You can't disclose certain things to people. All the time, you live in fear of getting caught in this country."
Tony and Grace are "Dreamers," kids for whom passage of the Dream Act would enable them to pursue their dreams like their American-born friends. The federal Dream Act would allow a six-year conditional path to citizenship, requiring two years in the military or a college degree. The California version of the Dream Act (Assembly Bills 130 and 131) would make "Dreamers" eligible for state financial aid and scholarships.
Until legislation passes, my students and thousands like them live in fear because their parents committed the "crime" of illegal immigration. But will punishing their children reduce immigration? Nowhere else in American society do we hold children responsible for their parents' actions.
Ethics aside, let's consider the numbers. At least 65,000 Dreamers graduated from American high schools this spring. With a Social Security number, these students could buy health, life and car insurance policies, pay license fees and, most importantly, pay taxes. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that if the Dream Act passes, Dreamers will collectively contribute $2.3 billion to government revenues between 2011 and 2020, reducing the deficit by $1.4 billion. By not allowing Dreamers to fully contribute to our society, we increase their dependence on government services.
In the end, we should pass the federal and state Dream Acts because it's the right thing to do. We should pass them because we've learned that treating one group of Americans as lesser humans breeds poverty, crime, hatred and racial intolerance.
A truly advanced nation should abolish discrimination on all fronts, so every student, born here or brought here, can have equal access to a future.
Anne Belden teaches journalism at Santa Rosa Junior College. She lives in Sebastopol.
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