I was about three years old when my cousin and her parents came to live with us from Libya. I don’t really remember much from that short year except for the stories my mom has told me and the pictures we have in old photo albums. In almost every picture we have together in that first year, my cousin and I were made to look exactly alike. She was about two years older than me, but my height made up for that difference. Our moms bought us the same clothes, and with that we became almost like twins. But there was something about us that the pictures didn’t show, something that set us apart and made us different from one another. I was born here and therefore given all the rights of an American citizen, while she was born in Libya and came here because her parents decided America would be the better place for their children to grow up and live in. She was not an American citizen. She was, and still is, undocumented in this country.
While I knew she was undocumented, I never really understood what that meant until I came to UCLA this past year. My cousin attends UC Davis right now and hopes to one day go to medical school. The fact that she doesn’t receive any financial aid and the fact that she might not even be able to become a doctor – that angers me. It frustrates me. We grew up TOGETHER, here, in the SAME country. She’s just as much a part of this country as I am – why isn’t she given the same rights? Reading the article about the man who wrote the truth as a reporter yet kept having to invent lies about his own life, it honestly made me think about my cousin and how that might be her in a couple of years.
What should we do? Educate others and ourselves. People aren’t aware of the hardships undocumented students go through everyday. I know that I am VERY thankful for the students at UCLA who have opened my eyes to the story of the undocumented student.
I agree we must educate everyone. Ignorance is still present with us, even among educate students. If we inform them about the situation that undocumented students face then hopefully they will advocate for their needs. I admire your cousin and all the other undocumented students in the US. I would not know what to do if I was in that situation. My parents left everything in Mexico so that I could learn English and get a better education; thankfully I managed to be studying here at UCLA. Us as UCLA students have a way to help and that is my joining the AB 540 project that is part of CPOSA. They go out to students (mainly in high school) that are undocumented and let them know how to get into a four year university. As a transfer student, I knew of many undocumented students in my community college, but I have to say I was delighted and surprise to see that many are here at UCLA and in other four year institutions. They fact that they are here demonstrates their capacity to achieve something that for most of them their parents could not. My parents never managed to finish school and yet they are proud of having to children who are studding here. Imagine how proud the parents of those undocumented students must be, given the fact that they face struggles ten times more difficult and have to work even multiple jobs to pay for the unbearable cost of tuition.
ReplyDelete-If anyone if interesting in joining the AB 540 project, let me know and I can provided the contact information of the Project Directors :)
Reading what Lana had to say was sad. It bewilders me that people can be leaving in such states for such long periods of time and actually manage to survive. And yet the government refuses to accept these individuals as their own. They have adjusted to the community, excelled in their fields, and have earned the right to be here, so why can't they just be accepted. I understand that there are two sides to the story, but it's just frustrating for me. Maybe it would be a problem if people migrated here in the hundreds of thousands and then all of them demanded that they immediately become legal residents or citizens, but this is not the case.
ReplyDeletei agree with what is being said here....undocumented students should be advocated for and not discriminated against...it was not their fault that they were born in a certain place. ignorance is still present everything...yes i agree. however, i would like to acknowledge the fact that there are indeed two sides to every story. yes it is frustrating...but it is a problem that cannot be solved by simply blaming the government for not accepting them. the government should work to make a streamlined, uniform system regarding immigration...an issue that has been at forefront in political issues for a while. So, as I do not think that Undocumented students should be discriminated against (because many of them simply were just brought here) and should be accepted because they are here....however, i do think that in order to solve a problem on our hands regarding immigration...the government should tighten down and be more responsible in making a system to control it.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Kent in the fact that the government needs to create a more clear cut system regarding immigration. The issue of undocumented students is an obscure one in which many students are here not due to their own wishes, but because their parents wanted them to have more opportunities in America. So how are we to address a situation where children were brought here obliviously when they were too young to even remember much of a time before living in the US? This is a question that I feel that people struggle with. There are so many exceptions to the rule, and situations in which one simple solution cannot fix. I do believe that undocumented students, especially those in college, should be commended for their dedication to their education despite their obstacles. I've taken so many things for granted in my life, and to read and expose myself to the lives of others made me realize that some things in life should be accessible to all, such as an education.
ReplyDeleteI agree it is just sad to hear stories like this happened on undocumented students because sometimes kids do not have a choice but follow their parents. I guess lana' cousin had no idea what hardship he would face in the future when he moved here with his parents. However, I am not blaming his parents, since they sacrifice their lives which may not be so troublesome in their own country. They experienced fear, worry and prejudice...I think it is not about whether it is right or wrong now, but about something called "hope". It is human nature to pursue a better live. If these people are sent back to their country, the hope will be crushed into pieces and all their hardwork is denied. From this point, i think it is better for the goverment to put more energy in stoping people who plan to come not in a right way instead of in banishing people who have already lived here for a long time.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Noor and Kent both..it is frustrating that the only available solution to this huge and consistent problem is deportation of "illegal" immigrants which seems very extreme but the issue is that hundreds and thousands are coming in as undocumented and it affects the entire infrastructure of a country. Its frustrating becuase there is no solution that can appease both sides of the situation however each side must be ready to compromise something in order for it work.
ReplyDeleteReading your story is very touching. I know it's extremely hard for undocumented students to pursue higher education. The articles that we read, especially the one "My life as an Undocumented Immigrant", really touched my heart as well as your story. I think that if people's voice is loud enough about the issue, hopefully our lawmarkers will listen someday.
ReplyDeleteKathy
Thing is, how do you actually fix this sort of situation? People want a better life, yes, and the parents come to the United States outside the regular bounds of immigration. It's not the fault of the undocumented students, and they should have the same rights, but how would you go about doing that? Open borders would change the infrastructure entirely. I'm not well-versed enough on the issue to comment on what changes would be wrought, though.
ReplyDeleteThe world isn't a fair place. It's up to us to make it fairer a little bit at a time, but we are still constrained by economics and societal impacts and the like. Idealism needs to be balanced out by practicality. Still, by identifying the problem, we are closer to finding a solution.
This immigration topic strikes me at heart because it's something I grew up around. I consider myself very fortunate to have been born in American soil. I've been able to reap the benefit to travel outside the country without restrictions, obtain the privilege to drive and attend one of the country's best universities because I hold the proper documentation. A piece of paper is worth so much.
ReplyDeleteBut when I look around me, knowing there is people out there who work a lot more than I do and who definitely deserve a better life than the one they have now –the life they came in search for– makes me feel frustrated and disappointed. Frustrated because I live in a community considered a sanctuary for undocumented immigrants, and have seen so much been denied to people I care about, and disappointed in our county's system to be considered by many the land of opportunity but incapable of providing all its inhabitants the same rights and opportunities.
There is really no equality. And the more I think about it I see instead of progressing, this country is going back to the old ways of thinking, cutting the wings of those trying to learn how to fly because there is that need to feel superior to others.
Its interesting how simple paperwork can determine if you are given the same benefits as someone else. Its true Lana, what DOES separate you two from each other? What other then the fact that she lived a few of her young years in Libya. Now she is just as American as you are. Has been exposed to just as much of the culture, the life, and the hardships. So why cant she experience the same benefits and rights as you? i guess we all just have to wait until priorities are set, and people become more important than politics, country lines, and money.
ReplyDeleteThis article pained me and Lana's story pained me in a way to read. It is not I have personally had to go through something similar but It hurts me know that people have went through these hardships and still going through it to receive the same rights that I have been awarded being born here; even people that walk the same campus I walk everyday here at UCLA. It also angers me that this happens. I feel that US citizens and immigrants are not different and they should be awarded the same opportunities. Because when you really think about it our country was built off of immigrants. Our land has been cultivated, nourished, and has flourished because immigrants from all around the world, we all in a way are immigrants. So it just perplexes me how immigrants are treated as second class citizens now.
ReplyDeleteI totally get where your coming from. Its hard for to conceive that being born somewhere doesnt mean you associate yourself completely to that location. there are tons of people who arent born here and become citizens and immerse themselves entirely into their new home and country. In some countries, just because you are born there doesnt make you an automatic citizen, although i do believe that has its benefits, there should also be ways in which people who pretty much are american by nature to become citizens.
ReplyDeleteLike many others I was unaware to the idea that people had these types of issues in America. We become so wrapped up in our own life that it becomes difficult for us to really notice issues around us. What I think would truly be the only effective thing is if those who are in office and hold the power actually have a personal experience as such. I feel that the fact that a lot of the issues are so intimately distant from these people, makes it hard for them to truly grasp the importance of the situation. Its only so much that can be accomplish from hearing someone recite you their needs, but listening and truly understanding where the person is coming from and actually relating to them can make a big difference.
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