When I think of “illegal immigrants,” I immediately think of myself. I think of my parents who escaped the Philippines to escape the third-world realities of our country. Even though I am technically considered a citizen, this country does not belong to me. It does recognize me as it’s own, and I am considered a second-class citizen.
Growing up, my family always stressed the value of citizenship to me. It wasn’t till I got to UCLA did it really strike me. It wasn’t till I started seeing my friends drop out of college did I really understand how significant my privilege really was. I would start seeing Facebook groups about how one of my friends was threatened with deportation. Being involved in Samahang Pilipino and USAC has taught me the real value of being an ally. What does it mean to be an ally to the undocumented heroes of our school? The real question is, what does it mean to be an ally here at UCLA? We have so many opportunities to advocate for our undocumented brothers and sisters. But, what have we REALLY done for them?
I am writing this blog as a call to action. If you aren’t crying and fighting with the undocumented students, can you really call yourself an ally? Where do we even begin?
The first thing we can do is start debunking myths about undocumented students.
Undocumented students are “illegal.”
Illegal is such a dehumanizing word. If we refer to our undocumented brothers and sisters as anything less than human, how can we ever reach justice for them?
All undocumented students are Mexican.
Actually, a large proportion of DREAMers are from the Asian-Pacific Islander Community. IDEAS at UCLA has a component called ASPIRE that is dedicated to serving undocumented students from Asia. They can be from all parts of the world! It’s important that people know that students from all backgrounds can be undocumented. We cannot stigmatize the issue.
If undocumented students receive financial aid, what happens to mine?
Nothing. Undocumented students make up a small proportion of our entire student body. AB 131 (part of the CA DREAM Act that would allow undocumented students to receive state aid) would still put undocumented students at a disadvantage when it comes to accessing Cal Grants. The state is not short on Cal Grant funding, and allowing undocumented students to access state financial aid would not be at the expense of others.
These are just some of the common misconceptions that are so freely and widely spread. Where do we see these misconceptions in the articles? All three articles touch on the problem of immigration in America. But more importantly, they discuss the problem that we have with our education system. Is education a right or privilege? Take Georgia for example, they completely banned undocumented students from accessing their Universities. Period. What are your thoughts on that? Moving forward, we must remain critical of education in America. The article, “My Life As An Undocumented,” is just one story of many. Jose Vargas is just like me—a queer-identified, Filipino male hoping for an education. The only thing that separates us is a pile of paperwork that says that I am a “citizen.” Education should be accessible to all people, no matter their citizenship status. We are all immigrants. To me, deportation will only be justified when the only people in this country are the American Indians and Indigenous peoples of this land. Otherwise, we must all work together to shape our country into a socially and economically just society. I will not stand for injustice in the education system. As a student and “citizen,” it is my responsibility to fight for those that are currently unable to access this institution. It is my responsibility to give my people a voice that they would not have otherwise.
Get involved in the movement! Apply to the UCSA Congress in August!
Reading Jose Vargas' piece on being an undocumented student was very frustrating for me. You see an individual who is working hard, trying to alter his own situation and remove himself from a predicament that he was unknowingly placed in. If the organizers of movements, lobbyists, politicians, etc... who supported the dream act worked harder then maybe Jose wouldn't have had to experience the immense levels of stress and hardship. But why should we rely on others to take care of an issue that affects us all? Maybe it doesn't affect us directly but it affects or colleagues, friends, and perhaps even our families. While we don't necessarily need to get involved with UCSA congress like John is suggesting, we definitely can do something. We can further educate ourselves, we can educate others, attend protests, phone bank, and if we're interested we can do more. The article by Tara Servatius seeks to influence the population in one direction, and while we should always respect the thoughts, views, and opinions of others, we should also stand up and speak out for our own. Properly educating others on topics of immigration and undocumented students can empower others to get involved, enabling the movement and support to grow. Universities have been the core of many great movements. We, as students, have the power to make a difference. We definitely should not leave our powers un-channeled.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree that here at UCLA we have so many sources/project that advocate to make a change such as IDEAS/AB 540 and ASPIRE projects that support the cause of undocumented students in the United States. I like how you are also calling for action. I agree is up to us to clarify the myths we have, that way we can truly communicate the actual facts to others. As an immigrant to this country, I can relate in how much discrimination and stereotypes immigrants (documented and undocumented) suffer daily. From conversation with family, friends and day laborers you learn of how most Americans are not aware of the struggles immigrants face; as well as the reasons (historical/economic/political) they migrate here.
ReplyDeleteJust like Vargas, there are millions of hard working immigrants who left their countries of origin not because they wanted too, but because of necessity. A great majority of the immigrants that I have talked to and that are undocumented, have left their wives and children back home, they are not only lonely but such withdrawal from society can led them to addictions they were not seeking. I agree with Noor in saying that we need to stand up for what we believe! Education is a right for all regardless if you were not born here or not.
i forgot to mention here is this website that advocates for people in the US to drop the "illegal" word when referring to immigrants.
ReplyDeletecheck it out!
http://colorlines.com/droptheiword/
Great point, Karla. And thank you for sharing the "Drop the I word" campaign. It's a great campaign that we should definitely consider bringing to UCLA. Moving forward, I want everybody to remember the importance of HOLDING EACH OTHER ACCOUNTABLE! Make sure that the "i" word is not part of your vocabulary and challenge others to drop it. Hold yourself accountable to dispelling any misconceptions about undocumented students, and hold yourself accountable to advocating for them! :]
ReplyDeletebeing an undocumented immigrant is just as stereotyped as being a certain race or gender. this article summed it up rather well...and got me thinking how much work we have to do to advocate for undocumented students. there are many projects that do this; however, undocumented students is still a problem that is not heavily focused on and definitely shroud be!
ReplyDeleteI agree with Noor that while reading about Jose Vargas' experience as an undocumented student, I was extremely frustrated. I actually have never really known what undocumented members of our society face just because of the fact that they cannot be legally called citizens of the United States. I couldn't believe that Vargas faced such obstacles just because he didn't have citizenship.
ReplyDeleteJohn provides a good point that although you may not be undocumented doesn't mean that you cannot be an ally. There are many programs here at UCLA that can be utilized as resources to find out more on the issues that are present today. I feel so self absorbed admitting that I have been so caught up in my own life, that I rarely ever thought how other students are affected by something that I take for granted. I know that from now on, I'll take the time to educate myself on the obstacles undocumented students face along with what I can do to help.
Thanks John!
Well said, John. Misconceptions are often what could make or break a movement. The connotations that come with the word "illegal" are extremely horrendous and should not be associated with any human being- ever. Also, there are a lot of Arabs who are undocumented as well (my cousin)-- we cannot continue to stereotype them all as Mexican. That would not make us true allies. What does it mean to be an ally? We should want for them what we would want for ourselves. Their struggles are our struggles. Their achievements are our achievements. Fight and stand with them, side by side.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the basic point the Writer is trying to make. Education is a basic necessity and people should not be denied that. I understand that this issue is multi faceted and has many different problems but I still believe that education especially secondary education should be accessible.
ReplyDeleteIt is my first time to know more about undocumented students, so I have the same misunderstandings as what Joanino mentioned. At the first sight, I thought the whole undocumented thing simply as illegal and wondered why people not follow the "rules". However, after I read through all the readings and blogs, I changed my mind. Most people who chose these road knew what was waiting ahead, but they still head forward. So there must exist something more important, like believe and hope. I kind of relate to it myself, because even thought I am a documented student here, I have received objection from family and doubt and not understanding from other people while the wish to know about the outside world give me strength. But for some people, they may not have opportunities as I do and thus risks more. From this point, when we discuss their status, maybe we should consider their effort and pay some respect.
ReplyDeleteWow it's very informative for your blog. I think that you really provide good argument for undocumented students and why they should receive financial aid. Life in the U.S is not easy. Life of an immigrant is even harder and life of an undocumented immigrant is extremely hard. I guess American policy can be very rough sometimes. Who do they fight for? Who they reserve all the benefits for? The reality of this country is so hard to even imagine. I sometimes don't even know if our voice is being heard. However, there are people out there trying everyday to make the Dream Act come true. I think that the main point is never giving up YOUR DREAM.
ReplyDeleteKathy
Agreed with the rest that education should be a basic right. After all, without education, there's no way that people can rise up from their situation. Also, in California, usually you do have the misconception that all undocumenteds are Mexican -- I didn't realize that many of them were from Southeast Asia. A lot of what people have to work with are misconceptions, and education works both way so that they can be educated too on what this whole situation really means.
ReplyDeleteI really appreciate the fact that you debunked a lot of the myths John. I think that it is very important for people to realize if what they know is true or not. Many times we consider people a "lost cause". Writing them off as people that wont understand the issues. However I think it is very important to take it upon ourselves to push the issues. Push them, and educate all others about them. Going back to the article however, it was very interesting to e that immigrants were now being encouraged to come into the United States by the government. What is even more interesting is the motive behind this encouragement. The motives have nothing to do with addressing the needs of the undocumented in the US, but rather catering to the needs of the political party itself. The whole story reminds me of the earlier centuries where the heads of mobs would manipulate/threaten the new immigrants into voting a certain way...have we returned to that time period?
ReplyDeleteI think this post presented a really compelling argument John. So many people are ignorant about the facts about immigration and even quicker to feed into the myths and stigmatization that comes along with the topic of undocumented students. It is high time that people wake up and realize that there is social injustice going on in our own backyard and its time we all lend a hand to solve the issue once and for all.
ReplyDeleteThat story of Vargas really stood out to me too. One thing i appreciated about your post was all the facts you provided. people need to become more aware of whats going on and those facts are definitely enlightening.
ReplyDelete