Extra Credit

COMING OUT ILLEGAL

 This article excerpted from the New York Times written by Maggie Jones, was very strong and a moving piece of work. This article mostly refers to four college females who attend U.C.L.A that are immigrants in better terms “undocumented”. These young ladies are making a movement in term with the law that was passed in 2001 called the “The Dream Act”. The Dream Act which would create a pathway to legal residency for immigrants who arrived in this country as children, have been in the United States for at least five years and have graduated from a U.S. high school or obtained a G.E.D. To gain status, they would have to finish

two years of college or military service. Supporters argue that the legislation benefits ambitious, academically successful students who will go on to professional careers. Without the Dream Act, many of those same young people will be stuck, much like their parents, in the underground economy. This article mainly forces on one particular young lady, Leslie whose 22 years old and come from Mexico, The author tells us about her day to day struggles being an illegal college student who work three jobs and have to help her mother financially whenever she can. Leslie has hopes and aspirations of attending graduate school after graduation, unfortunately that may not be a possible for Leslie in the near future. Due to her status has an immigrant she wouldn’t be able to afford grad school or get a decent job due to this, which is sad for someone who obtains a Bachelor’s degree to be belittled at a job cleaning houses, working at fast food restaurants or baby sitting jobs.  Furthermore, the author also addresses a few rallies and protest immigrants particularly young females whose in college under this bill are fighting for. One particular incident was on May 17, five activists walked into John McCain’s office, dressed in matching royal blue graduation gowns and caps. (McCain was in Washington.)They sat down in the reception area under an American flag, and for more than six hours they refused to leave, calling for McCain to support the Dream Act and the bill’s passage. Around 6 p.m., Tucson police officers arrested everyone in the group except Unzueta, who had agreed to serve as the group’s spokeswoman. The activists spent that night at the Pima County jail, before Carrillo, Mateo and Abdollahi were transferred to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement processing facility. Carrillo’s heart sank when she and Mateo were led into a windowless, concrete room with cement benches and a heavy metal door that shut behind them. Over the next several hours, Carrillo said, immigration officials repeatedly told her and Mateo that they would be sent to an immigration detention center, a fate undocumented immigrants assiduously try to avoid.  Before reading this article, I wasn’t aware about these laws and The Dream Act policy at all.  After reading this article, I’m more aware of these laws and what immigrants especially college bound and educated students have to go through to be legal immigrants.