By DEANNE STEWART
Christine Fnu sits near the front of the class in her biology course, taking extensive notes. She needs to pass the class with a good grade to maintain her high grade point average. She is already thinking about when she applies to medical school in a couple of years, although she does not know what school will accept her. Fnu is an undocumented student at Brooklyn College.
“I want to go into the medical field and attend med school after I graduate but no medical school will take me undocumented,” Fnu said.
But through the federal government’s new Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy, students like Fnu are now feeling a sense of belonging and relief. The policy allows immigrant youth to avoid deportation and to apply for work papers. ,
Since the policy and process are new, most of those who have applied, roshe run flywire femmes such as Fnu, are still waiting to receive a decision back. But students now see a possibility that they did not before – a path to a well-paid job. The policy has also led those who are undocumented to continue the fight for pro-immigrant measures such as the Dream Act. Many are happy that they are finally being given certain rights, but the idea that it is temporary and may be taken away is a scary one. The new policy does not grant permanent residency.
“I remember in high school I’d only come to school when I felt like it because I thought there was no way I could go to college,” Fnu said. “Now if I get this I’ll be able to go to medical school and work.”
Under the rules President Barack Obama announced in June, undocumented immigrants can file an application for a two-year stay to reside legally in the United States. They can also be granted a driver’s license, working papers and more. This policy could have a big impact on education since it creates an incentive for young immigrants to train for better-paid work.
Obama announced this executive order after the Dream Act, which had a similar but longer-term aim, fell four votes short of the 60 votes required to keep it moving forward in the U.S. Senate. The deferred action policy serves as a temporary solution.
And while this is not the Dream Act that many undocumented citizens fought for, many feel as if it is a step in the right direction, as it provides a temporary remedy for very important issues that undocumented immigrants face.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, approximately 309,000 people applied for the policy from August through November, with about 10,000 people denied and the remainder accepted. Most of the applicants are originally from Mexico, with over 200,000 of the applicants being residents of that country. The majority of the applicants now reside in California, Texas or New York.
Fnu and many other students who are undocumented immigrants turn to advocacy organizations for support. New York State Youth Leadership Council is a New York City is one such group geared toward fighting for undocumented youth.
“The deferred action policy is a temporary form of relief. Having a work permit changes your life as an undocumented person,” said Razeen Zaman, advocacy coordinator at New York State Youth Leadership Council. “Citizenship is not all the way needed but working is needed. Your first needs are economic necessities and financial stability.”
For this reason, the policy is likely to have the strongest impact on education.
“One of the biggest problems with the youth is they figure why go to college if you can’t work after you graduate,” Zaman said. “I hope and believe this will increase the number of undocumented people in school.”
Livia Mikova, co-founder and president of Brooklyn College’s Dream Team group, said that many undocumented youth believe that there is no purpose in attending college.
“People don’t see the point of going to college because they have to pay out of pocket and can’t get a job anyway after they graduate, so many people would rather just work full time,” Mikova said.
Brooklyn College’s Dream Team group, which meets weekly, serves as an open place for undocumented students to come together. Mikova says the group is small but is trying to make a big impact.
The group rallies for the Dream Act and supports the undocumented students on campus and across all of the schools in the City University of New York system. The Dream Act, they say, is still the ultimate goal, though a few students from the campus group besides Fnu applied for the policy in the meantime.
Fnu moved from Indonesia to the United States when she was in the seventh grade. She roshe run hyp remains undocumented at 18, as a sophomore at Brooklyn College, but took a leap of faith by turning in her application although she was apprehensive at first.
“This is not a solution. It actually made me mad when it first came out because on the first day about 200,000 people rushed to apply and I thought “Where were all of you when we were protesting and fighting for the Dream Act?” It just feels like the Dream Act is postponed,” she said.
The Brooklyn College Dream Team says that creation of the new policy will not slow its fight for the Dream Act.
“Many people are very happy about this policy and it is good but they forget that the Dream Act is still the main goal,” Mikova said.
The state comptroller reports that by 2008 more than 3 million immigrants were living in New York City. They made up 43 percent of the workforce and represented 36.4 percent of the population. Out of this number, Fiscal Policy Institute, a non-profit research organization in New York, reports that there are estimated to be over 500,000 undocumented immigrants in New York making up 10 percent of that workforce, most working dishwasher, painter, cooks, and sewing machine operator jobs.
Fiscal Policy Institute also reports that CUNY is believed to have 4,000 to 4,500 undocumented students within its system. They are among the few in the country that allow undocumented students to pay in-state tuition fees if they live in New York. In other states, undocumented students are forced to pay out-of-state fees whether they live in the state or not.
The policy deferred-action policy has already started having an impact on education.
“I’ve already heard people say they are going to go back to school now if they can be approved through the policy,” Mikova said.
Fnu finally applied after encouragement from the Brooklyn College team and her realization that the possibility to work legally was not one to turn away. Fnu said this policy will definitely get more students enrolled in school.
“I know so many people with degrees who are working factory jobs. This policy will definitely get more people into school,” Fnu said.
Many students study at CUNY for financial reasons. “Many people applied to other schools like SUNY’s and out-of-state schools and couldn’t afford them so they just hold on to those acceptance letters as souvenirs and attend CUNY,” Mikova said.
There are requirements for being granted the stay and the documents and applicants must meet them all. roshe run hyp femmes Applicants will also have to renew their papers every two years and it has been made clear that the policy is not a path to citizenship.
The requirements state that applicants must have been no older than 30 the day that the policy went into effect; they must have arrived in the country prior to turning 16; they are required to have lived here for at least the past five years, have no criminal offenses against them, either be in school or have a high school diploma or a GED and must be able to prove that they were in the country when the policy was announced.
But deferred action may never have the chance to encourage some students to enroll in college because the requirements bring to light many of the everyday issues that undocumented students face. People who have used false Social Security numbers in the past are worried about whether or not they can be denied for this. The requirement to show proof that they have been living here all along is also one that many are struggling with.
“Many people work menial jobs that pay less than minimum wage and are off the books therefore have no way to show that they have been here,” Zaman said.
For this reason many places have been hosting free clinics where undocumented students come in to meet with lawyers working pro-bono who can help them fill out the applicationNew York State Youth Leadership Council hosted two clinics so far, and Brooklyn College’s Dream Team hosted a clinic as well. Fnu says it was extremely helpful.
“We had a lawyer come in and explain and inform undocumented students about the form and about the process and on other things they may not know about that offers them help,” Fnu said.
There is no way to re-apply if an applicant is denied and you cannot fight the decision.
“You only get to do this application once,” Zaman said. “You get once chance to fill it out and send it in so you have to make sure it’s done right. There is no appeals process for this and the clinics help with that.”
Many people are still weary and proceeding with caution, not knowing if applying will mean putting their family at risk for being here illegally.
“Some people are so afraid they would rather stay in the shadows than risk their being here and their families being here,” Mikova said.
But members of the Brooklyn College Dream Team have not been quiet. “We are not afraid anymore,” Fnu said.
The undocumented students can only hope for the best. “At this point its like ‘I’m in your face and I’m undocumented and I’m not going to be quiet about it any longer,’” Mikova said. “Some of these students have the best grades and then you see that they can’t even get things like scholarships. It’s ridiculous…We deserve as much as anyone else.”
And for that reason, the push toward the Dream Act continues. “This comes down to everyone, documented or undocumented,” Zaman said. “This is about the type of country we want to live in. Do you want to live in a country that criminalizes and de-valued people just because they are undocumented?”
Photo: Livia Mikova, co-founder and president of Brooklyn College’s Dream Team group.
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