Photos by KRISTIN MARSH/Adelante Students at the ceremony swear their love for the United States as a public display of their determination to remain in the country. The students — some of whom are honors students bound for careers in medicine and education — originate from 24 countries. They convened on the Capitol lawn to support legislation that would make them eligible for in-state tuition in U.S. schools.

Undocumented students rally in D.C.

By Annie Nelson and Kristin Marsh
Adelante staff writers

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Many had spent years evading legal authorities, but the 300-plus undocumented immigrants tread unflinchingly on the Capitol lawn. Congress had to know how important this issue was, they said. It had to know that they would become good citizens if given the chance.
Many of them were among the estimated 65,000 undocumented students who will graduate from U.S. high schools this year, facing an educational dead end because of their immigration status. On April 20, the delegation tried to bring this point home to President George Bush by giving him a petition asking for a change in the law.
The Center for Community Change organized the United We Dream Commencement Ceremony, which recognized the graduating undocumented seniors of 2004. Students from 24 countries “graduated” during the ceremony on the west lawn of the Capitol.
An undocumented honors student from Helias High School in Jefferson City whose family faces deportation was among them.
The 18-year old high school senior walked with poise, speaking eloquently — slipping easily between the language of her birth and that of her daily life as she answers the same questions again and again: Her name? Marie González. Her country of origin? Costa Rica. Her country of choice? The United States.

Marie González, a senior at Helias High School in Jefferson City, speaks at a national graduation ceremony held on the West Lawn of the Capitol in Washington, D.C., on April 20. More than 300 people attended the ceremony, which was held to raise awareness of immigrant education reform legislation.

Organizers of the ceremony called González “our star,” proclaiming the ceremony valedictorian’s high grades, her National Honors Society status, her leadership achievements. But González said she’s just one of many — it’s only a chance legal action that has allowed her situation to become public.
Under an overcast April sky, the students joined other immigrant advocacy groups from around the country in promoting legislation that would grant states the right to give undocumented students a legal status. Having legal status allows colleges and universities to give students the in-state rate for tuition — a cost that would make the dream of going to college a reality for many undocumented students.
The DREAM Act is awaiting debate on the Senate floor, and its companion bill in the House, the Student Adjustment Act, is currently under subcommittee review.
“Dealing with poverty issues, we saw a huge population of undocumented immigrants that needed to be helped — one of the issues that is front and center is the DREAM Act,” said José Quiñonez, an organizer with the Center for Community Change in Washington D.C.
Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard, D-Calif., who introduced the House bill, spoke at the ceremony about what she said would strengthen the country by cultivating educated citizens.
“The exorbitant out-of-state tuition effectively bars most of these qualified youth from attending college,” Roybal-Allard said.
Encouraging more immigrants to get a higher education would create stronger citizens and ease the burden of a population already taxed with social problems, she said.
González and her family are facing deportation, but González — a resident of the United States since the age of 5 — says she can’t imagine returning to a land from which she only remembers scattered scenes of beaches, parks and family gatherings.
“This is my country,” she says. “My dreams are here, everything I want is here.”
Her parents came to this country specifically so she could get a better education, she says, but even if the legislation passes, it may be too late for her. When she ordered her cap and gown, González didn’t even know whether she would be here to use them.
After the graduation ceremony, students paid a visit to legislators wearing their gowns and caps to lobby for the legislation. “The graduates wore signs on their caps that say ‘Now what?’”Quiñonez said. “It is a bittersweet moment that should be a celebration — they have done everything we asked but now have nowhere to go.”
Students then went to the White House to present the petitions to Bush.
“President Bush is sending mixed signals about whether or not he supports the bill,” said Quiñonez. “We are trying to send a message to Bush that the immigrant community wants to see this happen.”
The “Now what?” directed at legislators and the president, along with the petitions, is hoped to spark action on a bill that has not moved from the Judiciary Committee since it was introduced in November.
The United We Dream Campaign is the culminating event of a yearlong effort to raise awareness on the DREAM Act. National and local groups like El Centro in Kansas City and the Immigrant Rights Network of Iowa-Nebraska participated in the Dream Week of Action, March 22-29, asking constituents to call Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist and Bush about the bill. They also e-mailed and faxed letters.
“Phones and faxes were ringing off the hook,” said Ed Leahy with the Iowa-Nebraska Network. “Frist complained his staff couldn’t get anything else done.”
Melinda Lewis, with El Centro in Kansas City, Kan., said working with state legislators is an alternative way to accomplish the same goal of the legislation. “We have been collecting petitions — over 1,000 collected so far — in support of the DREAM Act,” said Lewis. “We have also been holding community forums to educate immigrants about the act, and setting up meetings with our Kansas congressional delegation.”
Missouri Sen. Maida Coleman, D-St. Louis, introduced a state-level bill in January to “allow eligible nonimmigrant-aliens to receive in-state tuition at Missouri higher education institutions.”
Billy Boykins, Coleman’s chief of staff, said the bill was referred to the Senate Education Committee but has not been passed on to the Senate floor. “There is good constituent support, but there is not support in the Senate body itself,” he said.
Combining regional and national efforts was one of the CCC’s goals during the last few months leading up to the closing of this legislative session. “We help other states and coalitions coordinate to get the maximum impact — so we can all speak with one voice,” Quiñonez said.