Spartan Daily - Serving San Jose State University since 1934

Issue date: 3/1/07 Section: News

Media Credit: Hanna Thrasher

Members of Student Advocates for Higher Education held a demonstration yesterday discussing legislation that will help undocumented students gain a path to citizenship, according to a sophomore marketing major who said he immigrated from Mexico illegally and declined to give his full name.

The sophomore said that undocumented students are allowed to attend college and earn degrees, but after they graduate, they can't put their degrees to any legal use.

"There is nothing that will allow you to use your degree," the sophomore said. "If you can't legally go to work, you can't use your practice."

The demonstration had students sign letters addressed to California Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren, telling her their personal stories of being an immigrant, said Francisco Alvarado, a senior majoring in justice studies, and the community liaison for Student Advocates for Higher Education.

Alvarado, who was born in Mexico and brought to the U.S. by his parents when he was 10, thought he had to be a citizen to receive financial aid, he said. So he enlisted in the Army to gain citizenship.

"Then I find out I didn't have to go that path," Alvarado said. "I went the path of the Army where I lost three years, when I could have finished school."

Now, Alvarado and other members of Student Advocates for Higher Education hold meetings discussing ways undocumented students can receive financial aid and scholarships.

"When a scholarship comes up that doesn't ask for a social security number, only a student ID number, we bring it up at our meetings," Alvarado said.

"It's sad to see that they go to school, they finish their bachelor's degree and they still can't do anything with it," said Mildred Salazar, a junior majoring in international business, who is the treasurer of Student Advocates for Higher Education.

"Everyone is an immigrant in this country," Salazar said. "I was actually born here, but I support the cause."

If further legislation isn't passed, the undocumented sophomore marketing student said he will just have to wait.

"Keep studying," he said. "That's the only option if the bill doesn't pass. There's always grad school."

"There's no other option but to keep studying," said a junior computer engineering major, who said he emigrated from Peru illegally and also declined to give his full name. "If not this year, then next year," he said of the bill. "I'm really hopeful."

"I'm definitely surprised by the whole thing," said Roji Roy, a senior majoring in electrical engineering who stopped by the demonstration to learn about the legislation. "Hopefully it does pass."

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