By: Valentina Herrera/Staff Writer
Facing political turmoil and economic hardships, Lorena Sanchez and her family escaped an uncertain future in Uruguay to come to America.
Her brother, Matias Alvarez, 14, is now facing the bleak perspective of being deported when he turns 21.
“Matias has been in America since he was 2 years old,” she said. “He speaks English with his friends, and he tells my mom that he knows he will get deported when he turns 21. He is such a smart and talented boy, he wants to go to medical school.”
Sanchez, who recently married an American citizen and probably can stay, fears the rest of her family could get deported any day.
“My parents brought us to this country for a better future,” Sanchez said. “They think that even if they can’t make it, they want us to be able to stay, and succeed.”
The Sanchez family is among thousands in Florida that are pinning hopes on passage of the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act.
The DREAM Act, a politically charged piece of legislation that has not passed Congress, would benefit students who are undocumented by no fault of their own.
Each year, about 65,000 students graduate from U.S. high schools in this same predicament.
“This program is for the people that have been in this country since they were very young, have completed high school or gotten a GED and they must not have any criminal record,” said Sharon Ginter, administrative assistant at the Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center.
“We have so many cases of individuals who qualify for the [proposed] DREAM Act right now that we are not accepting any new cases for the rest of the year,” Ginter said, noting that even those cases accepted won’t qualify under DREAM until it is passed by Congress and signed into law by the president.
This citizenship void forces families to forgo health care because escalating costs make it impossible to seek treatment and Medicaid only covers U.S. citizens.
Sanchez, 23, who attended Miami-Dade Honors College for two years, paid nearly $3,000 per semester for out-of-state tuition, almost three times what Florida residents pay.
“I attempted to transfer to Florida International University.” Sanchez said. “While in the application process, I found out that since my parents are undocumented I couldn’t attend the school even though I am a resident.”
Admissions officials say this happens when a student is under the age of 24 and is considered a dependant.
Approximately 192,000 students, 9 percent of potential DREAM act beneficiaries, live in the state of Florida, which continues to rank third among states in the size of its unauthorized immigrant population.
Each year about 5,000 undocumented immigrants students graduate from Florida high schools, but only 5 percent go on to college.
One estimate shows that the average DREAM Act beneficiary will earn $1 million more in a lifetime by simply obtaining legal status and each beneficiary will contribute tens of thousands of additional dollars in federal and state taxes.
This story was researched and written for JOU 3300 Advanced News Writing taught by Dr. Fred Blevens in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. You can see this and other class work by going to thenewswave.org
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