Underground Undergrads: The Plight of Undocumented Students

The immigrant rights debate has a profound impact on millions of undocumented people living throughout the country and now especially in Arizona. But there is one group of undocumented immigrants who face a particularly daunting challenge, and that is students. The majority of these young people came to the United States as children, brought from their native lands by parents or relatives. Many of our nations colleges and universities - including UCI - have a sizable undocumented student population. Having overcome incredible obstacles and beaten all odds to gain admission into some of the most competitive universities, undocumented students are ineligible for most financial aid and scholarships, they are prohibited from getting drivers' licenses, they are barred from taking out student loans, and upon graduation - they are not eligible to seek legal employment. The California Dream Act seeks to enable qualified students to apply for state financial aid, while at the federal level the American Dream Act seeks to allow qualifying immigrant students to apply for citizenship. My Guests are Kent Wong of the UCLA Center for Labor Research & Enducation, and Eder Gaona, an undocumented student working with UCLA Ideas - a support network for undocuemnted students.