While many high school seniors have one priority over the next few months — getting into college (and figuring out how to pay for it), thousands of undocumented immigrants wonder if they will even be able to remain in the U.S.
After the Senate failed to advance any immigration proposals, the March 5 expiration date for DACA is fast approaching. DACA protects an estimated 700,000 undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children from deportation and grants them work permits. And despite the uncertainty and political gridlock, young adults can still pursue their dreams in America.
“All of us — with or without DACA — and our family members can get deported at any time. My parents and I have thought about what we’d do if we are forced to leave, like consolidating bank accounts and starting a business in our home country,” said liana Perez, a DACA recipient and the head of Immigrants Rising, a new initiative that helps undocumented youth pursue entrepreneurship. The program is part of Educators for Fair Consideration (E4FC), an organization that empowers young undocumented immigrants to achieve their educational and career goals.
“The fear of deportation will always be there, and that’s a risk that anybody who chooses to immigrate to a new country has to live with. We have to be prepared for the worst case scenario,” said Perez, whose work certification expires in January 2019.
‘It’s all uncertainty’
And while it’s not only wise but necessary to come up with contingency plans, it shouldn’t be debilitating to the point that you give up on a future.
Judy Lorimer, director of Goddard Riverside Options Center, which helps low-income and first-generation New Yorkers get into, pay for and graduate from college, estimates that 8%-10% of its 500 students are Dreamers who are feeling more fearful than ever.
“Since Trump got elected, it’s all uncertainty. So many students have invested in their education and have no idea if they’ll be able to use their degrees,” said Lorimer.
Karin Elliott, executive director of National Partnership for Educational Access, a membership group that helps underserved students enroll in and graduate from college, echoed Lorimer’s concerns.
“Undocumented young people come for counseling. Many believe that education is important regardless, but the huge question is about what they would do afterward. I’m hearing anger and fear. Students are having internal debates — it’s important, but where will it get me? There are actually a number of students who didn’t know they were undocumented until they started applying for college,” she said.