The Students Next Door

By Kathleen Dornan

Let me tell you a story. There are two girls starting to apply for colleges. They are both ranked in the top of their class, have remarkable grades, have worked extremely hard, and want a higher education in order to have better lives in the future. They both send in their applications to the same schools but when the schools respond, one girl gets accepted to all of them, the other gets accepted to none. How is this fair?

I recently watched the movie “Papers” in the Sturm auditorium at Denver University. Before the movie started, I knew nothing about the subjects of undocumented students and the immigration reform bill. But as I thought about it, I figured that the majority of the DU campus, like me, knew nothing about these topics either. As I watched the movie, I learned that the current law in the United States today is that education for undocumented students is allowed from kindergarten through high school. Then I found out that “65,000 undocumented students graduate every year from high school without “papers” and the door to their future slams shut. It is against the law to work or drive. It is difficult, if not impossible in some states, to attend college. Currently, there is no path to citizenship for these young people”.

At first as I was watching the film, I could see how the United States government was against allowing undocumented students to further their education in college because they were illegal immigrants right? They were in the country I called home illegally. But as the movie continued further, I asked myself how these students were any different than me. The majority of these students grew up in neighborhoods like mine, attended the same elementary schools, the same middle schools, and the same high schools. They received the same education I did and were taught by the same teachers. They learned the American education, the American values, and just like me, have only known the United States as their home. As the movie was coming to an end, I realized that the only difference between these undocumented students and I is that they are at risk of being deported from the only country they have ever called home, to an unfamiliar place that would be just as strange to me.

Another side that I have heard about this issue is that it is the fault of the undocumented students that they are here illegally, so therefore it is their fault that they cannot receive the same education as the students that are citizens. Seems logical right? Not really. In reality, most of these students did not even know they were illegal aliens until they started to apply to college. Many of them were brought over here by their parents when they were very young so the United States is the only place they have ever called home. Why should these students be punished because of the actions of their parents, even when their parents were trying to do the best thing for their children? It is wrong that their parents crossed the border illegally, but because it is almost impossible to receive American citizenship, how can you blame the parents for trying to provide a better life for their children. Even if that still does not sit well with your opinions, how can you still blame the children and be on the side that is making it impossible for these undocumented students to become a citizen and receive a higher education?

As the credits rolled at the end of the movie and the lights came back on, I looked around and realized that not even a fourth of the auditorium was filled. Are the students at DU really so oblivious to this issue as I was or was it because they honestly just did not care. Either reason needs to be fixed in my opinion. More students at DU and even around the country need to be more informed on the issue of Immigration Reform. This bill will provide an easier way for undocumented students to attend college, and earn the same education that you and I have earned. Think about it. These students grew up just like you, took the same tests, and played with you on the same playgrounds. They deserve to go to the same colleges as you and earn the same degrees that you are working to achieve right now. Just like you, these undocumented students deserve to be citizens of the same country that they were raised in, that they call home. My plea to you is to help the kids that grew up next to you, that sat at the desk right next to you, that recited the Pledge of Allegiance everyday with you. You need to back up these students; you need to support the Immigration Reform Bill.