Uncovering the DREAM: 2012 Political Climate Sparks Renewed Interest in Stalled Legislation

The DREAM may fade and fluctuate with each congressional session and political cycle, but the dream does not die.

An acronym for “Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors,” the DREAM Act has attempted to provide a path to residency and education for undocumented immigrants since the Senate first introduced the bill on Aug. 1, 2001. The bill, which has repeatedly stalled and restarted in U.S. Congress for more than a decade, has gained new prominence due to the 2012 elections and ongoing efforts in states like Washington to provide financial aid to 1079 students.

Key to this bill—and its relevancy to this blog series—is the emphasis it places on higher education.

Although the eligibility stipulations change each time Congress reintroduces the bill, the DREAM Act would offer six years of conditional permanent residency to undocumented residents of “good moral standing” who have graduated from U.S. high schools, arrived in the United States as minors and have lived in the country continuously for at least five years prior to the bill’s enactment. Within those six years of conditional residency, DREAM Act beneficiaries must complete two years of college or serve two years in the military. Those who have met all terms within the allotted time would obtain permanent residency status.

The Latino/a Educational Achievement Project has encouraged students to lobby for the issues that affect them. Pictured here in Olympia with Rep. Tina Orwall. (Photo credit: LEAP)

Ricardo Sanchez, founder and chairman of the Latino/a Educational Achievement Project (LEAP), has done significant lobbying at the state level for the DREAM Act and 1079 students. Sanchez attributes part of the DREAM Act’s repeated legislative defeats to extreme partisanship and a “no compromise” attitude amongst some members of Congress.

President Obama renewed the political debate this past June after initiating the “Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals” program. Deferred action incorporates elements of the DREAM Act, and offers two-year work permits to undocumented immigrant youth who meet certain criteria.

“Deferred action does not change immigration law, which is the job of Congress; it uses an administrative remedy called prosecutorial discretion that has been available to Homeland Security,” said Sanchez. “The difference is Obama ordered it to be used for individuals meeting certain conditions.”

Both deferred action and the DREAM Act have faced particular criticism from some political conservatives who perceive them as “amnesty programs” that reward illegal behavior.

“The President’s amnesty program is a magnet for fraud and abuse,” said U.S. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith in a public statement. “While potentially millions of illegal immigrants will be permitted to compete with American workers for scarce jobs, there seems to be little if any mechanism in place for vetting fraudulent applications and documentation submitted by illegal immigrants.”

This political polarization on immigration has heightened with the 2012 elections and presents a significant hurdle to 1079 students in Washington who would benefit from the DREAM act. In addition to the stipulation requiring two years of college, the DREAM Act proposes access to student loans and work-study for eligible undocumented immigrants. While they would not receive grants, the addition of loans and work-study access would bolster academic opportunities for Washington’s 1079 students.

Although deferred action offers no provisions for financial aid, HB 1079 supporters see the program as an opportunity to further advocate for 1079 financial aid at the state level. LEAP recently began the push for opening Washington State Need Grant eligibility to 1079 students.

For the 1079 students at Washington universities, that would mean the same consideration for the state need grant as the rest of their peers. At Washington State University, that comes roughly to an average of $6000 per eligible student. This would likely lead to less dependency on private scholarships and more students attending the university.

Pending the results of the 2012 elections, the future of the DREAM Act and 1079 aid remains up in the air. Support must come from both political parties in order for the DREAM Act and 1079 financial legislation to pass.

“Don’t lose hope,” said Sanchez when asked what advice he could offer to those waiting for the DREAM Act to pass. “Know that we are continuing to fight and one day, it will happen. I believe this. Just as it was inevitable that civil rights legislation would change the course of this country, I believe the righteousness as well as the educational and economic imperatives will eventually win out.”

Generating 1079 Awareness and Support: The Coalition

Washington State Educational Access Coalition members Marcella Pattinson and Martín García.

She gestures to the two Latino faces on the screen, both strategically blurred-out to obscure identity. “He works at Boeing now. She graduated from WSU Tri-cities with her MBA.” She pauses allowing the workshop participants time to take in these accomplishments. “I tear up every time I watch this video.” The audience murmurs approval and nods in satisfaction until someone starts to clap and the rest of the seated individuals follow suit with a scattered round of appreciative applause. Marcella Pattinson smiles—the video is just one of many informational pieces assembled by the Washington State Educational Access Coalition to raise awareness of HB 1079.

THE COALITION

A crowd of 40 school district officials, community members, students and various Washington State University personnel met with Pattinson and co-presenter Martín García at WSU Vancouver on Sept. 11 to raise HB 1079 awareness.

While some of the public understands that HB 1079 allows eligible undocumented immigrants to pay Washington tuition rates, misinformation still surrounds the law. Many Washingtonians do not realize that, while 1079 students receive resident tuition rates, they do not receive state or federal aid. Pattinson and García hope to remedy these issues of misinformation.

Pattinson, a bilingual/multicultural financial aid counselor for WSU, and García, an assistant professor of Chicano studies and political science at Eastern Washington University, both came as representatives of the recently formed Washington State Educational Access Coalition (WSEAC).

Funded with a grant from College Spark—which supports programs helping low-income students prepare for college—WSEAC includes WSU, University of Washington, Eastern Washington University, Central Washington University, South Seattle Community College and the Latino Education Achievement Project.

Known informally as “the coalition,” WSEAC seeks to raise general awareness of HB 1079. The coalition develops reports to inform policymakers and generates information about statewide best practices at high schools and colleges.

Boiled down to a single sentence, the coalition serves as a network of support for 1079 students.

“The government passes laws like HB 1079, but it doesn’t always provide the resources to educate on legislation. 10 years later, the public is still largely unaware of what it means—that’s where we can help,” said García.

FOCUSING ON STUDENTS

Pattinson talks with (left to right) Helen Gregory, Student Services Administrative Manager; Nancy Youlden, Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs; and April Lappin, Financial Aid Manager.

Grounded in this idea, the WSU Vancouver workshop served as the debut training session from the coalition. The workshop angled towards those working in direct capacity with 1079 students. García and Pattinson delved into the history of the law, addressed common misconceptions, shared success stories of graduated 1079 students and provided guidelines for appropriately handling confidential situations with students.

The larger issue, always hovering just below the surface, remained the political implications HB 1079 presents for immigration. Although the coalition deals with an inherently politicized issue and conducts studies that will potentially shape public policy, the members avoid dredging up personal politics in order to maintain focus on the students.

“Some of us may have certain views about the issues of immigration, and that’s fine—we all have the right to our individual views about immigration. But for state employees, we all have a responsibility to serve the students,” said García. “In our world—the education world—there is no ‘legal’ or ‘illegal’ student. For our purposes, they are all students regardless of status.”

While García articulately presented a myriad of facts and legalities, Pattinson underscored the emotional aspects and drew on her experiences working with students at WSU’s financial aid department.

“We heard the voice of the 1079 students in focus groups, and one of the things we heard is that it’s hard for them to relate.” said Pattinson addressing the psychological barrier of isolation facing 1079 students. “Role models? They don’t have any—they are role models for themselves.”

Other barriers mentioned by Pattinson included lack of support before and after high school graduation and parental opposition. According to Pattinson, resources are often not available to 1079 students during high school. Some counselors may even unintentionally disseminate misinformation by warning undocumented immigrants that they cannot attend college. Complicating this issue, Pattinson explained that many immigrant parents are equally misinformed and discourage their children from applying to college due to fear of deportation.

“One of the biggest myths is that the federal government does not allow undocumented students to go to school, and that’s not the case. No federal law specifically prohibits it,” said Pattinson.

State laws do vary on the issue—which I will discuss more in-depth later in this blog series—but undocumented students in Washington cannot be deported for applying to college.

LOOKING FORWARD

One bright point of interest mentioned repeatedly during the training, remained President Obama’s deferred action program. A hot topic nationwide, the impact of deferred action warrants further discussion, which I will also cover later in this series. Essentially though, the program will offer many 1079 students in Washington the chance to apply for a temporary two-year work permit, provided they meet certain conditions.

For the coalition, deferred action comes as a welcome change that will influence the way the public perceives 1079 students and how undocumented immigrants view their own identity.

“Because of deferred action, students can feel at ease and breathe a little better. Otherwise, they’re still living in the shadows,” said García.

The coalition plans to host more sessions training community members and education professionals on proper protocol for helping 1079 students. Its work is expanding rapidly—fueled by ongoing legislation and public engagement with the topic.

Looking forward, groups like the coalition and programs such as deferred action, have the potential to generate a wave of further awareness and understanding. 1079 students may soon find enough strength in their own identity to step out from behind the blurred masks of anonymity and share their stories with the rest of the world.

News Update: The Coalition

This past Tuesday, I attended the Washington State Access for Education Coalition meeting  at WSU Vancouver. Known more commonly as the coalition, the session provided a wealth of information about 1079 students.

I also had the pleasure of talking with two prominent Coalition members, Marcella Pattinson and Martín García. Both were extremely knowledgeable and passionate concerning the issues facing 1079 students.

The coalition was funded with aid from College Sparks and looks to provide information on statewide practices involving HB 1079. Additionally, members of the Coalition hope to act as a support system for 1079 Students.

Expect to see an in-depth blog article (blarticle? arti-blog?) early next week exploring the coalition and the purpose of such meetings.

Note: I will use blog postings such as this to provide informal 1079 updates in-between each “official” blog article.

Check out these links for a little extra info before the article next week:

http://inside.vancouver.wsu.edu/campus-fyi/washington-state-educational-access-coalition’s-hb1079-student-advocate-training

http://www.collegespark.org

An Introduction to HB 1079

Washington State Capitol (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

1079. For undocumented immigrants in Washington State colleges, the number “1079” holds great significance to their identity. Known to the public by a string of other terms, 1079 informs the way others perceive these students and influences the way these students view themselves.

Recognized officially as Washington State House Bill 1079, Gov. Gary Locke signed HB 1079 into law May 7, 2003. Still in effect nearly a decade later, the law enables undocumented immigrants who have lived in Washington State for three years to attend Washington colleges and universities at the resident tuition rate. Additionally, the students must have earned a high school diploma or equivalent.

While the law treats undocumented immigrants as residents for tuition purposes, all other resident rights—such as the right to work legally in the United States or the right to social security—do not apply. Perhaps more importantly, the law does not provide provisions for any form of federal or state financial aid for those pursing a college education under the shelter of HB 1079.

The passage of HB 1079 helped clear a major hurdle for undocumented immigrants seeking to attend college, but how can one pay for college—albeit at a state resident tuition rate—without the ability to legally work or apply for financial aid?

Known commonly to the public as “illegals” and to university personnel as “1079 students,” the students most affected by this law often attend school while seeking tuition funds through private scholarships and any employment they can secure. Just like many other college students, 1079 students must simultaneously maintain their academic studies while looking for tuition funding sources.

Yet, unlike state citizens and permanent residents, 1079 students cannot counterbalance out-of-pocket expenses with financial aid. They remain ineligible not only for the state grants, school commitment waivers and federal funding frequently bemoaned by some Americans as “freebies,” but also the equally bemoaned student loans. Subsidized, unsubsidized, parent-plus and even high-interest loans all fall into the financial aid “package”—a package completely off limits for all 1079 students.

With typical avenues for student funding hovering off in a visible but inaccessible realm, where does that leave 1079 students? This series of articles aims to explore this question and take a closer look at 1079 students in the Washington State University system. Through examining policies concerning 1079 students, gaging public awareness and scrutinizing ongoing media coverage, I hope this blog will provide a greater understanding of the challenges facing 1079 students. Thanks in part to interviews with students, faculty, university administrations and independent immigration specialists, these articles will offer a broad spectrum of perspectives on 1079 students in Washington State and Washington State University Vancouver in particular.

Further heightening the relevancy of the issues surrounding 1079 students, this year’s tightened immigration laws, elections and deferred action program give the issue a new urgency that demands attention. Other media sources have conducted investigations of their own, but too often political polarization hogs the spotlight and overshadows the facts and faces behind the issues.

Ultimately, this series will provide a comprehensive look at 1079 students attending Washington State University Vancouver. It will not though, dispute or support the legality of 1079 students’ presence in America. My purpose remains not to debate how 1079 students got here or when they arrived, but how Washington State plans to handle the issue now that it has admitted them as “resident” students into the university system. Through this lens of examination, we can hope to gain a fair and informed perception of the students known to the state only by the number 1079.

If you have thoughts or stories concerning 1079 students that you would like to contribute to the conversation, please e-mail them to jacob.schmidt@email.wsu.edu.

For those looking for further information concerning 1079 students, the following links provide information on topics discussed in this introduction:

• http://coalition.wsu.edu/ (Provides general information on how Washington State University handles 1079 students and Coalition News.)

• http://www.leapwa.org/assets/docs/forms/affidavit_hb1079.pdf (Links to the affidavit 1079 students must complete in order to be eligible for state tuition rates.)