Upstate student immigrants urge legislators to pass Graham’s Dream Act

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On Aug. 17, six recipients of former President Barack Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) immigration policy took to the podium at Triune Mercy Center to share their stories and experiences, and advocate for the passage of the Dream Act, a bipartisan piece of legislation introduced last month by Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Dick Durbin, D-Ill.

The proposed Dream Act would “allow immigrant students who grew up in the United States to earn lawful permanent residence and eventually American citizenship,” according to a press release from Sen. Graham’s office. Requirements include that recipients graduate high school or obtain a GED and “pursue higher education, work lawfully for at least three years, or serve in the military.” Proficiency in English, knowledge of United States history, and a clean criminal record are also among the stipulations.

“These young people have lived in America since they were children and built their lives here. … We should not squander these young people’s talents and penalize our own nation,” Sen. Graham said in a statement. “Our legislation would allow these young people — who grew up in the United States — to contribute more fully to the country they love.”

Student immigrants and community leaders discussed the impact of former President Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) immigration policy and advocated for the passage of the bipartisan Dream Act at an Aug. 17 event held at Triune Mercy Center. Photo by Joshua S. Kelly

Through DACA, which was announced in June 2012, certain undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as minors can be granted temporary protection from deportation and work authorization. Among other requirements, DACA recipients must prove they are attending or graduated from high school or college, and that they have no criminal background.

The Dream Act is being introduced during a time when the status of DACA remains uncertain. During the 2016 election cycle, then-presidential candidate Donald J. Trump promised to revoke the executive order as one of his first actions as president. Although the policy is still in place, 10 attorneys general, including South Carolina’s Alan Wilson, notified U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions in June that they would sue the Trump administration if DACA were not overturned by Sept. 5.

“If DACA is revoked, that means all the students who applied for DACA all of a sudden now cannot legally work. In South Carolina, it means they can’t study at state colleges and universities, and they can also actually be deported,” said Will David of Ground Up Greenville. Ground Up Greenville, as well the Hispanic Alliance and Latinos Unidos @ Clemson University, presented Thursday’s event, called Dream On.

But while DACA has expanded protections and opportunities for some undocumented immigrants, the policy has its limitations. Most notably, DACA does not provide a path to citizenship. And in South Carolina, DACA recipients are not eligible to receive in-state tuition at colleges and universities, and they are also prohibited from obtaining an array of professional licenses.

Immigration reform advocates have challenged these restrictions.

“They work so hard in school. They have so much more to contribute to South Carolina,” said Sarah Montero-Buria, community engagement and strategy manager at Hispanic Alliance. “South Carolina needs nurses. South Carolina needs doctors. …. We need these kids, and we need them to work. Not just for social justice reasons but also from an economic perspective.”

Keny Murillo, a fifth-year senior at Furman University who hopes to attend medical school and become a doctor, addresses the audience at Triune Mercy Center. Photo by Joshua S. Kelly

Two of the event’s speakers, Keny Murillo and Ilse Isidra, addressed how they will be unable to practice medicine in South Carolina under current policy. Murillo, who has lived in the United States since age 9, is a fifth-year senior majoring in biology at Furman University. He hopes to attend medical school and become a doctor. Isidra is a senior in the nursing program at USC Upstate.

The Dream Act, Murillo said, “will be the solution that would allow young immigrants like myself that came here to continue our studies, to continue to stay here in this country and contribute further to our community and this nation, which we already do.”

Isidra, who arrived in the United States at age 4, said the possibility that she would have to move to another state to practice nursing was “another bump in the road.”

“I would like to stay in my community. I would like to be where my roots are from. I’d like to stay in my church and be able to be with my friends,” she said, before asking the audience to consider contacting their elected representatives to express support for the Dream Act.

Sarai, who has lived in the United States since age 11, asks the audience at Triune Mercy Center to vocally support Sens. Graham and Durbin’s Dream Act. Photo by Joshua S. Kelly

Sarai, a young woman who has lived in the United States since age 11, also urged the audience to vocally support the passage of the Dream Act.

“My vision for South Carolina is one where it leads the charge in changing the status quo. It is time for us to seize our day, to make our history and say proudly that even though our past haunts us, this day we fought for a South Carolina that is inclusive, cohesive, and congruent with its values,” she said. “This is not an impossible dream, simply because I know firsthand Southerners like doing the right thing. And I believe Sen. Graham is already doing so by introducing this bill.”

The DACA recipients also expressed that although they were not born in the United States, it is where they feel they belong.

“Some people think that I would go to school here and go back to Honduras, but the truth is, I don’t see Honduras as my home,” Murillo said. “I see the United States as my home. … This is really all I know. This is really where I want to stay.”

Source: https://greenvillejournal.com/2017/08/21/upstate-student-immigrants-urge-legislators-pass-grahams-dream-act/