She was at the top of her class, a model student with dreams of becoming a lawyer. Her high school teacher bragged that she could “write papers better than I can” and invited her to take classes at Ivy Tech to earn college credit. When her application was sent back after attempting to sign up for classes, she discovered information about herself that her family had never shared: She was an undocumented immigrant.
“Other than what she looked like and her last name, you would have thought she was an American child, born here in the United States. She didn’t know she was undocumented, so when the school signed her up, her application came back because she didn’t have a Social Security number,” said Indianapolis Public Schools teacher Cindy Lynn-Dodd. “The one thing you realize (as an educator) is there’s that kid who isn’t getting his license. When a counselor comes in on a special day to pass out scholarship information, they don’t get to fill that out. It’s one of those heartbreaking things as a teacher, because you fall in love with every single student, and you want them all to have that opportunity to go to college.”
According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, an estimated 22 percent of undocumented immigrants are under the age of 25. Many entered the U.S. with family and have few connections outside of those they have made in America. Currently, our country’s immigration laws offer very little help for undocumented individuals who desire to become a U.S. permanent resident.
The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program (DACA) granted protection from deportation and a work permit to individuals who came to the United States before turning 16 and met other guidelines. In Indiana, DACA also allowed immigrants to obtain a driver’s license or state identification. Some local colleges even allowed DACA recipients to pay in-state tuition.
Despite DACA being rescinded by the Trump administration earlier this month, many community members are working hard to protect undocumented citizens. One such advocate is DACA recipient Sayra Campos.
Campos’ family migrated to the United States in 1997. Today, she is a co-founder of the Indiana Undocumented Youth Alliance (IUYA), a youth-led organization that seeks to empower young immigrants to achieve higher education and demand just and humane policies that affect undocumented families. Her organization is advocating for legislation such as proposed SB 48, which would allow undocumented students to receive in-state tuition.
IUYA, in partnership with Central Indiana Jobs with Justice, recently hosted an event, “DACA-mentary! Lost & Found,” to raise awareness of the problems undocumented residents are facing. At the event, Campos shared that those who can renew DACA are up against an Oct. 5 deadline with a filing fee of $495, a price that may prove challenging for some recipients to pull together. IUYA is accepting donations from allies who want to help qualified individuals pay the filing fee to renew DACA.
Many Indianapolis leaders are seeking permanent solutions. The African American Coalition of Indianapolis released a joint statement signed by 15 local organizations, including Concerned Clergy of Indianapolis, Indiana Black Expo, Indy Black Chamber of Commerce and the Indianapolis Recorder, calling on the U.S. Congress to consider the DREAM Act of 2017, a bipartisan piece of legislation that provides a path to citizenship for Dreamers who graduate from a U.S. high school and attend college, enter the workforce or enlist in the military.
“Dreamers represent individuals from all over the world. They are our neighbors, colleagues, classmates and protectors of our liberties in the armed forces. Additionally, we note the impact that the uncertainty of our shared current situation has on the Dreamers and the deep concern extended friends, families and peers have for them. They are our concerns also as their welfare impacts us all,” the statement reads.
Lynn-Dodd said children should not be punished for the mistakes of their parents.
“If adults are selling drugs out of their house, when the house gets busted and the cops come in, if there are kids living in that house, they don’t take the kids to jail. They take them someplace safe. That’s not any different than these kids. The parents broke the law, but you shouldn’t punish the child,” said Lynn-Dodd.
Campos is hopeful that something good will come out of these trying times and that the current administration will quickly find a way to replace DACA.
“The DACA program has come to an end, and only a limited number of people will be able to submit renewals, but it was always at risk, it was never a law, and we knew there could always be the possibility that something like this could happen,” said Campos. “Hopefully, now, we will reach something more permanent.”
