Undocumented students push for 'Dream Act'

Nineteen-year-old Julian Aldana of Brooklyn is among the thousands of students in New York whose lives are in limbo and whose futures are uncertain because they are undocumented.

Because their parents brought them to the United States illegally, the students, like Aldana, have no legal immigration status and find themselves ineligible for college financial aid, scholarships, a job, or a driver's license. They may even face deportation when they turn 21, when they are legally considered adults.

On Friday afternoon, Aldana and other undocumented students made public declarations of their illegal status at Union Square Park in Manhattan in hopes of garnering support for the New York "Dream Act," which would make students eligible for college financial aid regardless of their immigration status.

"I am stepping out of the shadows to tell my personal story. I was brought here from Colombia when I was 8 years old. I have been valedictorian twice -- once in middle school and once in high school," Aldana said, nervous and teary eyed.

"And despite my hard work I cannot follow my dream. I feel stuck, and when I think about the future I get scared," said Aldana, whose aunt has offered to sponsor his residency. The case has been pending for eight years.

"I've worked real hard and I feel proud at what I have accomplished," he said, speaking through a bullhorn.

"But I can't get a real job. When I want to give up, I remember my parents who brought me here for a reason -- a decent education and a better life," said the John Jay College student, who wants to become an immigration lawyer.

The New York State Youth Leadership Council, which has been organizing undocumented students, asked the students to go public with their illegal status to persuade Albany legislators to pass the Dream Act. The bill, which has 60 co-sponsors, is being pushed for approval this week in Albany.

"We are asking Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver to support this bill as part of the budget vote," Assemb. Guillermo Linares (D-Bronx) said at the rally.

"We cannot turn our backs on these students," he said. "We have a real consensus and I feel this is going to happen."

New York would be the fourth state to offer college financial aid to undocumented students. Texas, New Mexico and California have passed similar bills.

"We have to set a progressive tone that this is a humanitarian issue," said Vishal Mistry, 28, of the youth leadership council, who graduated from Columbia University with a degree in mathematics and engineering.

"I'm one of the lucky ones. My parents, who are also undocumented and have their own business, were able to pay for my tuition," said Mistry, who can't work legally.

Melissa Garcia Velez, 19, of Queens, who attends Lehman College, said. "We are all stepping out of the shadows to tell our stories publicly and to take away our fears of judgment."