Advocacy group helps undocumented students

Fearful of deportation, Nadia Habib sought advice from Juliana Perez, a fellow undocumented student at Stony Brook University.

Perez steered Habib to the New York State Youth Leadership Council in Manhattan -- a group of 100 college student volunteers who offer counseling and legal assistance to help students like Habib stay in the country. The group was instrumental in stopping Habib 20, of Queens, from being sent back to Bangladesh with her mother in September.

Habib and Perez are among thousands of undocumented students across the state, officials say, who were brought here illegally as children and now face being expelled from the United States as adults. These students are turning to the NYSYLC to stop deportation procedures by Immigration Customs and Enforcement.

With the aid of NYSYLC, "I feel I have control over my future," Habib said. "I'm not hiding anymore because of the youth leadership council."

Though mostly undocumented themselves, NYSYLC members operate openly to help students fight deportation procedures, and lobby in Albany for students who face deportation.

"This is a grassroots movement, and we are reaching out to more colleges and universities across the state," said Daniela Alulema, an NYSYLC board member. "We are sharing our stories and getting connected. It takes courage to declare publicly that you are illegal, but eventually at some point everyone feels they have no choice."

Alulema, 24, says she came to the United States with her parents illegally from Ecuador. She has a bachelor's degree in business administration, and is currently taking her entrance exams for graduate school, where she plans to study public policy.

Alulema, who fears being targeted for deportation, said that publicly announcing her illegal status helps her "take ownership of my life. If there is a petition for deportation, the NYSYLC will support me, which helps me come to terms with my status."

Dave Bennion, an immigration lawyer who has worked pro bono, said NYSYLC "has an organized campaign that has mobilized the undocumented student movement and empowered them to stop deportation procedures."

In defense of undocumented college students, lawyers generally argue that their clients were brought here illegally by their parents and are essentially victims of circumstance.

NYSYLC co-founder Jose Luis Zacatelco, 31, said the group started five years ago when discouraged undocumented high school and college students started gathering at New York Immigration Coalition meetings, where students were educated about the Dream Act, legislation that gives illegal immigrant students temporary legal status and makes them eligible for permanent residency and citizenship.

"A lot of undocumented students started dropping out of high school," Zacatelco said. "They didn't see a future even if they got a bachelor's degree because they could not work legally. It all seemed pointless."

Last month, the state Board of Regents announced it would push Congress to pass the Dream Act.

William Gheen, president of Americans for Legal Immigration, in Raleigh, N.C., said his group of 40,000 members opposes the Dream Act. Gheen said the group believes the proposed legislation "is a sympathetic tool being used to bring full amnesty to the 30 million illegal immigrants who live in the United States."

Perez, who was brought here from Colombia by her parents when she was 5, said she hopes NYSYLC can come to her rescue, like it did for her friend. Perez is concerned that when she turns 21 next month she can no longer use her uncle, a legal citizen, as a sponsor for her legal residency, so she will need someone else to advocate for her.

At an NYSYLC rally where undocumented students demonstrated to stop Habib and her mother's deportation, a smiling Perez stood on the sidelines as supporters cheered. "This is really great," she said. "I just hope they can do the same for me."