Leticia Trujillo never expected the news that her father faced deportation back to Guatemala.
“It’s no longer just a number you know about, because now one of them is my dad and it becomes a lot more personal,” Trujillo, a senior political science major, said.
Since Obama’s time in office, nearly 2 million immigrants have been deported, according to an article in the Washington Post. Obama reiterated at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus annual gala on Oct. 2 that he will make a decision concerning the status of immigrants before the end of the year.
“Obama delaying [the immigration issue] is disappointing, frustrating, and saddening because [neither] he, nor anybody in Congress, has taken the action to change the current system,” Trujillo said.
STUDENT VISAS PROVIDE ALTERNATIVE AVENUES
Even with a predominantly Caucasian campus, Biola has a small percentage of immigrated Hispanic students. Student visas save some of these students from facing any immediate action against their immigration status.
Junior business major Cristhian Aparicio has attended Biola for two years on a visa that allows him to attend a university while his family remains at home.
“[Obama] promised several times to handle the immigration issue, but he hasn’t done anything about it,” said Aparicio. “My parents live in Mexico, but I have an international student visa, so it doesn’t affect me right now.”
With his visa, he can attend school and stay in the country for a year after he graduates to work and gain experience.
CITIZENSHIP STATUS AFFECT STUDENTS FINANCIALLY
The citizenship status of students or their parents limits how they are able to pay for school.
“Because I am an international student I don’t qualify for financial aid or loans, so if I want to pay for my tuition it is through my own pocket and scholarships,” Aparicio said. “I am not eligible to receive any help from the government or get any loans to pay later.”
Trujillo also felt the consequence of this problem when her father’s deportation forced her to find new ways pay for Biola.
“I was getting my financial aid under his name, since I was his dependent, so when he was deported, my mom definitely had no papers. She had a hard time trying to figure out how to report her income. She had to go through a whole process for an entire year having to build up some kind of paperwork in order for my financial aid to be under her name,” Trujillo said.
Trujillo returned to Biola to continue her education by receiving financial aid through her mother’s name. The Dream Act exists as another financial alternative for immigrated students.
Junior education major Leonardo Contreras studies at Biola through the Dream Act without obtaining a student visa. The Dream Act allows immigrated students who have lived in the United States for most of their lives to gain eligibility for citizenship through completing a degree.
“I applied for the Dream Act last year while I was going to Santa Ana College and I was
really excited because of the opportunity of getting a work permit and that would open up so many doors to help out my family,” Contreras said.
