By
Kaitlin Strohschein
February 13, 2009
Jackie Martinez fled civil war in El Salvador when she was 10 years old and came to America. During high school, she worked full time and took enough honors classes to graduate with an associate degree. Martinez went on to obtain a master’s degree in public administration, and is now a doctoral student in education at the UW.
Photo by Cliff Despeaux.
This UW student is one of several undocumented Washington state students pushing for legislation in Olympia to allow illegal immigrants to obtain financial aid.
It wasn’t until two years ago that she officially obtained legal residency, and now Martinez must wait three more years before she can apply for citizenship.
Undocumented students — like Martinez was through most of her college career — have been eligible for in-state tuition since the passage of House Bill 1079 in 2003, granted they meet certain criteria. However, unlike other in-state students, they are not eligible to receive state need grants.
That is why on Wednesday, Martinez, along with five undocumented college students from the state, testified in Olympia in favor of HB 1706.
Under this bill, undocumented students would be eligible for the state’s main financial aid program.
Need grants are awarded to undergraduates whose income is 70 percent less than the median if they are classified as “resident students,” with the exclusion of residents living in the state without proper paperwork.
To be considered eligible for in-state tuition rates, undocumented students must complete their senior year of high school and receive a diploma in Washington. They must continuously live in the state for at least three years before earning the diploma and stay in the state after receiving the diploma and before entering college. Also, they must provide an affidavit saying they will apply for citizenship as soon as possible and participate in activities required to do so.
“1079 (undocumented) students are not criminals; they are educated and highly capable students who want to contribute to this country and our state,” said Barbra Guzman, research and policy director of the Latino/Latina Educational Achievement Project.
Several other groups voiced concerns about the bill’s possible effects on the state.
Mariann Davies, a member of You Don’t Speak for Me, a Hispanic U.S. citizens group that opposes need grants for undocumented students, feels students who are non-citizens in the United States should be treated like all other international students.
Leon Donahue, of Washingtonians for Immigration Reform, agreed.
“If I was a veteran with a silver star from the state of Oregon, and I wanted to go to WSU, I’d have to pay out-of-state tuition, but an illegal alien could pay in-state tuition,” Donahue said. “We need to get back on a level playing field.”
Grassroots of the Yakima Valley also shared concerns about the financial impact of illegal immigration and opposes the bill, said group representative Robert West.
“Do we have a system of laws here, in this country, or don’t we?” said Judy Talbeck of Renton. “Are we favoring [illegal immigrants] over legal children?”
However, Rep. Dave Quall, D-Mt. Vernon, the bill’s primary sponsor, compared the public education system to Doctors without Borders, a humanitarian organization that provides medical aid in more than 60 countries.
“[Doctors Without Borders] say, ‘If there’s a medical need, let’s take care of it,’” Quall explained. “That’s a generous philosophy, and I like a generous philosophy.”
One UW student who testified in favor of the bill said, “Courage is what is going to be needed to pass this bill.”
Following his testimony, the student received close to 45 “hate e-mails.” Because of his undocumented status, he was unwilling to go on the public record again.
“I was proud to stand up for what I believe is right and to give a voice to the many other students who are in my situation,” he said. “All I am asking is an opportunity to share the American dream.”
Reach reporter Kaitlin Strohschein at news@dailyuw.com.
5 Comments
#1 talkfahrenheit
on February 14, 2009 at 12:13 a.m.(Seattle, WA)
All of these "undocumented" (aka illegal) immigrants have the opportunity to share in the American dream, but they choose to do it illegally. It is unfortunate enough that they even have a chance to become eligible and remain illegal; but now they are complaining that they don't get state grants?
We are in an economic recession now, the state is making huge budget cuts, and the last thing that needs to be done is give money to people who aren't in this country legally.
#2 terra_incognita
on February 14, 2009 at 11:26 p.m.(Seattle, WA | UW Community)
Ridiculous. That's all I will say. Interpret that however you want.
#3 Rebecca_F
on February 15, 2009 at 1:29 p.m.(Seattle, WA | UW Community)
"1079 (undocumented) students are not criminals." We're talking about illegal immigrants, right?
The law says they may not enter or reside in this country. They entered and are residing in this country. Therefore they have and are breaking the law. Therefore they are criminals. By definition.
They are essentially trespassers on another's property and they must either get the permission of the owner to be there (i.e. obtain a legal visa) or leave. They have no right to expect us to help pay for their education while they continue to live in someone else's land without authorization.
#4 LOOS
on February 15, 2009 at 4:30 p.m.(UW Campus)
No, it's not unfortunate, thanks to HB-1079, many students have the opportunity to achieve their dreams and contribute to the economy of this country.
1079 students work as hard as any other students to make it to UW. They are here and they deserve financial aid as much as any other student who meets the criteria to be eligible for the state need grant program.
They are not complaining about anything, they are asking for help. By the way, this students could do way more about the economic recession as college graduates.
Yes, it is ridiculous that some people will insist on calling these students illegal aliens. The term is dehumanizing and it reflects hate and fear, the combination of these two never brings solutions.
1079 students and undocumented immigrants are tax payers as well (surprise!), so they are not asking for anything for free.
No, they are not criminals, you can't possibly judge somebody based upon a broken system, by that I mean a system that allows for "crime" and also punishes this "crime" - the U.S. immigration system.
Now, we are faced with a decision, do we stand up for the human right to education or do we fall to prejudice and the negative consequences of a long standing issue in this country?
#5 fernandez09
on February 26, 2009 at 12:42 p.m.(Roy, WA)
Equal opportunity. That is all we ask for. The same opportunity that Europeans and other early immigrants pursued when they came the the 'New World'; which coincidentally happened to be inhabited. The same desire, hopes and dreams your ancestors had when they arrived here. It used to be you just showed up (even from thousands of miles away) and were given this opportunity. Now its being denied to a neighbor? Hypocritical is how I see it, going against the very principles that this country was founded upon. It's being denied to people like myself, an "illegal" (by your definition), a "problem" (by others), a "TRUE American Citizen" by me. Someone that comes from indigenous native North American blood, that just so happened to be born in Mexico. Now the argument that we 'willingly' came into this country is ignorant. We came here for the same reason that everyone else is here, because we were under the same circumstances that your ancestors found themselves in and were forced to move to provide a better life for YOU!
If I had the choice, I'd be in Mexico for I was brought here when I was four, an age where I really had no choice. But the fact of the matter is that I grew up here, my family is here, my hopes and dreams are all here. This is all we have and all we know. If we were given the opportunity to continue education with reasonable assistance, the payback would be enormous.
"An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest."-Benjamin Franklin.
I, as my peers, strive for excellence and in doing so, we strive to be an asset to this great nation. We have a lot to offer, if only we were given the opportunity.
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