The Pursuit of The American Dream
Earlier this year, a Texas judge ruled DACA as illegal therefore blocking any new applications, stopping any pending applications from being processed and only allowing DACA to continue for current recipients. Thousands of young adults who were depending on DACA to achieve legal status in the country have been left wondering what is next for them now that they have been ripped off a huge opportunity. Without a doubt, DACA is a program that has helped many but those who were not able to get their application processed, are now facing multiple challenges. Even those who are current recipients are fearing that this order will affect them later in their future. Latino undocumented immigrants are now facing disillusion and uncertainty over a broken promise yet remain hopeful in the mist of adversity.
Brian Gutierrez is a college student who has been face to face with various obstacles as an undocumented student with no legal protection. Brian described how his experience in applying to college was difficult because he felt limited to the schools he could apply to. His legal status prevented him from applying for financial aid whereas he saw his closest friends receiving grants and scholarships; something that came with difficulty to him because of his undocumented status. Due to not receiving much aid from the government as an illegal immigrant, Brian now works multiple jobs to be able to pay for school. He currently attends classes at San Jacinto Community College due to the cost of tuition being much less expensive than at a university. The DACA ruling by the judge earlier this year has brought more problems upon Brian. Brian was depending on the DACA program to achieve legal status in the country. He went through the extensive process to apply to be a recipient, he spent thousands of dollars to hire a lawyer and to pay for the application. Unfortunately, this is the reality for many immigrants. They find themselves working extensively to pay for their applications and any other necessities, as explained below by Houston Community member, Kevin.
As for Brian, due to the ruling, he was not able to have his application processed. He was so close but his fate changed within a matter of days. Brian, along with many others, have been left disillusioned in a country where “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” are considered unalienable rights yet remain hopeful that one day, some things will change for the better as he says below.
Marisset Oporta, a current DACA recipient and college student attending the University of Houston, explains the economic struggle she has gone through because of her legal status in the country even though she is ‘protected’ by the program. Marisset found the application process for TAFSA, a financial aid program offered to non-citizens, to be extremely difficult and challenging especially as a first generation Latina. A huge barrier she faced just like Brian were scholarships. She described finding scholarships for non-citizens as “almost impossible.” Even though she receives aid through TAFSA, she confesses that her financial aid yearly package offered by the state is “limited.” This affects her choosing a degree to pursue after her undergrad. Not all grad programs nor law schools hand out financial aid to undocumented students. Obtaining a loan from the government is also difficult since one is not able to get a loan without having a U.S. citizen as a co-signer. A huge problem that she has also faced, yet has chosen to accept, is the limitation that comes from not being a citizen. Her status keeps her from enjoying the full college experience. She is restricted from certain programs such as ‘Learning Abroad’ because of her lack of citizenship and others at the university that are sadly only offered to those with a citizenship status. Despite the disadvantages, Marisset is thankful for the opportunity to pursue a higher education despite her status in the country. Even with her chance at studying in a public university, Marisset fears that the court ruling earlier this year will also affect those who are protected by DACA due to the controversy that it has brought forward. Her among others fear that they will eventually just shut DACA completely down.
Although standing at different places, both Brian and Marisset face similar situations that many others can relate to; especially when it comes to the uncertainty of their future. More than 120,000 individuals in Texas are recipients of DACA. There are over 30,000 recipients in Houston with Greater Houston having the fourth largest number of recipients in the country. The ruling that was put in place by the Texas judge earlier this year has left thousands of young adults wondering what will happen to them in the years to come. The dreams and goals that they once envisioned feel further away from becoming a reality. People who have only known the U.S. as their home country encounter the devastation of not knowing if within a couple of years, they will be kicked out of the only place they have ever known as home. As more empty promises and obstacles come into play, individuals such as Marisset and Brian begin to see the goal for a better life as more impossible to fulfill.
