The fact that so many of these students are getting degrees is testament to a dirty little secret: they are aware that a LOT of employers don’t care if the employees have authentic documents or not. They want the best employee for the cheapest wage.
In what way does it benefit us, Americans as a whole, to punish these youngsters?>>>>>>>>>>
I don’t think either of the girls will be punished, not at all. The minute they turn 18, I’m sure they’ll take and pass the citizenship test. I just wonder about their parents now, if they will get in any trouble. I don’t think they should be in trouble but OTOH, as pointed out, in today’s climate with Mr. Big Mouth and his views, there might be pressure put on officials to “do something”.
Well, they probably pay a lot of taxes they won’t be using (such as SS)>>>>>>>>>
How so? How does that work?
ETA: ah, read the “Vice” article. They use fake SS numbers but I guess it’s just to work, they don’t expect to continue to fake-be that person and collect SS as that person someday.
The girl heading to UT does have a SSN and she got that by getting a DACA first. That gives her the right to work and/or study for 3 years and it can be renewed. A few bureaucratic hurdles to jump, but not very difficult.
The rules for getting a DACA are many and varied - must have been brought here as a child, under a certain age, between certain years, etc. Must apply by a certain date. Must have no felonies. Must have no heavy misdemeanors that would result in a longer sentence (any DUI’s etc.).
If you are undocumented, you can’t just decide to take and pass the citizenship test once you turn 18. It doesn’t even remotely work like that.
SSNs are actually easy to get – tens of thousands of college students from all over the world come to the US every summer to work in hotels/resorts, etc. on J-1 visas. (It’s the so-called work & travel program). They get SSNs. Then they go home. Who’s to say they don’t then sell that number to someone else?>>>>>>>>>>
Interesting. No “special designation”, just a regular old SS card like I have?
“And the tweet? Charming, tongue-in-cheek and celebratory in nature. I love it and say CONGRATULATIONS to them both!”
Except that it was posted with a Mexican flag, I was fine with it. THAT was provacative.
"Please STOP calling the undocumented residents ‘illegals’.
I will continue to use the phrase “illegal immigrant” because that describes their status best. They are here permenently and are not legal. My kids attend school/play soccer/play in band/go to church with many bright, funny, respectful hard-working friends with this status, not all of them Mexican. We’re not idiots, we know there needs to be a pathway to permanent residency or citizenship for them.
"Interesting. No “special designation”, just a regular old SS card like I have? "
The number looks the same, 9 digits, but the status on the account states what the owner’s status is - citizen, non-citizen, student visa, etc. Some of the cards issued say “right to work” but others do not. My daughter’s original SSN card did indicate ‘right to work’ but then she got another when she was still not a citizen that stated ‘right to work’ and finally another when she became a citizen. Same number/name on all three, but the status with the SSA was different. An employer would not know by looking at the number what the status was, only by using a service that checks names and numbers.
The SSN are not that easy to get. You have to have a right to work in this country. Several posts above claim people
‘just sell the number once they return to their home countries.’ That’s not going to work any better than just making up a number. The name and status won’t match at SSA. If any employer checks, the number won’t work.
There are several threads every spring by students who file a FAFSA or another document with a SSN with their colleges and the colleges can’t verify the status as citizen. It is usually because the SSN was originally issues when the student wasn’t a citizen, the student became a citizen at some point but the status was never changed with SSA. The number will not change, but you (or parent) has to change the status with SSA.
“The minute they turn 18, I’m sure they’ll take and pass the citizenship test.”
As scubasue noted, there is generally no path to citizenship for these students at all. Even marrying a citizen won’t normalize their status, much less give them citizenship.
they live in a sort of no man’s land.>>>>>>>
It must be sad and scary for them. And just plain weird. In every other aspect of their lives, they *are Americans.
What really got me is that one came over illegally in 2010, so her status is more questionable than someone who came over as a child.
Really, it is spitting in the face of their parents who brought them over - are they in fact speeding their parents to deportation? - and spitting in the face of authorities.
Is there some kind of honor in you and/or your parents breaking the law?
If you are undocumented, you can’t just decide to take and pass the citizenship test once you turn 18. It doesn’t even remotely work like that. >>>>>>>>>>
I read earlier her family had been trying to become citizens for 6 years. Is there a backlog? Obviously, I know nothing about how involved it is or how long it takes. Kind of what I was getting at is that they’d have no problem passing the test at all.
They had a confirmation of citizenship here a couple of weeks ago at a local performing arts venue. my friend who volunteers there said it was very moving. Whenever I see it on TV, they really are so thankful and happy.
We have a friend who married a UK citizen. They had to jump thru a lot of hoops for her to legally be in UK and him to legally be in US, both before and after marriage. They had to hire expensive immigration attorneys and he was finally allowed to take and pass US citizenship test.
Many who become citizens in those ceremonies have relatives who have sponsored them, have won the lottery for a citizenship, have been sponsored by employers, have started businesses with $1M plus value, were asylum seekers. Many are those who waited years in another country and finally made it to the top of the list to enter the US legally.
As scubasue noted, there is generally no path to citizenship for these students at all. Even marrying a citizen won’t normalize their status, much less give them citizenship.>>>>>>>>>>
Right, I know marriage doesn’t count, as I have a dil who is not a U.S. citizen.
But the fact that these girls have the DACA status, are going to college, are obviously long time residents, I don’t understand that “there is generally no path to citizenship for” them? That is really messed up. Seriously.
On the other hand, I know wealthy asian families whose children have been educated in the USA (boarding school, college). Very bright, well-educated and would definitely be contributors to society here in the USA. There citizenship process, start to finish, took 3-4 months. It is not a fair and equal process. Money and education does speak volumes.
ValuBird: There is not; hence all the proposals and arguments among politicians about creating a path to citizenship.
And then there is the other brand of politician who have calculated that they can get many of the uneducated masses to believe that it is both logistically and financially possible to round up 11 million people and drop them off in Tijuana. And voila! All our problems are solved.
Both of those young women are brave and a credit to their families. I cannot imagine how hard life would be with the fear of deportation over me. I cannot imagine having to start school in a new country, while not speaking the language. That these young women overcame the odds and not only succeeded but thrived is amazing. These are exacly the kinds of young people we need.
So every single undocumented student has the same personality, the same habits and the same agenda? You can guarantee how each of them is going to behave because, basically, they are all the same person?
My family proudly waves the Irish flag every year and a few of us have been known to gasp wear our shamrock T shirts even when it’s not March 17.
My southern relatives…the ones who get p! $$#& about Mexican flags…will argue to the death that it is their God given right to wave and display the confederate flag…
Apparently pride for your heritage is only OK if you are not brown skinned.
And then there is CC…a forum created to help us parents figure out how to find and capitalize on every possible college admission and FA angle (at the expense of taxpayers and/or generous scholarship donors)on behalf of our students who are too busy to do it themselves because they are off at camp prepping for their next Mock UN event.
Lots and lots and lots of kids entered my kids’ international school, not speaking English. Within a year, these kids are speaking it.
Most the illegal immigrant students already have a foundation in their parents’ native tongue.