students - youth

I strongly support an comprehensive immigration reform because every one in this country deserves to be given the opportunity at the American dream. People that work daily in meager low paying jobs with no benifits are not asking to be handed money or food. They are simply are asking to be treated equally as their employers, neighbors, teacher, classmates, and everyone surrounding them. Every day I wish that I had the opportunity to drive to class with out the fear, driving to work, and to apply to graduate school without paying out-of-state tuition which is impossible to pay. There is a crucial need for a solution to the problem that America is facing and the solution is there. Please, Senate,Congress, House of Representatives keep america safe by bringing people out of the shadows and deal with the problem. Putting off the problem for some one else to solve is never going to happen. I urge you to listen to us and help America prevail against terrorism. Thank You and God Bless.

My name is Arthur and I am 20 years old illegal immigrant.My mom brought me to America in 2001 with a visitor VISA and ever since the day I stepped my feet on this land I fell in love with it.Weeks after we landed, my mom went back to her home country and left me in America with my sister and her boyfriend. I attended my first two years of high school while living with them. There, I earned honor roll and perfect attendance and participated in extra curricular activities. While living in my sister's household a lot of bad and good things happened to me.Her boyfriend,father of all her three kids, forced me into heavy labor around the house and often used abusive language towards me.He also made me come with him to steal construction materials from Home Depot and under development neighborhoods. If I refused to go,he would often threat me saying that I would have to go back to my home country.Unfortunately my sister saw everything that was going on and did absolutely nothing.One day in the summer of 2003, they made me quit school and head back to my home country.

The only good thing that happened to me while living with them was that I met one of their neighbor,a true American family.I became really good friends with one of their kids and we often spent time together playing soccer.I became really close to the whole family and they often invited to their house and other family activities.In the other hand, my sister and her boyfriend opposed me and told me to end my relationship with their family,but I didn't.

After leaving America,me and this American family kept in touch for a while until they invited me to go back and live with them in their house.They also became by law my legal guardians until I was 18 years old.At that time we had no clue that I was here with my visitor VISA and that I only could stay in America for short periods of time.I found out that I illegally living in the United States in the summer of 2004 after I got my driver's license.The DMV sent me a letter saying that my Social Security number was wrong.When I asked my mom about it,they said my sister issued me a fake SSN.My heart was broken into pieces and I did not know what to do.My American family agreed to let me live with them even though I was an illegal immigrant.

In 2005 I graduated from high school but could not attend college due to my legal status.During the fall of the same year, I requested a private meeting with the Den of a local Technical College.I explained to him my situation and he agreed to let me attend his school as an international student.Little did I know, but international students pay around $1500 per quarter instead of $400 that resident students pay.I did not know what to do since I do not have a real job and only work part time.I struggled but thanks to God I am able to save enough money to take at least one class per quarter.Believe or not, my girlfriend's family(American) also help me out a lot with school tuition and other things.

Today,I am few weeks away from turning 21.I can not drive,work,get health insurance,and other things legal residents can.One day, I plan on having an family in the United States;also I plan on getting an Associate degree in business first,then move on to a 4 year school expand my education.Thanks to God,and my American family I get up everyday strong,taking one day at the time waiting for the best day of my life to come;the day I officially become an American citizen.Finally,for all the people that read my story,just remember to never give up.

First my mom came here from Guatamala because she wanted to have a better life. She got a fake visa, and later my dad got one to and joined her. Then they stayed here and worked for six years and then decided to have my sister and me come here. So we drove to Mexico with my grandmother, and the three of us got fake visas in Mexico. And then we went on an airplane and come to New York, and then we went to Branford where my dad had an apartment. Then we bought a house from an Ecuadorian who sold us the house even though he knew we had a fake visa.

My dad was ten and lived in a poor village in Guatemala, and his parents were friends with my mom's parents. One day when the friends came to visit, they brought their daughter with them, and that's when my dad fell in love with my mom. It was the first and only love for my dad and mom, and they are still together and in love. Ten years later, they married and moved to the United States with false visas. So when my mom had me, I was born here.
In the United States my father was driving while drinking and was stopped by the police. Then his visa was taken from him, and he was never able to leave the country to see his family. But one day, my dad bought a huge construction truck that holds sand and cement. He filled it with all our stuff, and we hid in the back of it. I was eight months old at the time. We managed to drive all the way to Guatemala to see our family without ever being caught. My parents went back to the U.S., and I stayed in Guatemala and was raised by my grandma.
At age seven, I came back to the U.S. to join my parents, and I carried a fake document that I still use today. And now I'm in love with my new country.

Ten years ago my father sneaked into New York from Ecuador. He swam across a river to come to the U.S. He lived in New York and my mom stayed in Ecuador. When I was two years old, my mom came here,and I stayed in Ecuador with my grandmother and her family. Then I went to live with a family in Peru for five months because they were going to give me a visa. They had five other kids there that were coming on the plane with me. They found me a visa of a little boy with short hair, and so I had to cut my hair to look like the little boy and pretend that I was six when I was eight. Now I am nine and have been in America for one year.

I've had many experiences in my life, but I never thought I would come to the United States. When my family and I came here in 2004 we came to see Disney World. We cmae here to see our family and have a different vacation. I think that my mom and my dad liked it here and that is why we stayed here with our family. After half a year in the United States my mom got married for convenience and a year after that we get the legal documents. My mom still married so we can get the citizenship in the United States.

One of my dreams is to be a U.S. citizen and have enough money to support my family, also to go back to Colombia any time I want to visit them.

I came to the United States in 1997 when my father acquired an Investor’s (E2) VISA that he successfully renovated as time went on. For ten years, I have been in this country legally thanks to the passed-down VISA for my father’s immediate family. I recently turned 21, am out of status, and will soon be out of VISA since I am no longer eligible for a passed-down version of my father’s even if he manages to renew it once again.

I have never once broken the law and will soon be applying for a student VISA that will allow me to finish my studies. The problem is that I will be out of legal options afterward as far as my status in this nation is concerned. I was hoping to apply to medical school, but under a student VISA I will be forced to do so as an international, essentially reducing my chances of acceptance to nothing (and not being eligible for financial aid otherwise).

My parents paid taxes for ten years and none in my family have a criminal record whatsoever. Looking at me, one would never guess that I am Mexican. To be honest, I have become detached from my original culture and consider myself an American in every way except for not having a nine-digit number attached. As the clock ticks and my VISA closes in on the expiration date, the idea that this country wants me out even though I have been here legally since elementary school becomes more of a reality.

I need help. I have never broken law and this country is my home. Pointing at me and telling me to leave is no different than pointing the same finger at any other American and telling them to get out. I do not want to do anything wrong, but my situation cannot remain as is for much longer.

Rigins came to the US from Haiti when he was 14 y.o. He couldn't read, write, add, etc. He wrote his name in manuscript because he learned to write his letters by copying them out of a book. Rigins' IQ was barely normal. His socialization skills were rudimentary.

In Haiti, he lived with his grandmother. His day was spent sitting on the side of a mountain selling bananas for firewood. Rigins' mother saved up enough money to send him here legally. He lived in an seedy apartment with two other middle school boys. Whenever I stopped by to check on them, the place was immaculately clean. They carried packages for people at the flea market. They repaired discarded bicycles and sold them to make money. There was an "uncle" who came paid the rent, etc. and brought them food.

Eventually, Rigins moved in with another "uncle." This new uncle helped him with his education. Rigins earned his diploma, passing his high school classes including the algebra requirement. He mastered the dreaded state assessment.

I ran into Rigins last year at the local supermarket. He was an assistant manager. Frequently I run into former students who are making more money than I am!

I just don't understand why we can't put together a workable, but compassionate, immigration policy.

My name is Chris Jarrin. I'm 13 years old. I'm born in Brooklyn, New York. When I was 2 years old I moved to Ecuador. I lived there for almost 10 years. I lived with my mom, aunt and grandma. I have one sister and one brother. My mom moved back to New York becuase we needed money. So I lived with my aunt. My mom wanted us to move back to New York becuase we needed a better education for job opportunities.. When I'm older I moved to Connecticut. So that's how I got to the U.S. My dream is to be a vet so that's why I moved here to study for vet. I came with my father becuase he lives in the U.S. So that's my dream and I'll do anything to make it true.