'Dreamers' seek support to retain in-state tuition

By Araceli M. Cantero - Florida Catholic

MIAMI | To support young immigrants identified as "Dreamers" in their efforts to maintain the benefit of in-state tuition at public colleges and universities, the Poveda Center in Miami, together with Youth ACT Miami, invited some of the young leaders to present their case and the course of action they are following to persuade legislators to act in their favor.

They need to do so given that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced, late in February, a plan to rescind a 2014 House Bill (HB) 851 signed into law by then Gov. Rick Scott, with strong bipartisan support, that allows undocumented students, including DACA recipients living in Florida, to access in-state tuition. Undocumented students must apply for an out-of-state fee waiver.

Dreamers were brought to the United States by their parents as children. They have grown and gone to high school here and they are called ‘Dreamers’ after the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act, which was introduced in 2001.

At their presentation March 25, 2023, leaders from TheDream.US shared about their trips to Tallahassee to meet with legislators and present their case. They are asking supporters to call their representatives and express clearly their opposition to this measure.

They are against it because it would not allow Dreamers to pursue higher studies. This is so because the average tuition of $6,000 annually would jump to $22,000. The measure would also negatively affect Florida’s economy.

According to the American Business Immigration Coalition (ABIC), to rescind in-state rates would ultimately result in Florida taking an economic hit in the years to come. They underscore that:

• DACA recipients have paid $329 million into state and local taxes since 2013 and will earn a collective $19.5 billion in wages through 2032, with $15.5 million of that going to state and local taxes. Whether a person is undocumented or not, they contribute to the education system through state taxes.
• Earnings for those with a bachelor’s or master’s degree average $27,000 and $40,000 higher, respectively, than earnings of peers with only high school diplomas. This added income translates to more tax revenue and more in-state spending.
• Additionally, in-state tuition for undocumented immigrants who graduated high school in Florida costs the state little money, as undocumented students make up only 3% of the state’s public post-secondary system.
• It’s estimated that Florida’s DACA recipients earned $3.5 billion in wages and contributed nearly $330 million to state and local taxes between 2013 and 2022.

 

SUCCESS FOR EVERYONE

At the information meeting at the Poveda Center, Gaby Pacheco, former dreamer and now director of Advocacy, Communications and Development at TheDream.US, shared her story and pointed out that this is not “just about young people having access to education. When people are doing well and succeeding, the community is also doing well.”

Pacheco was brought to this country from Ecuador in 1993, when she was seven years old. Her parents had often come to the U.S. on business. She excelled in school, participating in cross country, basketball, track and field, and the orchestra.

In 2009, when she was 16 years old, she walked from Miami to Washington, D.C., to raise awareness about the plight of Dreamers. She has been part of all the moments in their plight, and she recalled all the steps in a piece published by Newsweek in 2021.

In 2010, “I watched and cried from the Senate balcony” as the DREAM Act received 55 votes in the Senate but failed to become law due to a filibuster.

In 2012, “I cheered when former President Barack Obama announced DACA,” that provided protections from deportation, work permits and new opportunities for immigrant youth.

In 2017, “I feared for friends, family and the TheDream.US scholars when the Trump administration announced its intentions to end the DACA program.”

And in 2020, she celebrated when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Trump administration’s attempt to do so was unlawful.

At her presentation, she pointed out that “TheDream.US has graduated over 470 students, which translates into millions of dollars in spending power and tax revenue from this educated demographic.”

For her, the fight “is not about politics, but about human beings.” 

 

PERSONAL STORIES

This becomes very real upon listening to all the personal stories. Stories such as that of Julio Calderon, now lead student organizer with ABIC and TheDream.US; or that of Armando Carrada, now a small business owner, who recently traveled to Tallahassee “telling our stories and making sure they know we are present and that we are helping the community.”

Another Dreamer, Aquiles, arrived in Miami from Venezuela when he was 11 years old. Now under Temporary Protected Status, he is a student in film editing and broadcast journalism at Florida International University but fears he will not be able to graduate. The session at the Poveda Center allowed him to share his concerns and also allowed other dreamers to speak via Zoom.

Pinita, a The Dream.US scholar, and her sister, Guadalupe, offered poignant testimonies about initially blaming their parents for having brought them to this country after realizing, after graduation from high school, that they could not attend college despite having received several scholarships. Pinita did finish her studies at a technical college but could not receive a certificate because she was undocumented.

“They are playing with our life. Why not give to us what we deserve? We are here and we work hard,” she said.

Other testimonies were displayed on large posters around the room.

Pacheco was proudly wearing a t-shirt with large letters and numbers: PROP.308, an Arizona proposition allowing non-citizen students to receive in-state college tuition when a student (a) attended school in Arizona for at least two years and (b) graduated from a public school, private school, or homeschool in Arizona. The measure was approved with President Obama’s endorsement.

The Florida Policy Institute has pointed out: “Repealing the state’s tuition equity law would impede young immigrants’ ability to thrive, earn higher wages, and contribute further to Florida’s economic prosperity.”

According to the National Immigration Law Center, at least 22 states and Washington, D.C., had tuition-equity laws before the 2022 midterms. That includes California, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. And while most of these students would like to apply for a “green card” to legalize their status, many cannot because they don’t qualify under the current restrictive immigration laws or must wait many years to do so.

BISHOPS OPPOSE ANTI-IMMIGRATION BILL

• An anti-immigration bill making its way through the legislature is being opposed by Florida’s bishops:
• Senate Bill 1718 has been approved by the Senate Rules Committee, and a companion House Bill 1617 has yet to be heard by its first committee of reference.
• “These bills unfairly target the immigrant community in Florida as well as those who devote themselves to assisting them. Criminalizing the mere transport of undocumented people within Florida will have far-reaching negative consequences in the business and church communities.”