Illegal in the light of day (Houston Chronicle)

Illegal in the light of day
Undocumented students in the U.S., frustrated by the lack of legislation toward legal status, are stepping forward
By SUSAN CARROLL
HOUSTON CHRONICLE
April 16, 2011, 10:52AM

COLLEGE STATION — He first came out publicly during a House Committee on State Affairs meeting in March, standing at a podium before state lawmakers in a cobalt-blue, button-down shirt, his voice shaky with nerves.

"My name is Jose Zelaya, and I am a fifth-year education senior from Houston, Texas,” he said. "But most importantly I am the proudest, loudest member of the fighting Aggie Class of 2010."

He then let out a signature Aggie Whoop that echoed in the chamber.

Zelaya, who once washed windshields on street corners in Honduras, was psyching himself up to do what hundreds if not thousands of teenagers and young adults brought to the U.S. as children are starting to do.

He publicly, and with purpose, declared that he is an illegal immigrant.

The movement is spreading on college campuses across the country as frustration mounts among young illegal immigrants who have seen congressional legislation that would help them fail year after year.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano recently said college students without papers are not the agency's priority, but the administration has not set a policy that allows them to stay in the country or get legal status.

A group of 22 U.S. Senate Democrats this week sent a letter to President Barack Obama urging him to grant deferrals to undocumented youths, which would allow them to stay in the country legally, though it would not give them a green card or put them on a path to citizenship.

A dozen step forward

On Friday, about a dozen students from Texas A&M, the University of Texas, UT-Arlington, Texas Woman's University and Texas Tech took turns coming out as illegal immigrants at a podium set up outside the A&M campus administration building.

It was the first time Thailandia Alaffita, 22, a recent A&M graduate, spoke publicly about her status. She stood at the podium in pink, peep-toe heels and explained that her family came to the U.S. on tourist visas when she was 4 years old. They are still here, 18 years later.

On Thursday, Alaffita saw Internet postings from other students warning that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents would be notified of the event. Her mother worried and asked her not to speak.

"Mom,"”she said, "if I don't do this now, it means they win."”

Nicole Heath, a 19-year-old communications sophomore at A&M, was among a handful of students who came out to oppose the demonstration, holding a sign that read: "Welcome to Aggieland: Where It's OK to Break the Law and Brag About It."”

"It's a bigger issue than we here at A&M can handle, but I don't appreciate them coming out and being unapologetic’about it," she said.

"If I was going to protest the drinking age and came out here and was underage drinking, I would get arrested,"”Heath added.

A crowd of about 80 people gathered at the peak of the demonstration, as students chanted "undocumented and unafraid!"”

The speakers' stories had common themes: Despite their academic achievements, their futures were uncertain. Many were torn by having families in two countries. Some talked of having their dads deported or going for years without seeing their mothers.

"When I was growing up, I was always aware that I was undocumented, but I never knew what that meant,"”said Alaffita, who grew up in Spring Branch.

Fifth in her class

For Alaffita, that means having a college diploma but still being unable to teach in Houston or the surrounding school districts.

Maria Fernanda Cabello, who has been in the U.S. without papers for eight years, said she graduated fifth in her class from Houston's Nimitz High School and is studying aerospace engineering at A&M.

She urged her fellow undocumented students not to get discouraged, invoking Martin Luther King Jr.

"Will you stand up?"”she asked.

Zelaya, 24, was the last to take the podium. He said his father in Honduras was an alcoholic who used to beat his wife and children and threaten them with a machete. He used to say: "I gave you life. I can take it away," he said.
Living on streets

At 7, he started working in the streets, washing car windows and begging on buses. His mother left for the United States when he was 13, unable to take the beatings from his father, he said.

At 14, he set out to find his mother and his little sister in the U.S. "I was just running away from violence," he said.

The journey took 45 days and ended in a one-room apartment in Houston his mother shared with several other families.

"My mom, my mom cared for us. Can you understand my mom?" he said. "Can you understand why she came here?"

Zelaya, an aspiring school teacher, said it hurts to see fellow Aggies oppose the DREAM Act — legislation that would give legal status to some young illegal immigrants — or in-state tuition for undocumented students.

"Can you understand what it means to be undocumented?" he asked. "I'm afraid every day when I get out of the apartment that I don't know if I'm coming home."