Reprinted from the Statesman Journal
I am halfway to my American dream. I grew up as an undocumented immigrant, simply because I was born in Mexico nine months before my mother came to the U.S. Although I call this country home and have lived here almost my entire life, I am not a U.S. citizen. And I am not alone.
This year, the Oregon Latino community is urging legislators to pass two bills that would allow undocumented immigrants to fully contribute to our communities. One would allow all undocumented Oregonians to hold driver’s licenses and the other would establish tuition equity for college students.
The tuition equity bill would allow undocumented students to pay the same tuition as Oregon residents. This bill wouldn’t give undocumented students special treatment. It would simply recognize them for who they are: Oregonians. Two years ago, this legislation didn’t pass, but it is time for students to be treated equally based on their abilities and determination to earn an education. There must be an end to placing barrier after barrier in front of young adults who are worthy of being college students.
Driver’s licenses for all immigrants are a matter of public safety, proving that a driver has been evaluated for proper knowledge and competence. With a license, parents can pick up their kids from school and safely share the roads with other work commuters. If people cannot get to work, they can’t support Oregon businesses. In 2009 alone, Latinos in Oregon had a purchasing power of $7 billion dollars.
Immigration reform isn’t just about politics. It’s about social justice. So many people have had their dignity taken away. They are afraid, living in the shadows. The words “illegal immigrants” dehumanize us, and even though we may all share similar dreams, people judge others without knowing them. We need a solution for young people like me who have been here all our lives.
Like others, I want something better for my family and myself. I grew up working alongside my parents and grandparents, picking every kind of berry you can imagine, and I remember my family sleeping in living rooms and garages. These hardships inspired my dream of going to college, and now I am set to become the first college graduate in my family.
I recently met in Washington, D.C., with immigrants from grassroots organizations across the country, to discuss immigration reform. While there, I visited the Abraham Lincoln Memorial. I stood outside the monument in the exact spot where Martin Luther King gave his “I Have a Dream” speech. Standing there looking at the monument and reflecting pool where thousands of people have stood, fighting for change, inspired me. Immigration reform is truly the civil rights movement of our day.
We need to rethink the immigration process, we need to talk about the issue more deeply, and we need to find solutions that acknowledge those who have been here all their lives. I hope true immigration reform will be the legacy our political leaders leave for this generation and generations to come.
Miriam Corona is a political science student at Linfield College in McMinnville, Ore. She works for Causa, an immigrant rights group, and hopes to go to law school and eventually serve in the U.S. Senate.
