Undocumented students seek “dream”
By Fred Ortega Staff Writer
Hector Saldivar looked the part of the summa cum laude, double-major UCLA graduate: well groomed, articulate, dressed in a crisply pressed blue suit. The type of candidate law schools would battle each other to recruit.
But Saldivar has a problem – he is an illegal immigrant.
And that means that without access to grants, financial aid or even legal employment, paying the $75,000 for UCLA’s Law School program is pretty much out of
the question for the East L.A. resident.
“There is no way I can afford it,” said Saldivar, 21, who worked 40 hours a week at the only job he could get – as a fast food restaurant server – to put himself through UCLA as an undergraduate.Saldivar spoke Wednesday at the UCLA Labor Center in front of MacArthur Park as part of the unveiling of a report by the university’s Center for Labor Research and Education detailing the plight of students in similar situations.
Attending the event was Assemblyman Mike Eng, D-El Monte, who co-authored a state bill that would allow some illegal immigrant students access to state grants and loans.
“We already have immigration laws on the books that treat minors with a great deal of protection,” said Eng, noting that illegal immigrant children who are orphans, foster children, or have been abused are routinely granted green cards. “So this is simple, it doesn’t ask for a lot. It just allows students to compete for financial aid without being disadvantaged by federal regulations.”
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