DREAMers, DACA Grantees Return to Maricopa County Community Colleges with In-State-Tuition

In what is considered one of the most important milestones for DREAMers in Arizona and across the nation, the Arizona DREAM Act Coalition will be celebrating Monday, January the 7th the return of immigrant youth, DACA grantees, to Maricopa County Community Colleges (MCCCD) with In-State-Tuition. 

This situation comes as a reversal of bad policy on the immigration-education landscape of Arizona and it is a sign of hope for the economic future in the State and the nation, thanks to DACA.

 After the passage of prop.300 and implementation of anti-education, anti-immigrant laws in Arizona, the enrollment of undocumented immigrant youth, DREAMers, to higher education institutions collapsed.   There was no ban in place but the cost of education, which tripled by out-of-state fees, was put out of the reach of immigrant families.

With the announcement by president Obama on June 15^th granting Deferred Action for persons who arrived as children to the USA (DACA), a door was open for those who apply for this process, get a work permit, to request In-State-Tuition at Maricopa Community Colleges. 

Maricopa Community Colleges is the largest Community Colleges System in the nation.

Since 2007, when Arizona’s Prop 300 took effect and the state began to keep track of undocumented students, it has come evident the number of undocumented students attending  state’s universities and community colleges has fallen dramatically. Read this article by journalist Griselda Nevarez.  1,524 students who were attending one of the three public universities in 2007  were not able to prove a legal status. The number of students in this situation had dropped to 13 by the spring 2012 semester.

There were 1,470 students who couldn’t prove a legal status and were attending the state’s community colleges in spring 2007. By 2012 that number had dropped to 882. Most of these students were only taking one or two classes at a time.

“In the past years we saw a collapse  participation of immigrant youth population in community colleges and Universities, in spite of the talent dreamers had demonstrated when they graduate from high schools, being top of the class and valedictorians.  It is an absolute waste of human resources and talent”, said Dulce Matuz, president of the Arizona DREAM Act Coalition. “We are not seeking special treatment; we are only striving for a leveled plain field.  We are taxpayers too and we support education through our taxes, some of us for decades”, said Matuz.

To be granted In-State-Tuition at MCCCD is necessary for the DACA grantees to present the work authorization card (I-766) and another document that demonstrates their residence in Maricopa County.  This is the set of documents that may be presented (scroll down to County Residency).

The move from MCCCD granting In-State-tuitions came, in great part, to the pressure dreamers and advocates had put to MCCCD when all venues for affordable education were closed during the spring of 2011.  Dreamers had been able to access classes with in-state-tuition when taking one or two classes due to a special administrative classification in place for many years back.  ADAC members protested MCCCD and held many private meetings into the reasoning behind closing the last administrative venue for affordable tuition. Read this article on the series of protests.

So far in State-Tuition in Arizona is only attainable at Maricopa County Community Colleges District (MCCCD).  We advocates are encouraging Arizona Board of Regents and other Community Colleges in Arizona to find legal tools and grant IST to DACA grantees.

Top Arizona DREAM Moments of 2012

The end of 2012 is a great time for reflection on the events that changed the lives of approximately 80,000 to 100,000 immigrant youth in the state.  There will be other lists for top moments at national level but these are our Arizona’s best.

1.-DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals).  It wasn’t because one day President Obama decided to be nice with the embattled DREAMers.  It was a calculated political move plus the result of DREAMers across the nation pressuring POTUS. The ADAC participated in the Right to DREAM Campaign, protesting in front of ICE’s offices and engaging the White House through social media. Efforts came on different fronts, using different tactics. 96 Law professors across the nation signed a letter to President Obama stating “Yes, You Can” give reprieve from deportation to DREAMers in response to President Obama's  reluctance to use his executive powers to alleviate the  DREAMers' situation . More on the letter to President Obama  here.  Arizona State University Professor Evelyn Cruz was one of the signatories to the letter. This “DREAM Act light” was the most significant victory in the immigrant rights movement in a generation.

2.-In State Tuition at Maricopa County Community Colleges.  One of our biggest victories. Legal Department and authorities at Maricopa County Community Colleges District (MCCCD), one of the largest colleges systems in the nation, were quick to find legal justification to offer In-Sate-Tuition to DACA grantees.  This move was in spite of Jan Brewer’s executive order denying Arizona IDs and Driver’s licenses to DACA grantees.   MCCCD kept the list of documents for in-state-tuition that was in place since the times of Prop. 300 implementation.  Governor Brewer, in an authoritarian move, changed the list of documents for granting Arizona State IDs and Driver’s Licenses eliminating the working authorization (I-766).

The quick and resolved response from MCCCD authorities came thanks to the intense protesting and scrutiny  the previous implementation of out of state tuition policies got since April 2011.  Long story short, we DREAM advocates put pressure on MCCCD in public and many, MANY, private meetings to show our displeasure on the disappearance of all reasonable tuition fees for immigrant youth. Here is an article on the series of protests by journalist Gregory Pratt.
The tuition hike came with subsequent collapse of the enrollment of undocumented students and the near collapse of some programs.

MCCCD was able to turn around the situation, find common sense, courage and offer a hopeful alternative for higher education that will benefit Arizona's future work force.

3.-The Arizona DREAM Act Coalition v Janice Brewer.  In an effort to pander to the GOP mostly white, old extremist base Gevernor Jan Brewer eliminated the work permit given to DACA beneficiaries from MVD’s list of valid documents for Driver’s Licenses and IDs.   Jan did it not for electoral benefits but for future personal economic gains (the afterlife of wagging-finger-at-the-tarmac Governor signing books and juicy speaking engagements). Even more distasteful, she issued her executive order the same day DREAMers celebrated USCIS launching of the DACA process on August the 15^th, 2012.   ACLU Arizona came to the rescue and slapped a lawsuit along with ACLU National, MALDEF and NILC with the Arizona DREAM Act Coalition et al as plaintiffs.  Members of ADAC, among them CADENA, SUFFRAGE, I DREAM, QUIP and others participated defining the lawsuit. The move was highly anticipated. The authoritative action (we call it bullying) against young people found complete silence from GOP figures at local and national level. Here is an article from Terry Greene Sterling on the issue. Now Michigan DREAMers are following our footsteps filing a lawsuit in their state.

4.- No DREAM Deferred-NDD.  With more than 1000 DACA applications submitted through the workshops and countless orientation for DACA applicants, NDD Coalition deserves a spot on the greatest Arizona DREAM moments of 2012. NDD is an all volunteer and free service to young people coordinated  by DREAMers from ADAC with the invaluable professional help of AILA Lawyers plus other partnering community organizations.  Great collaboration and team work in spite of the monetary  limitations.

 5.- Dulce Matuz, One of the 100 More Influential Persons in the World by TIME Magazine.

It was a great recognition of Dulce Matuz’s leadership (an ASU electrical engineer graduate and Carl Hayden Falcon Robotics alumna) but also national recognition of the DREAM Act movement en Arizona.  She is the first to point out the volunteer work and many sacrifices of all the active members of the movement who contribute to her effective leadership. 

Bonus top moments!

GED enrollment for DACA applicants. Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals came, for DREAMers who had not completed High School, with an opportunity to engage in education though enrollment on GED programs.  In spite of the many challenges this subgroup confronts it represents hope to young people to attain legal presence, work permit and a platform where they may construct personal educational improvement.  It would benefit individuals, families and the overall community.

Civil Rights Center-Department of Education Federal Complaint Against MCCCD. The tuition hike mentioned on top moment number 2 brought scrutiny from community members and specially Silverio Garcia of the Civil Rights Center.  MCCCD was treating Undocumented Charter High School students like community college students and submitting them to  harsh immigration-education policies. K-12 students are protected from legal status inquiries. CRC opened the door for the Department of Education to intervene.  Ruling is still pending but it was a great experience in advocacy, tools we can use in the future and returning some power to the community. Here is an Arizona Republic article on the issue.

Undocumented Youth on Time Magazine.

 American Citizens in waiting article featured amazing Arizona advocates Erika Andiola and Christian Lira among the national stars line up.  Another signal the DREAM Act movement have reached the notoriety from a little known legislation back in the day I started to advocate. Click for the TIME magazine cover and article here.

Don't Let Them Behind.  465 dollars can be a lot of money for immigrant youth, limiting for some the opportunity to apply for DACA.  Fortunately an anonymous donor contacted Chicanos por la Causa to start a fund  providing the USCIS- DACA application fees for DREAMers in need.  CPLC is reaching out to the community to grow the fund. I have been privileged to participate in the creation of the effort and witnessed DREAMers getting their checks to USCIS for their application. However, there is a lot of need for more funds like this to be created around the country. Start one !  Click here to donate !

Happy New Year 2013!

New GED Test Scheduled for January 2014 and How It Will Affect DACA Applicants

Undocumented youth have confronted many roadblocks in their lives, especially in education.   Negative immigration-education policy and laws meant to deny undocumented students access to higher education gave some an excuse to drop out from high school.  Some, regrettably, did not see the point of graduating from High School after the continued failure of Congress to pass the DREAM Act at the federal level.  High School dropout rates are a problem all over the country which affects Hispanics, minorities and immigrant populations in disproportionate numbers. Bad immigration-education policy only makes things worse.

With the introduction of the process for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and the opportunity to enroll into a GED program to qualify for application, GED education experienced a sudden increase on demand. Click here for an article on the demand  for GED instruction.

GED stands for General Education Development. The test is administrated by a division of the American Council on Education.  Click here for a link to their site. The administrators are updating the test to spring testers into advancing their education into college and will convert the official GED test to a computer-based version. The service states that the new test "is no longer an endpoint for adults, but rather a springboard for further education, training, and better paying jobs."

For potential DACA applicants it means GED enrollment, preparation and test taking will need to be done before the end of 2013. Any module taken will not count unless the whole battery of test is completed and certification obtained by then.  If the student had only completed certain modules, he or she will need to start all over to comply with the new test on 2014.   Also new fees will be on effect.

This is what the Arizona Department of Education is posting on its website.

Integrity and Intensity

GED seekers are confronting serious obstacles in Arizona.  The State Legislature has been cutting Adult Education budgets to the point of starvation and Prop.300 denied public funding for undocumented youth since 2007.  The remedial high school certification landscape is a difficult one for citizen and undocumented immigrants alike.

Many persons who are reaching out to me seeking information for GED instruction are young mothers in their early 20s who dropped out of high school due to pregnancy and now find difficult to find GED instruction to re-enter education.  USCIS willingness to accept enrollment to GED programs for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) applicants without a High School diploma is suddenly increasing the demand and urgency for GED classes by these individuals.

Here is a list of challenges GED seekers are finding in Arizona and specially Maricopa County:

Decreased funding. GED instruction has been severely de-funded. In 2010, Governor Brewer signed a budget that eliminated the $4.5 million appropriation for Adult Education and GED Testing.  When Arizona eliminated this GED funding, it also lost $11 million in matching funds from the Federal government.

On line classes. Some GED outlets at Community Colleges only offer on-line classes to undocumented youth which may be a challenging setting for low proficiency students.

Students with different levels of proficiency. GED  instructors need to assess 
different levels of proficiency. It may take real commitment and monetary investment 
from some students to make up for lost time, acquire a GED certification and then
apply for DACA.

Bureaucratic barriers. Community colleges in Maricopa County (one of the largest in the nation) took time to implement new Arizona Department of Education’s ID policies and their own internal guidelines and denied GED instruction to some, especially during the first weeks after August the 15^th.  Some Community Colleges’ personnel in Maricopa County are not properly trained to offer consistent, non-intrusive enrollment procedures and question about immigration status, SS#.

Different programs, funding and models create confusion.  Non-profits are creating their own models to offer tuition based GED programs for people seeking to apply to DACA and comply with Prop. 300 at the same time.

Potential for fraud. Some organizations, charter schools are charging up to 4,500 for “High School Diplomas”; others offer “too good to be true” on-line classes. It may be difficult for immigrant youth to assess the adequate “intensity and integrity” of a GED, High School competition program, putting the burden of proof on the undocumented youth for DACA purposes.

Uneven production of enrollment documents to apply for DACA. GED outlets are still figuring out the production of documentation and receipts helpful for DACA applicants.

DREAM Act volunteer non-profit organizations, CADENA, The Arizona DREAM Act Coalition  and Tucson based Scholarships A-Z are taking the task to guide GED seekers in order to have a better educated workforce for the state and to have  young immigrants, so many times forgotten, applying for DACA.

Arizona’s Prop 300, its Effect on GED Seekers and Future DACA Applicants

About two years ago I was asked by a non-profit organization to craft an advocacy agenda on education issues since my work for the DREAM Act eligible youth is well known in Arizona, and immigrant youth is such an important part our education system and communities.  One of the issues I brought up to the surprise of my fellow board members was the concern for Arizona’s high dropout rate among Hispanics and the need to make stronger efforts promoting the integration of those individuals through GED certification programs. 

According to a 2010 study by Migration Policy Institute (MPI) around 100,000 undocumented youth live in Arizona, at different educational levels. Currently Arizona has an average High School completion rate of 72.5% being the Hispanic community the one with the highest percentage of High Schools drop outs. One of the factors that without doubt  influence the below national average completion rates for High School is that many of the students attending K-12 education are undocumented and get discouraged to continue their education by  the implementation of anti immigrant laws that put barriers to accessing post-secondary education.

In 2007 the Arizona voters passed Prop. 300, one of the first state anti-immigrant laws to target the education of undocumented students.  Prop 300 denied state funding for undocumented students and practically tripled the tuition to post secondary education for students that could not prove legal status in Arizona. Other of the lesser known educational elements this proposition affected was adult education. 

DREAM Advocates like myself always tried to encourage young immigrants to finish their High School and obtain a diploma since K-12 education has been protected by Supreme Court ruling Plyler v. Doe and our knowledge of the effects of Prop 300 on remedial tools as adult education, GED instruction certification and post secondary education in general.

President Obama’s announcement on June 15^th 2012 granting legal presence to undocumented young immigrants though Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and the subsequent guidelines issued brought a new and sudden interest in GED education. Now the minimal educational requirement for DACA applicants is a high school diploma or a GED.  According to USCIS guidelines and interpretation from practicing immigration lawyers, young immigrants can apply to DACA when they can probe they are enrolled in a GED program.

Suddenly this tool for remedial certification became important for many.  Demand overwhelmed the current GED outlets, burdened by the limitations imposed by Prop 300. Institutions and non-profit organizations have been revising their models for offering GED to future DACA applicants and at three months of the DACA announcement, slowly started to increase the number of GED classes On Line and in regular classroom settings.  Institutions have been revising enrollment, funding and id requirements in order to be compliant with prop. 300. Due to Prop. 300 GED programs in Arizona are not being offered for free for people who cannot prove legal status.  State money is not being allocated for these classes.  

The Arizona Department of education has issued guidelines to ID requirements when the GED classes and tests are being paid for. Young immigrants seeking GED instruction and certification in order to apply for DACA have being confronted with unscrupulous organizations or businesses that offer instruction for high price and which accreditation is questionable. Established GED outlets from community colleges and school districts are starting to offer tuition options, some of them making extraordinary efforts to offer instruction for an affordable cost. 

Using social media tools DREAM Act advocates like myself, are communicating these options for GED seekers since we have little to no-resources.

In spite of the obstacles we are determined to integrate more young immigrants to the GED instruction so they can apply to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) process and increase the educational level of this segment of the population.  This is an opportunity we all can benefit from.

Follow GED updates on Fabebook searching: GED in Maricopa County.