CA: Immigration status a roadblock to college

STOCKTON -- Gretel Quintero looks forward to studying political science at the University of California, Davis, next year -- if she can pay for it.

Quintero illegally immigrated to Stockton from Sinaloa, Mexico, at age 13. She graduated this year from Franklin High School with a 4.8 grade point average. So far, she has received about $2,700 from scholarships, but her immigration status makes her ineligible for federal aid. It also keeps her from getting a regular job.

She isn't alone. High school counselors and education experts say hundreds -- if not thousands -- of California students find themselves in a similar place every year.

"I feel stressed and too much pressure on me," said Quintero, who would be the first person in her family to attend college. "The time I have is really short, and I really need to work and get some money."

School starts in September. Quintero, who is in the process of becoming a legal U.S. resident, said she'll attend San Joaquin Delta College if she doesn't come up with the money for UC Davis but hopes it doesn't come to that.

"The only thing she can do "The only thing she can do right now is find scholarships," said Laura Aguayo, an adviser for the San Joaquin County Office of Education's migrant education program.

Whether illegal immigrants should be allowed to attend U.S. colleges and universities -- and receive federal funding to do so -- continues to be debated among legislators.

According to the Texas House Research Organization, not helping students attend college costs states and contributes to an uneducated work force.

Opponents of paying for illegal immigrants' college educations fear that such a move could take money from U.S. citizens and legal immigrants.

"These are finite resources, and there needs to be criteria" to determine who is eligible for financial aid, said Ira Mehlman, a spokesman for Federation for American Immigration Reform, a Washington D.C.-based nonprofit that opposes illegal immigration. It's not unreasonable to limit the funding to people in the country legally, he said.

"If we give the resources to her, you're going to be denying it from someone else," Mehlman said.

Meanwhile, Quintero cleans houses and does yard work about eight hours a week for some of her former Franklin High School teachers. She wants to work more but can't get a job at most places because she doesn't have a Social Security number.

"I'm trying to get jobs, but they all ask for my social security number, and I don't have one," Quintero, 17, said.

The university estimates total expenses for a student who lives on-campus will be $21,758. First-year UC Davis students typically live on campus.

Quintero has been in the process of getting her residency for a year, but it could take at least another six months, she said.

"I really want to study. It doesn't feel good that I got accepted and can't go because of money," said Quintero, who wants to go to college instead of working as a farm laborer like her mother and stepfather.

"She's the kind of person that whatever bad things are happening to her, she always has a smile on her face," Aguayo said. "She is grateful for whatever she gets."

States are required to provide K-12 public education as a result of a 1982 Supreme Court decision.

Quintero said she's still looking toward her future. She wants to be an immigration attorney. Aguayo thinks she'll get there.

"She gets what she wants," Aguayo said. "She's determined. She fights for stuff."

Isn't 4.0 the highest grade average a person can get? It was when I was in school but maybe things have changed?

I know things have changed a lot since I went to school! For some reason, what used to take one year fro Algebra is now taking two. But, back to GPA's. A student can get a 5.0 for an A in a honors/AP or even some CP classes. And an A+ would either be a 4.3 or 5.3, depending on the level of class it's in. Conversely, an A- would be a 3.7 or 4.7.

What I don't believe is that this girl had THAT many higher level classes available to her - she must've been taking all honors classes and there's not that many available in your average high school, as far as I know. Especially with the electives.

Texas takes extraordinary measures to educate both children and adult immigrants in order for them to be work force ready.
A ready work force plus business friendly laws are why Texas is rated the number one state for business to relocate to and for starting new businesses.
The Texas economy is booming. There were 22 pages in the employment section of yesterday's Houston Chronicle.
The children of rich white Texans are benefiting just as much or more than the children of impoverished immigrants.

It's amazing that the anti-businesses, anti-immigrant states can't figure out why they are tanking so fast.

I'm not surprised that you showed up on this thread to spin more of your pro-illegal immigration propaganda.

At least it's not one of his usual incoherant deranged rants that go something like this:

"i ReAlly DoNt CARe About the fACt thAt tANCReDo DiDNt lift A fiNGeR to suPPoRt buChANAN's PResiDeNtiAl CAMPAiGN, i Just KNOW thAt toM-toM tANCReDo is A PAt buChANAN SOCK-PUPPET Cuz you see, oNe of PAt's RelAtvies hAPPeNs to AGRee with tANCReDo oN the iMMiGRAtioN issue!!!!!!!!!! this is UNACCPETABLE tAht if we eNfoRCe ouR owN iMMiGRAtioN lAws CUZ PuNishiNG ILLEGAL AlieNs foR theiR ILLEGAL ACtioN will DRive the HISPANIC vote AwAy AND DOOOOOOOOOOOOOM the GOP!!! (Just iGNoRe the lANDsliDe eleCtioNs of CooliDGe, EiNseNhoweR, etC., Not to MeNtioN the fACt the "hisPANiC" GOP vote weNt fRoM Double-DiGit suPPRot to siNGle DiGit AFTER teh ReAGAN AMNesty!!!) ANY AtteMPt to eNfoRCe ouR iMMiGRAtioN lAws AlReADy oN the booKs is RACist, xeNoPhobiC evil biGoteD hAte-filleD CoMMie NAzi RhetoRiC!!!!!!!!!!!! i will Put AN END to tANCReDo's FINAL solutioN by fiNDiNG AN oPeN-boRDeRs RINO liKe Myself tthAt will iN the GeNeRAl, Just out of sPite!!! (hety i DiD lAst tiMe AND I still hAveN't GotteN oveR the fACt tANCReDo WON...eveN thouGh i leCtuRe eveRyoNe oN bush wiNNiGN AND CAN't ACCePt the fACt bush woN tANCReDo's DistRiCt hANDily) ANywAy... tANCReDo is the Devil I tell you!! THE DEVIL!!!!!!!!!!"

Is going to UCDavis or San Joaquin Delta College one of those vaunted "jobs that Americans don't want to do (even American blacks, according to Vincente Fox)?

I am sure she is really intelligent, but so is the legal citizen from whom she would be effectively stealing those scholarships and federal aid under the guise of some sort of "affirmative action" racism.

A smart kid like that should be back home in Mexico, improving the lot of her country and countrymen.

She should take that 4.8 average to Mexico and use her skills to save her own country.

She may have been here since 13, but I would bet she was here before under another name another time.

Since thirteen, our California involuntary tax bill for this Mexican national's education cost us $21,000 or so.

It seems I'm the odd man out here, but I do believe that America should do all it can to recruit the best and brightest.

If an illegal alien child (who is likely here because his parents chose to bring him here, leaving him with little or no say in the matter), is absolutely brilliant, we want him here, contributing to our society. Take the space program, for example. Much of the talent that got us to the moon was immigrant.

Furthermore, the girl in this story probably didn't choose to be an illegal alien in the United States. Her parents brought her here, and this is the only life she knew.

"According to the Texas House Research Organization, not helping students attend college costs states and contributes to an uneducated work force."

Let me get this straight. We need the illegals to do the jobs Americans won't do. It stands to reason that they will do those jobs because they are uneducated. Therefore, If we educate them we will have to allow more uneducated ones in to the jobs the educated illegals won't do.

Furthermore, the girl in this story probably didn't choose to be an illegal alien in the United States. Her parents brought her here, and this is the only life she knew.

This "girl" is now an adult and she clearly understands that she is in the United States illegally. She should rectify the situation by voluntarily returning to her home country and attending college there. Then perhaps someday she could return to the United States, but she should come here LEGALLY.

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