Priscilla Gonzalez and Alondra Ruiz may not be “Dreamers,” but they know students at Elgin Community College who are undocumented, brought to this country by their parents as children and without a say.
Ruiz has a cousin who falls in this category as does Gonzalez’ boyfriend. His family, she said, is scared about what could happen in the near future as the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals programs, whose participants are known as “Dreamers,” reaches an end.
“There is fear around them. They don’t know what’s going to happen, if they’re going to go back to their home country — that’s what he’s been talking about,” said Gonzalez, a third-year ECC student. “All these students are possibly going back to their countries, countries that they haven’t been in (for years). They don’t know these countries. That’s so cruel, they haven’t been in those environments.”
Many students, faculty and staff were stunned by the news President Trump had rescinded the Obama-era DACA program, handing its fate and the fate of hundreds of thousands of students to Congress.
Students like Gonzalez and Ruiz hope to use the announcement as motivation to set up events this month and next to help the ECC community better understand who these students are and what they bring to the college and surrounding towns.
“Now is the time to show them that we’re stronger, we’re staying because we want to accomplish our dreams,” Gonzalez said.
She and Ruiz are president and vice president of ECC’s Organization of Latin American Students (OLAS), respectively, and they said their 20 or so members were upset at Trump’s action, as were other ECC student organizations which showed support for DACA students. On social media pages, groups like United Students of All Cultures shared OLAS’ message backing affected students.
At the Sept. 5 DACA rally in downtown Chicago, Gonzalez and Ruiz walked with hundreds of supporters, meeting people of all backgrounds, ethnic groups and countries who shared their stories and disappointment in the apparent end of the program.
“It was my first protest ever. I didn’t know what to expect,” said Ruiz, a second-year ECC student. “Seeing everyone’s faces and emotions made me emotional. Even though I’m not a DACA, I feel their pain and fear.”
The next day, Gonzalez and Ruiz, both from Elgin, discussed preliminary plans for events and possible rallies in the fall. A previously scheduled event on Oct.13 was intended to discuss the DACA program and Dreamers.
There are also early talks about a rally in support of DACA students, with the ECC campus and downtown Elgin as potential venues. Gonzalez and Ruiz said they hope some undocumented students will open up and share their hopes and fears.
“It will be hard, because some people won’t want to talk about their situation just because they will think they might be targeted,” Gonzalez said. “But there’s other people that will want to tell their story so others can see what is happening, understand what is actually going on.”
ECC President David Sam sent out an email Sept 5 welcoming all students to ECC and has issued other similar statements, such as when federal announcements hit the LGBTQ community.
In the email, Sam said, “Let me use this opportunity to affirm the mission of Elgin Community College. As an Achieving the Dream Leader College, we remain committed to providing access to education for all students regardless of their race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex/gender/gender identity, age, religion, disability, pregnancy, veteran status, marital status or sexual orientation.”
Student services director Amybeth Maurer said some affected students have already visited her. One student, she said, told her how they were feeling “homeless” after the announcement.
Former ECC students also have reached out to her from larger universities, graduate schools and workplaces, she said.
“Even before DACA, undocumented students were still pursuing higher education, even without knowing if there’s that reward at the end,” she said. “To have a dream you’re willing to put on the line and fight for every day, not knowing what happens next … that’s a resilience and a grit, a perseverance to a dream.”
raguerrero@tribpub.com
