Dreams in the Making
Some have long maintained that a Harvard diploma is a “golden passport.”
But sometimes what a Harvard student needs is the real thing: a U.S. passport. Or, for that matter, a birth certificate, Social Security card, or any proof of legal residency to avoid being deported to a country you don’t know.
That sort of thing would have come in handy for Harvard sophomore Eric Balderas, a 19-year-old biology major who recently became internationally known after he was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for being in the United States unlawfully. The arrest occurred on June 7 as Balderas tried to board an airplane to Boston after visiting his mother in San Antonio. Because he lost his Mexican passport, he tried to board the plane using only his Harvard student ID card and his Mexican consular card. That tipped off authorities. So Balderas was quickly slated for deportation to Mexico.
This didn’t make sense to a lot of people, and the case triggered international outcry, support from Harvard officials, involvement by U.S. Senator Richard Durbin, and a lobbying effort on Facebook that drew more than 5,000 supporters.
Why, supporters wanted to know, would the federal government want to deport Balderas to Mexico when he hasn’t been there since he was 4 years old. Besides, coming here fifteen years ago was hardly his idea; it was his parents who made the decision to bring him without the United States without proper documents. Also, with all the hand-wringing about how many U.S.-born students perform so poorly academically, wouldn’t the United States want to keep an intelligent and driven former high school valedictorian, Harvard student, and aspiring cancer researcher? Is this really the kind of export we want to send to Mexico? Why? So he can contribute to that country and not this one?
Good arguments, one and all. Good enough, it seems, to have convinced ICE officials to back off and abandon their changes to deport Balderas. Instead, they granted him “deferred action,” a discretionary authority that federal immigration officials can use to halt a specific deportation based on the merits of an individual’s case. Balderas can stay in the country until the deferred status expires. When it does, he can apply to have it renewed. In the meantime, while he remains in the United States, Balderas can finish his studies at Harvard and apply for a work permit.
This particular story had a happy ending, and that’s great. But not everyone is so lucky. Not every college student in the United States, who is also an illegal immigrant, has the benefit of having Harvard fight for them, or U.S. senators lobby on their behalf because their story is so compelling and their plight so sympathetic. There’s no question that the main reason Balderas captured the imagination of the media and, in turn, won the support of powerful members of Congress was because of his affiliation with Harvard. But there can’t be one set of rules for Harvard students, and another set of rules for everyone else.
That’s why we need for Congress to stop sitting on its hands and finally pass a comprehensive immigration reform bill. Both Democrats and Republicans have actively ducked the issue because, in each case, the debate divides their party. That needs to stop. Congress needs to fix a broken system.
And while they’re at it, lawmakers should also approve the Dream Act. This is a piece of legislation, introduced in 2001 with bipartisan support, that would allow young people who are in the country illegally to apply for legal residency if they finish two years of college or join the military.
It’s a good deal for participants, who get a chance to earn their spot in our society. And it’s a great deal for the United States, which gets to keep precisely the kind of people who countries all over the world dream of having.
Ruben Navarrette Jr. is a member of the San Diego Union-Tribune editorial board, a nationally syndicated columnist, and a regular contributor to CNN.COM.
