With Documents or Without Documents

“Con papeles o sin papeles, si se puede!” was the message Raul Moreno, President of the Foundation for Education and Leadership, extended to parents and students who attended the Assembly Bill 540 Summit on Saturday, Feb. 11 Cal State Monterey Bay (CSUMB).

Refreshments of pan dulce and hot chocolate were served to welcome the attendees. Perry Angle, Director of the local program to support migrants, welcomed parents and students and introduced them to Raul Moreno.

For over 25 years, Moreno has worked with migrant students at California State University Fresno (CSU Fresno) and is a strong advocate for all students regardless of immigration status. In his work, Moreno helps students and undocumented migrants go to college by providing resources for academic support and professional development.

Attorney Jessica Smith Bobadilla spoke about immigration law. She also explained the process for obtaining citizenship, obtaining benefits for family members who qualify as AB 540 students, and how to capitalize on the guarantees of the DREAM Act

Around 553 thousand undocumented students would be eligible for the DREAM Act, which was recently approved in California. With the DREAM act’s passage, certain undocumented immigrants accepted by state universities may apply for scholarships and other financial aid programs offered by public universities and community colleges.

Access to college has been a forbidden dream for undocumented students and their families. Without financial aid, student costs vary between $15,000 and $40,000 thousand per year.

Smith Bobadilla informed the audience of resources for victims of domestic violence, and generally gave advice in the process of immigration.

California is the state with the largest number of undocumented immigrants. They represent 25 percent of all undocumented immigrants nationwide and 6.8 percent of the population of California.

The following speakers were Blanca Zarazue, who spoke about the services of the Consulate of Mexico, and Araceli Aguirre, who spoke on the Dream Act

During the panel “Life after School” Adriana Sanchez, who graduated from CSU Fresno said: “I am here doing [my dream] you can do it too.”