00:08The difference between American citizens and the undocumented Americans when they
00:14apply to college is that zero federal aid. Basically you have no money for
00:19school and loans are such a no-no for undocumented students. What do you do? How
00:28it's like worth $1,000 when your family makes that in a month.
00:40Dreamers are undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States by
00:45their parents as children. Dreamers consider themselves Americans because
00:50the United States is the only home they have ever known. Today there are
00:54approximately 4.4 million dreamers living in the US. The young dreamers all
00:59across the country. These kids are American just like us. President Obama
01:05issued an executive order giving work authorization and relief of deportation
01:09to those dreamers who qualified under the new policy known as DACA. Deferred
01:15action for childhood arrivals. DACA allowed hundreds of thousands of young people to
01:21get jobs to stop living in the shadows and to say they were undocumented and
01:26unafraid. I am one of the 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the
01:31shadows of the United States. This might be my only chance to convey the truth to
01:35all of you that undocumented immigrants are people too.
01:40But DACA is controversial to some people. You and the other people here illegally
01:46don't deserve to be here. They're bringing crime. They're rapists.
01:51Our country! And DACA still leaves many immigration problems unsolved.
01:57The DACA program only offers a temporary sigh of relief with its three-year work permit.
02:02A bill that would have these young people deported. I think that's wrong and I think
02:08most Americans would think it was wrong. This is the story of dreamer Gustavo.
02:14His parents left Colombia in 1999 hoping to give their children more
02:19opportunities and a better life. He was just five years old. This is Behind the
02:26Headlines.
02:46It's a lot of pressure to do well. Especially in my high school it was like
02:50good grades, good grades, good grades. I would do all these extracurricular
02:55activities. Drama club, the student government, class club. The moment that it
03:01became defined that I wasn't documented was after we took our PSATs and I saw my
03:09score and it was awesome. And I realized like from this point on like I just I'm
03:14doing it for nothing. And it hurt. It's disheartening for people to deny my
03:20American identity because they're in a way denying the last 17 years of my
03:24life.
03:38I had applied to Colombia because various sources for undocumented students had
03:42said that they will provide aid for undocumented students.
03:56I had applied to Colombia. Seeing the words congratulations in the email, it was insane. I felt my entire brain
04:12wanted to believe what my eyes were looking at.
04:14Seeing the words congratulations in the email, it was insane. I felt my entire brain wanted to believe what my
04:20eyes were looking at.
04:20Like all of them are worth it and you're not this criminal that deserves to be kicked out of this
04:24country.
04:34So then I have a meeting with a financial aid officer.
04:37She looks at me and she was like, like, as soon as I say hi, I did get $11,000
04:45in a scholarship.
04:46So she pulls out the Excel sheet and she's like, with this scholarship, you still have
04:51like a $60,000 balance.
04:56If I wasn't used to that kind of hopelessness, I would have like started bawling right then
05:00and there.
05:04Do I give up on Colombia just because I can't pay for it because the federal government doesn't
05:10think I deserve my own tax money?
05:13I have 16 days to raise $60,000 for I can't attend school.
05:20Yeah, we have our own tax money.
05:38But you can't do it, you know what?
05:42She's gone away with her.
05:43Yeah.
05:44But I want to do it all right now.
05:45I can't do it anymore, Tiarabu.
05:45It's like, how to do it?
05:46Do it, Tiarabu.
05:46But it's better to help me out and win your goal.
05:46Do it, Tiarabu, Kulomba?
05:47No, yo sé que ese ha sido el sueño suyo, que de ir a la universidad.
05:51El gobierno me está sacando mi plata de taxes y ahora no me dan plata para la escuela y que
05:59busque 60 mil dólares.
06:01Pero pues cuando las cosas no quedan, ¿qué se hace?
06:03No es el único que no ha podido estudiar ni ir a una universidad por papeles, hay muchos, muchos muchachos.
06:10Si usted la piensa, la ha tenido hasta más fácil.
06:14¿Cómo?
06:16Porque ha tenido aquí el apoyo de nosotros, ha estado con nosotros.
06:19El que quiere puede.
06:21Yo sé que usted tiene muchos dones, muchos talentos.
06:26Y pues a uno le doy a la línea, dile como padre, sabe que usted no puede o no este,
06:31pero la cuestión es que tienes que luchar, insistir.
06:35El que insiste persiste y llega.
06:39I just got my first bill for the school.
06:42I am in need of 60,000 dollars.
06:44I sent out, I can't remember how many emails there was, because it was just so many.
06:55The Columbia newspaper, all types of associations, there's Danel Petitia Peralta, I think he's a professor, he wasn't documented, he's
07:04from the Dominican Republic.
07:05I emailed the school, the president of the school, I haven't heard back yet.
07:11It's like, I don't know if I'm going back to my job, I don't know if I'm going to stay
07:14in Columbia, I don't know what classes I'm going to take, I don't know how much money I'm getting, I
07:18don't know anything.
07:21Frustrating.
07:22I feel like I'm making my problem everyone else's problem, which I guess is sort of internalizing the hatred towards
07:29immigrants, but I have no other options, because I want to start school.
07:39I had been told that I had to talk to my advisor, and I mean, there's like a million things
07:43going through my mind, thinking like, is this it?
07:46Is this my chance to, like, capitalize on this entire experience?
08:00Hi.
08:02Hey.
08:04Good to see you.
08:06My parents, they're like happy for me, but they have no idea what to tell me.
08:10I mean, it's like the story of my life.
08:12No, of course, and they didn't go to college, right?
08:14No, they didn't even, my mom didn't even go to high school.
08:17Yeah.
08:18They're like, get a technical degree, you're going to waste all this money.
08:21Yeah.
08:22And a college degree, and.
08:23So, I mean, I've been in the immigrant rights movement since 2007, and we've all gotten into school and through
08:31school in just a lot of different ways, but it's never easy.
08:34A lot of people just, like, burn out because they get tired of going through the maze.
08:40Growing up as an immigrant in this country, we always end up having to, like, rely on our plan C
08:47and plan D because A and B will always be shut in our face.
08:51Yeah.
08:53I would rather, honestly, like, take two classes a semester and graduate in, like, six years than give it up.
09:02But you do have that meeting.
09:03Why would they bring you in to tell you, like, everything's the same?
09:10A lot of things don't make sense.
09:17So, I am on my way to have a meeting with one of my academic advisors who is going to
09:25tell me whether I get a scholarship.
09:29It's a very under-the-radar scholarship, so I'm super excited.
09:33I'm super nervous.
09:42I'm kind of lost for words.
09:44It's, like, getting in all over again.
09:46I can't believe it.
09:47I, um, they said I'm very deserving.
09:50They said that I, that the system shouldn't be like this, and this is their way of, like, combating the
09:59system.
09:59Um, I, I spoke to the vice dean, and, and he, he, he had been advocating for me.
10:08I kind of fall right to Columbia University.
10:15So, I'm, I'm here.
10:17I'm here to stay.
10:18I'm here at Columbia University to stay.
10:20I gotta call my mom.
10:22I'm gonna tell her that this is happening.
10:24There's nothing else to stop me.
10:26Like, this is it.
10:27This is it.
10:28I'm in.
10:30I'm in.
