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Illegal immigrant runs for student body president at Texas A&M

Discussion in 'BBS Hangout: Debate & Discussion' started by Icehouse, Feb 28, 2012.

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  1. Icehouse

    Icehouse Contributing Member

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    http://www.chron.com/news/houston-t...t-runs-for-student-body-president-3365470.php

    Jose Luis Zelaya sat at a long table in front of a packed auditorium on the Texas A&M campus Thursday night, steadying his nerves for his second student body presidential debate.

    The previous debate was carefully controlled, with a moderator asking each candidate the same question. But this time, he and the five other candidates would take questions submitted by fellow students.

    One by one, the candidates expounded on a range of issues, including tuition, fees and student services. And then, toward the end of the debate, Zelaya got the question he dreaded most: How would his legal status play a role if he was elected president? It was an issue that none of his fellow candidates had raised during the campaign, despite knowing he was undocumented.

    Afterward, Zelaya, 24, said he felt blind-sided.

    "I'm not running because I'm undocumented. I'm running because I'm an Aggie," he said. "It's just like, what if I was gay? Would they have asked me if being gay was going to play a role? If I was atheist, would they ask me those things? What does it take to be seen as a regular Aggie, not as an undocumented Aggie?"

    That Zelaya is an illegal immigrant is no secret.

    In April, he stood in a plaza on campus, in the same spot where the elections commission will announce the results Tuesday night, and shared his story of coming to the U.S. illegally at age 14 from Honduras to escape an abusive, alcoholic father.

    It was a bold move on one of the nation's most conservative campuses, where some student leaders have attracted national media attention for vocal opposition to a Texas law that allows certain illegal immigrants to qualify for in-state tuition. But it may not stop Zelaya from becoming the first openly undocumented illegal immigrant to lead the student body at A&M.

    Naila Dhanani, the opinion editor for The Battalion, A&M's college newspaper, said Zelaya "definitely has a chance" of winning the election.

    Working at age 7

    "He has not been the most visible or prepared candidate," she said, "nor has he been the most proactive in his campaign for votes, but he has the support of many minority organizations ... as well as the support of those who feel underrepresented in the current administration."

    Zelaya first started working in the streets in Honduras at age 7, washing car windows and begging on buses. His mother left for the U.S. when he was 13, unable to take the beatings from his father, he said. At 14, he set out to find his mother and his little sister in the U.S. The journey took 45 days and ended in a one-room apartment in Houston his mother shared with several other families.

    "People told me I couldn't graduate from high school, that I couldn't go to college," he said.

    Zelaya earned a bachelor's degree from A&M in December and led the invocation at the graduation ceremony. He aspires to teach, but can't because of his immigration status. He enrolled in January as a graduate student at A&M seeking a master's degree in curriculum and instruction, specializing in English as a Second Language.

    'We all bleed maroon'

    "Eleven years ago, I had nothing. I was homeless. My home was a bridge," he said. "I'm still struggling now, but now I have an education, and no one can take that away from me."

    After Zelaya was asked the question about his immigration status at the debate, Brody Smith, a 20-year-old political science and history major who is running against Zelaya, raised his hand to speak. The senior said he thought the question was unfair and a political stunt, adding that he would trust Zelaya if he was elected president.

    "He has an Aggie ring on his finger," he said. "And we all bleed maroon."
     
    #1 Icehouse, Feb 28, 2012
  2. DonnyMost

    DonnyMost be kind. be brave.
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    I just had a vision of a gay, atheist, illegal immigrant girl running for student body president at A&M.

    My brain promptly exploded.

    Going offline now.
     
    #2 DonnyMost, Feb 28, 2012
    1 person likes this.
  3. across110thstreet

    across110thstreet Contributing Member

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    he was accepted into the University, he is a member of the student body, I see no issues with why he is running or wants to become student body president
     
    #3 across110thstreet, Feb 28, 2012
  4. Classic

    Classic Member

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    Throw in one more while you're at it.
     
    #4 Classic, Feb 28, 2012
  5. glynch

    glynch Contributing Member

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    You forgot Muslim if it is possible to be a Muslim Atheist. Ok Iranian atheist.
     
    #5 glynch, Feb 28, 2012
    1 person likes this.
  6. kevC

    kevC Contributing Member

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    Doesn't really bother me but how did he get admitted in the first place? My sister had to jump through hoops to get in even though she had a visa and our Green Card status was already approved and was only a few months away.
     
    #6 kevC, Feb 28, 2012
  7. bigtexxx

    bigtexxx Contributing Member

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    So would you say it's unfair that after all the hard work your family did to do things the right way, that others can do things illegally to get ahead of you?
     
    #7 bigtexxx, Feb 28, 2012
  8. Qball

    Qball Contributing Member

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    You're right, kevC's family should not have to jump through hoops. We should create a better way to allow folks like kevC's sister and Luis Zelaya to become citizens.

    Great post bigtexxxy!
     
    #8 Qball, Feb 28, 2012
  9. kevC

    kevC Contributing Member

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    Don't really care, it's only Texas A&M. ;) I went to Rice and now am a citizen so I'm ahead of most people.


    In all seriousness, it is unfair but not any more unfair than people who don't pay taxes, embezzle money, bribe, and other illegal things to get ahead in life. I don't think creating an umbrella legislation to treat undocumented people like subhumans is the way to go.

    I think certain races having a better shot at being admitted to top schools is more unfair.
     
    #9 kevC, Feb 28, 2012
  10. bigtexxx

    bigtexxx Contributing Member

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    You misinterpreted my post. It was a question, not a revelation of my beliefs.

    You'd be surprised at my beliefs on immigration, actually. I've very pro-immigration. I love the hard working, cheap labor to fuel business productivity.
     
    #10 bigtexxx, Feb 28, 2012
  11. DonkeyMagic

    DonkeyMagic Contributing Member
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    [​IMG]
     
    #11 DonkeyMagic, Feb 28, 2012
  12. ChievousFTFace

    ChievousFTFace Contributing Member

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    Sounds like this kid is a hard worker. I hope he finds a way to citizenship.
     
    #12 ChievousFTFace, Feb 28, 2012
  13. kyle_R

    kyle_R Member

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    I bleed red, someone should get that kid to a doctor, pronto.
     
    #13 kyle_R, Feb 28, 2012
  14. False

    False Member

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    Unfortunately, given our current regime he is likely screwed. Unless something horrible happens to him, like being the victim of violence and getting a U-visa, or getting married to a US citizen or LPR and being abused and getting VAWA, or (presuming he lands himself in removal proceedings) being eligible for non-LPR cancellation of removal based on extreme hardship to a United States Citizen Dependent.

    He wouldn't be able to get a company to sponsor him on a work visa because he likely has been accruing unlawful presence since age 18. Since he would not be able to adjust in county. He would be forced to leave the country and appear at the Mexican consulate. If he left the country now, he would likely be subject to a permanent bar based on unlawful presence.

    On the brighter side of the spectrum he could marry a USC (probably best bet) and then get status through them. Or possibly get through status through some type of family based petition after 20 years waiting.

    I'm not sure if this is not an exhaustive list, but it does show that he's basically screwed. It's unfortunate Republicans in Congress stopped the Dream Act and it is unfortunate that substantive immigration reform seems to be off the table currently. We leave amazing people like Jose Luis without a definite path to citizenship.
     
    #14 False, Feb 28, 2012
  15. da_juice

    da_juice Member

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    Word. All these immigration restrictions do is restrict the best and brightest ones from coming in.
     
    #15 da_juice, Feb 28, 2012
  16. ChievousFTFace

    ChievousFTFace Contributing Member

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    Thank you for that. As to the bolded, just more of the same we're against what they're for type of BS that we've seen go on in our country for 15+ years. Both parties are guilty of it.
     
    #16 ChievousFTFace, Feb 28, 2012
  17. CometsWin

    CometsWin Breaker Breaker One Nine

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    If you get deported it kind of plays a role.
     
    #17 CometsWin, Feb 28, 2012
  18. glynch

    glynch Contributing Member

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    Probably higher SAT scores. Almost certainly good grades if he is the type of gunner who is a potential president of the student body. Obviously he would be a good addition to the country.
     
    #18 glynch, Feb 28, 2012
  19. Rocket River

    Rocket River Member

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    Please Explain.

    Rocket River
     
    #19 Rocket River, Feb 28, 2012
  20. juicystream

    juicystream Contributing Member

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    I disagree with him being an illegal is equal to being gay.

    Illegal immigration is a tough issue, and he appears to be an example of why. This kid came all the way from Honduras, which isn't exactly right across the Rio Grande, has been here for 10 years, and is working to make a better life for himself. On one hand, giving him citizenship rewards him for bypassing legal channels. On the other hand, probably deserves being a citizen (or at the very least a legal alien).
     
    #20 juicystream, Feb 28, 2012
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