Atlanta, Georgia (CNN) -- Staring at the throngs of media representatives who came out to hear and see her Friday, Jessica Colotl took another step into the fight for her future.Now the case above is yet another example of just how much comprehensive immigration reform is needed. It is estimated that there are about 65,000 people in this country, who like Jessica in the story above, are living in limbo having been brought to this country as children. The sad reality about that, is the fact that these are people who will never have a chance of gaining lawful permanent residency, because the system is broken.
The undocumented student from Mexico whose case has become a lightning rod in the immigration debate had been released on $2,500 bond just a couple hours earlier. The 21-year-old student at Kennesaw State University in Georgia surrendered Friday morning to authorities in response to a warrant for her arrest issued Wednesday night by the Cobb County Sheriff's Office.
[...] Just a week earlier, she'd been released from a deportation facility in Alabama after being stopped in March for a minor traffic violation.
"If I were to be deported, I'd have to start all over again," she said.
[...]The sheriff's office said she gave a false address when stopped for that violation, a felony charge that her attorney denies.
[...] Colotl's legal problems started in late March when her car was stopped on the Kennesaw State campus. Born in Mexico but living in the United States since she was 11, she could not produce a driver's license, so she handed over as identification an expired passport from Mexico.
She was arrested the next day and turned over to immigration officials. She spent more than a month in the Etowah Detention Center in Alabama.
Friends came out in force and marched on campus in her defense. Earlier this month, she was released, and her deportation was deferred for a year, which will allow her to finish her studies. She hasn't returned to classes yet, but looks forward to earning her degree.
"I'm just trying to live the American dream and finish my education," she said. (Source)
The only way they would be able to, would be through their parents (assuming that they've become legalized which in most cases they do not), or through marriage. This is why The Dream Act, a bill introduced by Senator, Orin Hatch (R-Utah) and Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), is very necessary. Unlike the stereotype of the low-skilled, barely educated, non-English speaking immigrant. There are many undocumented immigrants who like everybody else, would love to live the American dream.
Sadly, some of them, like Jessica, are almost there, by obtaining college degrees. I could be wrong, but maybe things would be different if certain factors were taken into account.
While some people are comfortable promoting the "criminal element" of the immigrant community. I just wanted to take a moment to spotlight just how beneficial to our society at large, reform would be.
Sadly, the sheriff in this case doesn't see it that way, and for political expediency, he's exploiting this young woman and her circumstances. Let's be honest, just exactly what crime has she committed that warrants her deportation?
QUESTION: Should she be allowed to stay in the country?
