Event stresses children not to blame for their birth place

The DREAM IU student organization stressed one question Friday: Did you choose your birthplace?

The group, which advocates for the passing of the DREAM act and undocumented student immigrants, led a discussion in the Hutton Honors College Great Room targeted toward the challenges that Asian-American students face.

Under the DREAM act, youth who are undocumented could receive citizenship by completing a six-year path which includes a college degree or two years of military service. 

The presentation was part of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, and the group partnered with the Asian Cultural Center.

Director of the ACC, Melanie Castillo-Cullather, opened the event with an introduction about the celebration of APA month as well as problems Asian-American students encounter.

“There has been a history of injustice in the immigration in the system of this country,” Castillo-Cullather said.

Attendees watched a music video set in Philadelphia, which portrays the way different community members showed love for their immigrant mothers. The take-away realization was that many people — not just Hispanics — have parents that immigrated to the U.S.

One audience member said she liked the video because it demonstrated the idea that people always want the best for their children.

“Nobody should be punished for wanting a better way of life,” she said.

Sophomore Ivonne Romo, a founder of the group, explained that children of immigrants are often left in a sticky situation because they are accountable for their parents’ actions.

“The laws of the U.S. want to make children responsible,” Romo said.

The next part of the discussion took place outside when audience members were put on an imaginary map. First they were told to stand in the country where they were born, then they were told to move where their parents were born and then their grandparents.

One out of five Koreans living in the U.S. is undocumented, and Asians and Pacific Islanders make up 40 to 44 percent of undocumented students in the University of California system.

“At one point or another, this issue is closer to hearts than we think,” said Melissa Quintela, graduate student adviser for the group. “We didn’t have a choice to be born where we were born.”

After returning inside, audience members watched another video featuring a Korean undocumented student, Ju Hong. In the video, Hong expressed his fear of deportation and shed light on the idea of shame in the Asian community because of the issue.
Castillo-Cullather drew from the video as she discussed Asian culture. She said the idea of undocumented immigration can be “hush-hush.”

“There are group dynamics, pressure to go with what is traditional,” Castillo-Cullather said. “Shame isn’t necessarily a cultural thing, but if you grew up with it, you need to respect it, but you need to break out of the mold.”

Romo said there are a number of reasons why some people are against passing the DREAM act, but many times the people don’t look at the issue from the other side.
“They’ll say, ‘They’re not paying taxes, they broke the law,’” Romo said.