You grew up knowing that you are an American. You pledged your allegiance to the flag every morning in grade school. You celebrated heroes like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin. Your heart broke on Sept. 11, and you faithfully waved your stars and striped proud in remembrance. You believed in the American Dream — that one day, if you worked hard, you could achieve anything that you set your heart to.
Now imagine one day that everything changed. You were no longer an American, but something less. You were “illegal”, breaking the law by your very existence in this country.
This is the situation that Fresno State Student Body President Pedro Ramirez found himself in just four years ago. While applying to colleges in search of his American Dream, he found out a startling truth about himself – he is an illegal immigrant.
“I had an average life like any other kid in America,” Ramirez said of his life before he found out. “We lived in a nice clean neighborhood… I was really involved in high school, in many clubs and organizations.”
Ramirez had an exceptional resume to offer colleges, but there was one thing that he couldn’t give them, a social security number. That was when his American reality was shattered. His family revealed to him that he had been brought across the border illegally from Mexico when he was just three years old.
Few can claim to being held responsible for an act that happened when they were just three years old, but Ramirez understood the implications that this information could have on his future if it got into the wrong hands. His immigration status would have to be his most guarded secret, and he knew would have to live a lie.
He tried to move forward, enrolling at Fresno State, and for the next three years he thrived there. He chose to major in Political Science, and joined the student body government in an effort to improve student life. Ramirez said, “I saw the devastating effects of cutting from higher education.” This encouraged him to take on more responsibility. When he noticed that the previous student president was not fulfilling his obligation to Fresno State’s students, he took action. He ran for student body president and won.
However, even in his victory he would constantly be reminded of his status as an illegal immigrant. Despite being entitled to a stipend of $800 a month for his services, he could not receive the money, because he was afraid that his status would be revealed. He went without pay as student body president to keep his secret protected.
Ramirez was finally beginning to relax and enjoy being the student body president when he got an e-mail that would change his life. Someone knew about his illegal status and was going to share it with the press. His secret was going to be revealed to the world. That day in November, an anonymous source exposed Pedro’s status to the Fresno Bee, the Collegian, and a number of other local media outlets. The national press was not far behind.
The day after the revelation, Ramirez’s office was swamped with reporters trying to get an interview with the “Undocumented President”. Ramirez said he was afraid he could be deported, but he was undeterred. He chose to see the opportunities instead of the obstacles, using his spotlight to push the DREAM Act, a bill that went before Congress shortly after his new broke. If the act passed, undocumented students across America, who have completed two or more years of college, would get on the right track to citizenship.
However, becoming the poster boy for the DREAM Act meant that far right activists, who did not approve of the DREAM Act, had a new person to target. Central Valley Tea Party members and other individuals went on the offensive, voicing their outrage of having a known illegal immigrant among them. One of these individuals is Neil O’Brien. Possibly the most outspoken critic of Ramirez, O’Brien is the creator of a website dedicated to defeating Pedro. On it he calls Ramirez, “anti-American”, “racist”, and even accuses him of being “abetted by politician’s dirty money.”
Despite his critics, Ramirez carried on, becoming one of the most notable voices of the DREAM Act movement. Through this, he connected with some of the 25,000 other undocumented students that California is estimated to have. “I listened to their stories of how hard I has been to move ahead, get an education and contribute,” Ramirez continued, “I was honored to use my voice to not only tell my story, but also tell theirs.”
On December 8, Ramirez was present to watch Congress vote on the fate of the DREAM Act, and subsequently whether he and thousands of other undocumented students would become what they had always considered themselves to be, American citizens. However, as Senate Republicans went forth with their plan to filibuster the legislation it became clear that this DREAM was about to fail, even if just for now.
However, Pedro and other immigration reform activists took this blow in stride. “When it failed,” said Ramirez, “I was already in my organizer mode, taking notes on who voted ‘No’ and from what state they represented. Later that day the groups of student organizers would meet to develop a strategy for 2011-2012.”
Pedro Ramirez’s story is every American’s. People, whose ancestors might have been Irish, German, or Italians, came to this country in search of new. As they walked through the gates and came to America, knowing that they were already despised for something they could never change, they believed. They believed in the American dream; that they could do anything with hard work. Critic and supporter alike must then ask themselves – Does Pedro Ramirez embody this dream? The question become, isn’t he an American, if not by paper, than in heart?
“I have a lot of friends who are undocumented that attend FCC and other community colleges,” said Pedro Ramirez. “My message to them would be to never give up. If I was able to graduate from Fresno State and get elected as its student leader, I am confident that many of them can succeed and achieve their dreams.”
