JAYPLAY = 10.18.2007
feature
IMPROB
Illegal.
Every day, the immigration issues infiltrate the news. This is the story of th
One word seems to define Karina's life since she moved from Tiaxcala, Mexico to Kansas on May 29, 2011. It's a date she cites automatically, similarly to the way people tell their birthdays.
Almost six and a half years have passed since the day they came to the United States, carrying a few suitcases full of the essentials—mainly clothes and toiletries—that would help them begin their new life, Karina, a lean woman with black curly hair and glasses, is now a student at the University of Kansas who lives two different realities.
That day, Karina, her parents and two younger sisters crossed the United States-Mexico border as tourists with no intention of returning to the city that she had known for 15 years. Karina was coming back to the country where she was born, while the rest of her family was leaving theirs.
In one, she is a university student who is able to pay for school through scholarships and governmental loans. She works as a translator and has a driver's license. In the other, she is part of a family of undocumented immigrants who think twice before getting behind the wheel, afraid of getting caught without a license.
"I have freedom. That's a big thing." Karina says, referring to the differences her family's everyday life and hers. "I am able to do anything I want and not be afraid of doing it. My family doesn't have the same privilege."
Kansas laws seemed to be working in her sister's favor in 2004 when the Kansas legislature passed a bill allowing undocumented students to pay-in-state tuition at state universities if they met certain requirements.
Because of his immigration status, Karina's father, a college graduate with a mechanical engineering degree, works in the food section of a department store. He earns enough to feed
Karina's family is part of the 12 million undocumented immigrants who live in the country, according to the Pew Hispanic Center. Her story is also not unusual. There are more than 3 million children who are U.S.citizens and live in houses where the head of the family is undocumented.
Karina's sister graduated from high school last year and never attempted to apply to KU because her parents can't afford to pay for her in-state tuition. Regardless of her GPA or involvement in school, Karina's sister can't apply for scholarships or loans because she doesn't have a social security card.
"WHAT CAN YOU DO IF EVERYTHING SEEMS TO BE AGAINST YOU?" --KARINA
the family and pay bills, but not enough to pay for college tuition.
Karin's 18-year-old sister, who is an undocumented immigrant, graduated from high school a year ago hoping to follow in her sister's footsteps by attending the University's pre-med program.
Karina's sister describes this experience as "a little embarrassing" because shehinks everyone knows that the reason she can't attend the University is not because of her grades.
The idea of using her sister's social security number has even come up but Karina says they don't want to break the law.
"On one hand, I don't want to go against the law because I want to be a good citizen and on the other, I care about my sister," she says. "What
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