1. THE PAN AMERICANVolume 67, No. 4 September 23, 2010
DREAM Act
hits home
Page 2 - Big business might
have packed their bags, but
they never left
Page 3 - Jobs after
graduation becoming scarce
Page 11 - Holiday gift guide Page 14 - Q&A with volleyball
player Rebecca Toddy
Roxann Garcia on
cartel wars
New SGA leaders
take the reins
Mexican history:
How much do
we know?
Los retos que tendrá que
enfrentar Calderón en los
próximos 2 años
Solid showing for
cross-country teams
Page 3
Student tells how he
‘fell in love with the
United States.’

2. Some people spend more time
scanning the headlines and watching
CNN than others, usually because they
have a vested interest in how current
political events turn out.
In the case of one UTPA student, this
has been a particularly difficult week, as
he has watched Congress put the stops
to a piece of legislation that would have
made his life a whole lot easier.
Josse Alex Garrido has been
closely following the progress of the
Development, Relief, and Education
for Alien Minors Act, or DREAM
Act, a proposed bill that has led an
uneven career in the Congress. It would
allow over 700,000 undocumented
immigrants a pathway to citizenship
after six years of temporary status,
provided they are high school graduates
who make a two-year commitment to
college or the military.
The bill fell short in the Senate
Tuesday, amid much uproar from
Democrats and especially American
Latinos. For Garrido, who publicly
disclosedhisstatusasanundocumented
immigrant recently as a way to raise
consciousness about the issue, the
result has not stemmed his fight to
some day become a citizen.
Nine years ago he came to a foreign
land, but today, he calls it simply “home.”
THE BACKGROUND
Garrido entered this country against
his wishes as a petrified 13-year-old boy.
His father felt it would be safer for his
family of four to live in the United States.
“Originally I didn’t want to come
here,”the22-year-oldsaid.“Iwasterrified
becausemyfriendswouldtellmehow(the
U.S.) was very bad, and in Mexico there
was always stories on the news about how
badly they treat (Mexican immigrants) in
the United States.”
Garrido’s family originally put their
future in the hands of an attorney who
turned out to be a fraud. Fake documents
that the parents unknowingly filled out
were useless and expensive. Despite this,
his family decided to stay and settled
in Mission. Garrido graduated from
Sharyland High School in the top 10
percent of his class, but soon after, his
family found out that they were under
investigation; this led to the eventual
detainmentofhisfather,whounknowingly
signed voluntary deportation papers.
His father was deported in 2007 and
a younger brother, a minor, was recently
deported. His mother voluntarily left
with her younger son and U.S.-born
6-year-old daughter. Throughout all this,
Garridochosetostay,butthatmeansthat
he is now next in line for deportation.
THE RATIONALE
In the face of the deterioration of his
family, Garrido stayed, recalling that
even though he had once heard horror
stories about el Norte, “I fell in love
with the United States.”
Hewasinthemiddleofhissophomore
year and didn’t want to leave.
“I decided to stay because I wanted
to go to college,” he said. He enrolled
at UTPA under Senate Bill 1528,
which allows undocumented students
to attend any university in the state of
Texas and pay in-state tuition.
Now he’s in his last semester,
double majoring in psychology and
philosophy. Though his ultimate goal
is to attend law school, coming up
with the money is yet another problem
harkening back to immigration status.
“Many students who are citizens can
apply for FASFA and Federal Financial
Aid but I can’t,” he said. “Scholarships
are few, they are available to citizens
first and then they allow students in my
situation to be able to receive them. The
Texas Grant helps but even then I cannot
have a job or request a job…it’s hard
with all the extra college expenses.”
Garrido did household work and cut
yards among other odd jobs, in order to
make enough to sustain rent and buy
books. He also got support from his
family who would send money from
Mexico whenever possible.
THE DREAMS
His love for a country he can’t
officially call home yet is a familiar
plight, one he shares with more than 600
UTPA students. The number of people
in this boat led Garrido to out himself.
He wants to bring awareness to the
circumstances that surround the UTPA
community and hit very close to home.
“I highly recommend for
(undocumented students) to speak out to
their friends to come out literally, because
the more people know how its going to
impactsocietythebetter,”hesaid.
Garrido also believes that by bringing
his situation out in the open he can
connect with those who are not affected
directly by the DREAM Act but might
know someone who is.
“If you see that your friends could
be affected by this
legislation and they
can actually benefit
and fulfill the dream of
becoming a law abiding
citizenthenbyallmeans
do that, do something,”
he explained. “I’m
trying to be both an
exampleandmotivation
for those students to
comeout.”
Despite the fact
that Congress halted
the DREAM Act’s
momentum Tuesday,
Garrido is still hopeful
forNovember.
“I am doing
everything I can to
tell my friends to
call their senators,”
he explained. “The
DREAM Act will
effect a lot of students I’m not the only
one…there are millions and million of
people who will have positive benefits
from this all over the nation.”
Like most students who would be
affected by the legislation Garrido
wishes to not be punished for the crimes
of his parents. Being brought up in the
land of the free makes it impossible for
him to want to live anywhere else.
“I did not make a conscious decision
to be here, it was my parents that
brought me here when I was a minor
and as a minor I fell in love with the
United States,” he noted. “When I was
18 and able to get into college and I
just kept going with the dream, it’s all I
know. I recognize this is my home and
the reason I want to stay here is because
I want to contribute, I want to be one of
its contributing citizens.”
THE OPPOSITION
As for those opposed to the DREAM
Act, Garrido said he keeps an open mind
aboutthemandtheirviews.Buthedefinitely
standsfirminhisself-identification.
“I see their point, I more or less try
to understand where they are coming
from,” he said. “I came here to the United
States as a minor I had the best years of
my life in the United States, I think that I
am asAmerican as anyone else.”
One misconception that Garrido
notes is the belief that undocumented
immigrants do not pay taxes. He’s
determined to break that notion.
“I pay my taxes, even though I’m not
a citizen, I have to pay taxes,” he said.
“And I’m happy to do it. I absolutely
do not complain about it. I have a
tax identification number, which is
something the IRS gives you when you
are not a citizen and don’t have a Social
Security card. So that I can pay taxes.”
Garrido said he works just as hard
as any of his friends, and his 3.7 GPAis
testament to that.
“I am not a burden to this country,”
he offered. “They think they are poor
people who drug themselves and
only think they are doing crimes,
and I think they have a very wrong
misconception about it. I think they
horribly misinformed. We can be a
great contribution.
“I think I would be a great asset
to this nation because I am very
passionate and I have demonstrated it.
I do not have a criminal record; I do not
even have a ticket.”
Though Garrido said he knows that
there always people who try to ruin
opportunities for others, but argues
that part of the DREAM Act’s purpose
is to reward moral character and those
students who genuinely want to try.
Garrido has received threatening
e-mails and been harassed by those
who oppose the DREAM Act and
also Garrido’s personal story. Despite
the setback this week in terms of the
legislation, the Bronc student reiterates
that he will not give up hope.
“I think that education is the answer
to solve all the problems of society,”
he said. “And by them denying those
students who are willing to commit
fully I think they are making a big
mistake. I don’t know how anyone can
be opposed to education.”
There is also a local campaign on
Facebook called “I am a UTPA Student
and I support the DREAM Act,” where
students can‘like’andaddtotheir profile.
A rally in support of the Act is
planned for Oct. 1 at 6 p.m. in front
of the University Chapel. Meanwhile,
the center of controversy, a young
man who was featured in The Monitor
earlier in the week, soldiers on.
“I think that it is more important
what you actually do, than what has
been done in the past,” Garrido said.
“I think that what you do actually
speaks louder than any other action.
Because I fell in love with the United
States. I grew up here and I recognize
the impact the United States has had
on me. The things I have learned and
received, I recognize this country more
as my place, my house than Mexico…
Because Mexico? I can’t even
remember it.”
September 23, 2010 3
UTPA student struggles with DREAM
Alejandra Moreno/The Pan American
Dream Act - UTPA student Josse Alex Garrido explains the DREAM Act at last Friday’s SGA meeting.
By Kristen Cabrera
The Pan American
“It’s awesome but there are way
too many restrictions on it. We
know a lot of people that wouldn’t
qualify for the DREAM act. It
also sucks that it got attached to
the defense bill in order to get
the conservative vote. A lot of the
freedomtheygetisn’trealfreedom
because of the restrictions. It’s, in
fact, a form of slavery.”
Victoria Garza
Non-student
Pete Rodriguez
Junior anthropology major
“It isn’t really a big deal for me. I
don’t really follow politics but I can’t
understand why immigration is such
a big deal. If people want to be here,
theyshould.”
Russel Slayton
Junior biology major
“I think they should pass this bill.
People want to make something
of themselves but they need the
opportunitytodosolegally.”
Jose De La Cruz
Sophomore nursing major
“Ifit’sbetterforthecountrythanwhy
not? People need a chance to better
themselves.”
Melissa Garcia
Senior English major
“I think it’s OK. They’re paying
the same tuition we are. Everyone
deservesachanceaslongastheyaren’t
bummingoffthesystem.”
Steven Trevino
Junior pre-dental major