By Leo Juarez, Scott Martindale and David Eisenberg

Victor Fressie, 22, was once an undocumented immigrant from Mexico. He first came to this country as an infant with his single mother. Although he returned to Mexico to live with relatives from ages 3 to 8, he spent most of his life in New Jersey.

Then his American stepfather adopted him and Victor became a U.S. citizen. With citizenship, Victor qualified for financial aid and was able to attend a four-year college. In June, he graduated from Dartmouth College in New Hampshire.

At Dartmouth, he served as president of his school’s Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán (MEChA) chapter. When he came to Los Angeles, he became involved in the La Placita Coalition, which orchestrated the March 25 immigration rally in downtown Los Angeles that brought upwards of 500,000 people to the streets.

He says that rather than punish illegal immigrants, legislators should look at the underlying causes of mass immigration to the United States, including the North American Free Trade Agreement’s impact on Latin American economies.

“I blame it on NAFTA,” he said. “When you have these countries that impoverish you, what are you supposed to do? You can’t blame [immigrants] for just trying to make a better life.”

Victor now lives in Pasadena and works for an architecture firm.

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In his own words

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 Student Activists Speak Out: Part Two [1:21m]: Play Now | Play in Popup

By Leo Juarez, Scott Martindale and David Eisenberg

Iliana Carter-Ramírez, 22, was born into a family with a long history of activism. Her father, who is white, helped organize factory workers in Los Angeles throughout the 1970s and ’80s. Her mother, who emigrated illegally from El Salvador, was once a textile factory worker and also has worked on union causes.

Iliana attended her first union rally when she was 4 or 5. When she began college at UCLA at age 16, she joined a student group called Conciencia Libre, or Free Consciousness, which worked to unionize staff members on campus.

Since graduating from UCLA last year, Iliana has remained active, helping to coordinate the March 25 protest in downtown Los Angeles that brought an estimated 500,000 people to the streets. She also is a founding member of the Coalition of United Students and, as one of its most active members, served as the emcee of the April 15 student march.

Iliana feels strongly about education and points out that illegal immigrants, who do not qualify for financial aid, typically have no financial means to attend four-year universities.

“This is going to affect our future. If you can’t go to college, you end up in a low-paying job,” Iliana said. “It becomes a cycle. What young person wants that kind of life?”

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In her own words

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 Student Activists Speak Out: Part Three [1:25m]: Play Now | Play in Popup

By Leo Juarez, Scott Martindale and David Eisenberg

Yecica Garcia, 18, is an undocumented high school senior with little hope of attending a four-year college. She does not qualify for financial aid because her family, who emigrated from Mexico when she was 2, lives in the United States illegally.

“If we don’t have papers, we can’t go to college,” said Yecica, who wants to become a lawyer. “Since we put so much into the economy, we should at least get to go to school.”

In the fall, Yecica plans to enroll at Santa Monica College – the best school she can afford.

Yecica’s first brush with activism came on March 25, when she participated in the downtown Los Angeles rally that attracted an estimated 500,000 protestors. Two days later, she walked out of Venice High School with about 370 of her classmates.

She also became a lead organizer for the Coalition of United Students, which put together the April 15 student march that brought 3,000 to 5,000 people to the steps of City Hall, a majority of them middle and high school students.

“We want to show that students know what they’re talking about,” Yecica said.

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In her own words

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 Student Activists Speak Out: Part One [1:30m]: Play Now | Play in Popup

By Leo Juarez, Scott Martindale and David Eisenberg

Mitchell Santos wants to enlist in the military and serve his country. Not Mexico, the country he was born in, but the United States, where he lives illegally.

“This country is the land of opportunity, and I want to defend that opportunity, even for people that are not legal,” said Mitchell, who dreams of attending West Point military academy.

Mitchell, 15, a freshman at Venice High School, cannot enlist because he has no legal status in the United States. He hopes that by the time he graduates, the laws will have changed. Or that he’ll get lucky like his sister, Thalia, 18, who received a scholarship to attend Whittier College this fall.

Most undocumented students, however, cannot attend four-year universities because they do not qualify for financial aid.

Mitchell has long been educated about immigration issues. For years, he has helped his family look into possible avenues to citizenship. His two younger siblings – U.S. citizens by birth – might be the answer if the family is able to apply for citizenship through one of them, he says.

“Even though we’re being called illegal immigrants, we’re still here. There’s not going to be a mass deportation,” he said. “We want our papers for our education.”

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In his own words

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 Student Activists Speak Out: Part Four [1:38m]: Play Now | Play in Popup

By Diana Day

So-called “sanctuary cities” are a current hot-button immigration and national security topic. Critics claim that police policies, like Special Order 40 in Los Angeles, restrict the police and allow a city to become a safe haven for illegal immigrants. But supporters say that allowing police to act as ICE officials will increase crime rates because fearful immigrants would no longer report crimes to the police. (more…)