Undocumented students trapped by system

I remember my graduation one year ago from Marshalltown High School - feeling pride, excitement and hope for a better future.

But there are 65,000 undocumented students graduating from high school each year who are filled with apprehension rather than hope. Despite growing up here and graduating from their hometown high school, these students must pay out-of-state college tuition at two or three times the rate as their fellow graduates and have no access to grants, student loans or other financial aid because they are undocumented. Instead of continuing their education and fully realizing their potential, they are forced to work in the shadows at low-wage jobs, where they are often exploited.

These students are trapped by a broken immigration system. They are the future leaders of our communities and should be encouraged to go to college.

That is why we need comprehensive immigration reform, including the DREAM Act. Call Sens. om Harkin and Chuck Grassley and ask them to stand for all of Iowa's students and pass Comprehensive Immigration Reform with the DREAM Act.

Vanessa Andrade

Marshalltown