Following a resolution passed in May by the Student Association Congress to support documented Dreamers, the Vice President for Student Success’ office plans to bring similar legislation to other SUNY campuses.

“Documented Dreamers” came to the United States as dependents on their parents’ visas and age out of their dependent status after turning 21. Dreamers who are H4 dependents of an H1B visa holder — a work visa — may age out before their green cards have been processed due to backlogs. If a parent is an E2 visa holder — a nonimmigrant classification, meaning an individual is allowed to live and work in the United States if they invest a significant amount of money into U.S. businesses — they have no pathway to citizenship, so after turning 21, their children must forfeit dependent status.

There are over 250,000 children raised in the United States on their parent’s visas, five years old on average at the time of their arrival. Due to country-specific quotas, families from highly-populated countries like India and China face a large backlog of green card availability. As a result, many documented Dreamers either have to self-deport when they turn 21 or switch to a student visa — like an F1 or J1 visa — because Dreamers often cannot work in the United States.

“These kids once they reach 18 are no longer protected by their parent’s green card and become illegal citizens who must self-deport, unless they enter college,” Luca Cassidy, the VPSS and a senior majoring in economics, wrote in an email. “Though once they exit college, they once again become illegal citizens who must self-deport. The bill aims to offer these children a pathway to citizenship.”

Passed unanimously by the SA Congress on May 1, the resolution was authored by Kristina Donders, now the SA Congress’ speaker and a junior double-majoring in mathematics and political science, and Veronica Raffaele — a documented Dreamer herself, Cassidy’s secretary last year and a junior double-majoring in philosophy, politics and law and Spanish. Raffaele and the VPSS office aim to push all SUNY schools to support the America’s CHILDREN Act, which provides a pathway to citizenship for documented Dreamers and age-out protections so they do not have to self-deport.

Rafaelle’s family moved to the United States under an E2 visa almost 12 years ago, always maintaining legal status. Because she is currently a dependent on her parent’s visa, she is now in the process of switching to an F1 visa. She said she has been actively working for an organization called Improve the Dream, which took her to Washington D.C. over the summer to present the America’s CHILDREN Act to senators, representatives and other staff.

“Along my journey, I’ve realized that a lot of people can’t even fathom the concept of families, children and their parents, being in a country for over ten years — lawfully — and still facing family separation and deportation and all of these issues that do not really make sense because these are people that are top contributors,” Rafaelle said. “A lot of them have STEM degrees, they are ready to work and give back to the country who basically raised them. And instead they are facing these immense hurdles and hardships that are just unfair.”

Introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2021 and again last year, the America’s CHILDREN Act would make documented Dreamers eligible for permanent residence if they have been in the country for at least 10 years — including eight years as dependents — and graduated from a U.S. institution of higher education. The age-out protections would allow documented Dreamers to either remain as dependents on their parent’s visas or assume another status after turning 21. This prevents abrupt status changes, a common issue many face as they age out of dependency.

The legislation would also provide documented Dreamers employment authorization as dependents and allow eligible individuals to retain their original priority dates for their immigration applications or labor certifications.

“It essentially states that the Binghamton University Student Association supports the America’s CHILDREN Act, and it urges the University, local politicians, as well as statewide officials to also support this resolution,” Donders said.

In addition to supporting the America’s CHILDREN Act, the resolution calls for bipartisan legislative action urging congressional representatives to prioritize the bill. The resolution also acknowledges the challenges faced by documented Dreamers and the benefits they bring to the United States, urging them to commit to student representation and protection for documented Dreamers.

“The United States has a flawed relationship with its immigration policy, especially now,” Cassidy wrote. “Though this bill will not solve that relationship in its entirety, it will make a meaningful difference in the lives of so many.”