International Student Movement

Georgia (U.S.A.) - November 8th
Rally to Lift Ban on Undocumented Students

In the context of the "Global Weeks of Action for Education" the group Georgia Students for Public Higher Education in alliance with the Georgia Undocumented Youth Alliance (GUYA), Students and Workers in Solidarity, and others rallied to urge the Georgia Board of Regents to scrap a policy that bars undocumented students from the state's five most-competitive publicly funded universities. [calendar entry]

The protest touches on one of the three main aspects of the international joint statement: free access to education for all!

Dozens of college students urged the state Board of Regents to rescind a policy that bars undocumented immigrants from attending Georgia's top colleges. Enacted last year, Policy 4.1.6. bars undocumented students from admission to any publicly funded school that was unable to find room for all academically qualified applicants over the preceding two years. In practice, the measure applies to the University of Georgia, Georgia Tech, Georgia State University, Georgia Health Sciences University and Georgia College & State University.

Some students wore a scarlet "U" to represent the stigma and denied opportunities that "undocumented" students face. Others chanted: "Education not deportation."

Responding to Policy 4.1.6., some professors at the University of Georgia launched an initiative they call "Freedom University," which is now providing instruction to around 30 undocumented students.

mainstream news report: latino.foxnews.com