CSUN student fights for immigrant rights

By Naomi Ogaldez
June 21st, 2012
Section: Student Spotlight

Undocumented CSUN student Juan Quevedo (right) with fellow students Elijah Porter (left) and Milanes Morejon (center) in a summer pre-law program at Georgia State University. Photo Credit:Naomi Ogaldez / Contributor

Born in, Morelia Michoacán, Mexico, 25-year-old CSUN student Juan Quevedo is undocumented – one of the many hurdles that he has encountered in his race of life. While some squandered their gifts and privileges of birth, Quevedo had to go the extra mile.

Now he is striving to be an example for many generations to come, by being the center of inspiration at CSUN for support of immigration rights and laws that aim to improve immigrant life.

This past year, Quevedo finished his first Presidential term in the Dreams to be Heard club at CSUN, where he conducted CA DREAM act teach sessions, workshops, and presentations to bring awareness of California immigration laws and inspired undocumented immigrant students to pursue higher education.

Quevedo came to the United States at age five not knowing the English language.

He was never encouraged to stay in school. To the contrary, he was constantly being discouraged and told to go in to the landscaping business.

In fifth grade, he obtained his first job at a pizza parlor because he needed to help support his family.

Even with his contribution to the bills and the rent, his family lacked the funds to live a proper life by U.S. standards.

“Never staying in one place long enough to call home. Always going to bed hungry. My childhood was not ideal,” said Quevedo

While he was in the process of graduating high school, his father was deported and died shortly after in Mexico.

This setback in life did not become an obstacle for him or stop him from striving for greatness.

“I persevered and began a pursuit to obtain a higher education,” said Quevedo.

The rejection from peers, programs and schooling for his undocumented status has not stopped him from achieving his goals in life.

His influence on his peers and people that surround him can be seen throughout the various volunteer work he has done for his community.

Quevedo also represented CSUN and Southern California’s undocumented immigrant community at the National Immigrant Rights Law Conference held in Washington DC, in 2011.

There he was able to discuss the latest immigration laws with the top experts on the subject, including lawyers, civil rights organizers, and representatives of the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration Customs.

As an intern for assembly member Felipe Fuentes, District 39, Quevedo has researched the demographic statistics from District 39, conducted neighborhood watch programs and is an active member of community outreach programs.

Not only has he been getting hands on experience with politicians and authorities in the career, he also is getting additional education through various programs he has been admitted to.

He recently finished a highly competetive four-week Pre-Law Undergraduate Scholar program at Georgia State University College of Law. This program helped him gain knowledge and analyze in depth the under-representation in minority groups.

“Everyday I [came] out a new man, willing and ready to defend all unfair, unjust and regressive acts against mankind,” said Quevedo

He has seen many student DREAMers that are in the same position as him, he said. For that reason, he is studying political science to help them out. He would like to practice law to re-interpret the nationality and immigration act.

“One thing I would advise any dreamer is to dream big,” said Quevedo. “We all have the same potential.”

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Jon Soto

The State of California, never mind the Federal Government cannot fiscally support the DREAM act and hope to get into the black (ink). Yes, the immigration process needs to be improved, but to support those who break our laws is not good for National Sovreignty. Laws are not meant to be fair, just equally applied.
- Michelangelo_L
  
  Laws should be fair and equally applied. Natural law is this. It is legislative law here that is both unfair and unequal.
  
  Immigration does not by itself destroy wealth. To the contrary it creates wealth by allow greater competition and specialization. Very few of us are self sustaining. We use the labour of others to do things that don’t make sense for us to do. Sometimes this is foreign labour from another household, other times its from a Texan, and other times yet its labour from China.
  
  It is the welfare state that costs us. We’re being distracted to fight one another when the real enemy is in DC and Sacramento. We should be doing away with Obamacare, capital taxes, minimum wage laws, smoking laws, etc. Etc.
Michelangelo_L

I’m an illegal. By coincidence I was born in Morelia, Michoacan as well. Let’s see. Juan is 25, and came over when he was 5. So it’s been twenty years since he came over in.. 2012 – 20 = 1992? I came over when I was two and a half years old in 1994, and am currently twenty. Juan is a bit older than me by five years, but we’ve had considerable overlap in years active. Yet it seems from this article that we’ve taken considerably different paths in life.

Don’t get me wrong. I can admire that he wants to become a lawyer and help out fellow immigrants. I wish him good luck in that pursuit.

I’m worried though that most of us, illegal immigrants that is, are being pushed to support the Democrats. I’m assuming Juan supports the Democrats seeing that he is interning for one.

Our parents left the old world for a reason. Mexico is being run by socialists, progressives, and fascists-by-another-name. Most of Europe lives under rebranded socialism. China (PRC) is a curious case of a socialist state moving towards a market economy, but it is still by no means free. South America, while varied, is hardly a bastion of freedom with the possible exception of Uruguay. The USA is one of the few last places where socialism is looked down upon and free markets have some (if small) supporters.

I’m personally very scared of ever being deported to Mexico. It’s not only a foreign country to me, but it’s one filled with statists of the worst kind. Do you think gun rights in the USA are bad? In Mexico the bill of rights makes it clear that the federal government can limit which arms may be maintained. There is only /one/ place where civilians can legally purchase firearms, and it is a military run shop in Mexico city. It’s police is notorious for being corrupt, and you are expected to pay protection money to both the local police and drug cartels. Subway, that we take for granted on campus as something that can be afforded for lunch daily, is a luxury for the majority of Mexicans. The respect for private property and business down there is laughable.

I’m more scared of the USA becoming like Mexico though. I’m terrified of the day when politicians openly embrace themselves socialists. I’m usually against the concept that anyone has an obligation, but I still feel the need to remind Americans how fragile the freedom in this land is. We won’t be conquered by the Russians, Chinese, or ‘evil’ Iran. It will be the ideas of collectivism that will conquer us, and the mass of people will welcome it in the name of ‘free’ healthcare, ‘free’ education, ‘free’ x.

While the Republicans are by no means truly in favor of the free market (e.g. Romney & Romneycare), Democrats are even less so.

I’ll have to talk to Juan one of these days. I am probably assuming too much about his politics. He might be a fellow libertarian for all I know. One can hope can’t they? Then again, I’ve yet to find another illegal libertarian.
BurgerLess

These people want to be Americans. They want to better themselves through eduction. As far as defining them, I’d say they are more “creme of the crop” than illegal. There should be some way for us to help them. But President Obama’s unconstitutional power grab was wrong on so many levels. The end does not justify the means.
- Michelangelo_L
  
  For the record I do agree that the executive order was unconstitutional. I’ll apply for the deferred action and work permit on pragmatic terms, but it’s unconstitutional. Executive orders are one of the worst (illegitimate) powers of the President.
  
  It’s how FDR managed to intern countless Japanese-Amercians during WW2 for goodness sakes. I can’t believe anyone, democrat or republican, can think executive orders should be allowed after that awful incident.
  
  Hope you have a good summer Roger. See you at the club in fall.
http://profile.yahoo.com/OQP2VPVHATRIWAIIS4PHJFZRCM James Wilson

There’s one key word missing from your puff piece: illegal. There is no such thing as undocumented. Second, he’s not fighting for immigrant rights. LEGAL immigrants have well-defined rights in United States law. He’s actually fighting against the rights of legal immigrants who are seeking citizenship the right way, by trying to get his fellow illegals a chance to cut to the front of the line.

Good for him that he actually learned English and didn’t end up a drug-runner or gangbanger, but it sounds like he wants to become an immigration lawyer, which might actually be worse.
- Michelangelo_L
  
  I suspect Juan and I differ in political views, but I’ll have to protest your suggestion that immigration lawyers are anything like drug runners or gang bangers.
  
  Immigration is at its heart another part of the market process. People move to find a place where their skills are most useful in providing goods and/or services to others. The problems with immigration in America come from the welfare state. Illegals (myself included) shouldn’t get hand outs from the government. Neither however should anyone else. /No one/, legal or illegal, has an entitlement to tax his neighbor in order to get ‘free’ x.
  
  Nor is there any reason why immigration should be limited by any number of places. If a person isn’t a public hazard or public health concern they should be allowed to come and work. It’s up to people to decide whether they want to hire someone and the government has no place in getting between that decision. Illegals should be allowed to work. Legal immigrants should become much more open. There is no reason why there has to be any places in line. There is no reason why illegal aliens have to compete with legal aliens in getting to the USA. The competition should be in who can best provide services and goods in the united states.
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_3XOIX6OAFEGK2A2WPH3AMSPPDQ RETUSAF

Why do people believe they should be given citizenship just because they are here? Fighting for illegal alien rights? How about they become legal first? These people are citizens of another country. They received 12 years of free education, now go back to your country and do something with it.
- Michelangelo_L
  
  Mexicans are barred from most visa programs in the United States. They haven’t been allowed to participate in the diversity lottery for sometime. Skilled visas are similarly hard to get. Juan, myself, and several others would be barred from even skilled visas for a period of ten years under the current system even if we wanted to. Most visa programs are backlogged by several decades. If we wanted to do it the ‘legal’ way, we’d likely be fifty before we could return to America.
  
  And to be frank, this ‘country’ we’re citizens of is rarely something that eagerly welcomes deportees. My family once tried to return to Mexico when I was eight or so. My sister and I were denied access on the grounds that the Mexican government did not recognize us as mexicans. I say good riddens to them.
  
  I’m a illegal Californian, but a Californian all the same. My family has paid federal and state income tax since we’ve been here. I personally have an IRS tax number to use to pay with once I start working. Needless to say we pay sales tax, and would pay property tax if we owned any real estate. My mother refused to accept WIC, and I’m proud to say we’ve never been on food stamps. The only thing we can be accused of is using state roads and state schools – but I suspect that on the net we’re tax payers and not tax recipients.

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