Bold Dreamer

Byline: Gabriel Schuman

On July 12, Ju Hong, a student at the University of California at Berkeley and a recipient of a Cal Dream scholarship from Liberty Hill, became the first undocumented Asian American student to voluntarily submit to arrest in a civil disobedience action in California.  

Hong and six other students were arrested at a rally in San Bernardino for unlawful assembly and failure to disperse during a protest held, as he says in a statement, "to empower young undocumented immigrant youth and to protest the inhuman treatments of immigrants." They were released from jail after being detained overnight and interrogated by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer. They face possible deportation hearings.

Hong was born in South Korea and has lived in the United States since age nine. A news story about the incident in UCB's Daily Californian headlined his status as a student body senator-elect. Hong was recently elected to the Associated Students of the University of California Senate, and according to ASUC External Affairs Vice President Joey Freeman, has been a strong advocate for the DREAM Act and equal treatment for undocumented students.

In an interview with Asian Journal, Hong said, “We are undocumented and we are not afraid anymore. We want you to hear our voices and encourage undocumented youths to get involved. A lot of people think this is just a Latino issue but it is also an Asian issue too."

California DREAM Act update: On June 14, AB130, the first half of the California DREAM Act, passed the State Senate. It is currently in Governor Jerry Brown’s office waiting to be signed into law. AB130 permits undocumented students to apply and compete for scholarships derived from private donations that are offered by institutions of higher education. In addition, it would allow students attending California technical schools and adult schools to be eligible to qualify for in-state tuition under AB 540.

Liberty Hill was an early and effective supporter of DREAM Act students through its grantmaking to the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA). CHIRLA's Wise Up youth group was among those advocating for the 2002 California AB540 legislation that enabled undocumented students who'd been living in California for three or more years to qualify for resident tuition rates at the state's colleges and universities. Since 2006, Liberty Hill has awarded nearly $750,000 to AB540 students struggling to pay for an education at Cal State L.A., Cal State Dominguez Hills, UC Berkeley and UCLA. For more information, check our Scholarships and Stipend Programs page.

Gabriel Schuman is a student intern at Liberty Hill.

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