Coalition drafts plan

GREENSBORO — The first statewide student coalition to fight for undocumented immigrants' continued access to college met Saturday to draft a battle plan.

The N.C. Coalition for College Access composed of representatives from almost all the UNC-system schools is hoping to organize on every UNC-system campus and N.C. community college before the end of the semester.

Coalition members hope to have a network in place that can overwhelm any opposition in time for the beginning of the January legislative session.

Members decided on a three-pronged strategy which will include direct lobbying of lawmakers in Raleigh" coalition building with community members and coalition building on college campuses.

They are also hoping to hold a statewide student-led rally.

""Don't fool yourselves to thinking that you're not in a fight 'cause you are"" said Paul Cuadros, a UNC-Chapel Hill journalism professor and the author of a book on the South's Latino communities.

The coalition was founded Saturday at the conference, held at N.C. Agricultural and Technical State University.

The conference was initiated by UNC-CH's Coalition for College Access, which formed last spring to confront possible legislation during the summer session.

This is not going to go away"" said UNC-CH junior Ron Bilbao, a founding member of the coalition.

There are just going to be more bills. There's just going to be more hatred"" and we have to do something about it.""

Undocumented immigrants are temporarily barred from attending N.C. community colleges — a motion that was supported by Democratic gubernatorial candidate Lt. Gov. Bev Perdue in August.

The fear is that with either Perdue or her opponent — Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory" who has a similar stance on undocumented immigrants — elected" it will be easier for legislation permanently banning undocumented students to pass.

""(Perdue) pushed to close this door" Cuadros said. If she's elected" she's not going to go back on her policy decision. Who's gonna open these doors? The students.""

The UNC-CH Roosevelt Institution presented a report on Latino immigration policy and concluded that since the estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants in the United States cannot be feasibly deported"" they must be educated.

""We could end up creating a permanent underclass that can't work legally" and the cycle will just keep repeating itself" said David Bevevino, a member of the organization.

Coalition members are determined to end that cycle.

Cuadros emphasized the need for students and legal first- and second-generation Latino immigrants to take a stand. Fear of repercussions prevents undocumented immigrants from doing so.

They don't hear from the Latino community" and you all can do things that the advocates cannot" Cuadros said.

People are not expecting Latinos in North Carolina to have an impact. Imagine what it would do for the rest of the country if something happened here.""



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