Potential presidential policies hit home to many students
November 2, 2016
Last November, Dream Club members shared personal stories during a fundraising dinner.
Debt free college and a wall along the Mexican border are potential outcomes of the presidential election Nov. 8.
Depending on whether Republican nominee Donald Trump or Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton wins, these potential policies could hit home for some Sequoia students and their families.
IMMIGRATION
“America is the land of opportunity—you watch movies and America looks so amazing—you come here for bigger opportunities,” said sophomore Alyanna Belong, a Filipino emigree.
America is home to many immigrants who will be vulnerable if certain policies are adopted, and Sequoia is no exception.
Clinton: She intends to introduce comprehensive immigration reforms within her first 100 days in office. These changes would create a pathway to full and equal citizenship, and expand affordable healthcare to undocumented immigrants. Her plan would also end the three-and-ten-year bars—a system which prevents a person who overstayed their visa in the US and voluntarily left, from re-entering the country for three or ten years. She also intends to extend President Obama’s Deferred Action for Parents of Americans (DAPA) and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) programs, two executive actions that grant deferred action status to eligible undocumented immigrants.
Dream Club advisor Jane Slater believes that Clinton’s policy changes will be beneficial as they will give more undocumented students the chance to apply for DACA.
“There are students here who missed the deadline for DACA,” Slater said. “So, given your age, you can see that kids who are in high school who came when they were eight, nine, might have missed it at that point. They’d be eligible for DACA, which is a pretty big deal.”
Trump: In contrast, Trump’s reforms for immigration prioritize securing America’s borders. He intends to deport anyone illegally in the U.S. and build a wall along the Mexican border. He also aims to terminate the DAPA and DACA and end catch-and-release—an existing system that releases people who are caught being in the U.S. undocumented, while they wait for a hearing with an immigration judge. Trump also intends to end the practice of sanctuary cities like San Francisco, which follow certain procedures to protect undocumented immigrants.
Senior Karolina Soto, an undocumented immigrant currently on DACA, understands students concerns for their parents’ statuses if Trump wins.
“I was really scared for them. I was scared for my dad. He [worked] the same job for 17 years, I was scared that when he retired he wasn’t going to receive his benefits. I was scared for him, I was scared for the obvious fear of deportation,” Soto said.
COLLEGE
Being able to pay tuition is a question that seniors often have to ask themselves. Sequoia has many students from low income families who might not be able to afford certain colleges without scholarships or financial aid.
“I have current seniors that have the intelligence, grades and preparation to go to four-year colleges, but they’re choosing to go to community college because their parents just don’t have the money to pay,” Head Guidance Counselor Guadelupe Navarrete said.
Clinton: Clinton’s goal is to make graduating from an in-state university without debt a possibility for every student. To do this, she plans to make college tuition free for any student whose family earns less than $85,000 a year, and by 2021 she aims to expand this to benefit more families. She also proposes making community college free.
Navarrete believes that Clinton’s plan will not only benefit students and their families, but also our entire nation.
“Students, if they graduate without debt or small loans [are going to be able to invest their money] in the economy instead of just investing it in paying loans. They’re going to be able to do more with their lives,” Navarrete said.
Trump: He intends to make two and four- year colleges accessible to everyone by proposing a reform that will encourage universities to reduce cost and banks to lower their student loans in exchange for tax breaks.
Senior Diane Zermeño believes that his ideas would be beneficial, but she questions whether or not they would be put into effect.
“The fact that he wants to work with Congress to insure that these universities pay their fair share of what is supposed to go to the students is a good idea, but is he actually going to go through with it? I don’t think so,” said Zermeño.
These plans may not align with every student’s beliefs, but in this election, voters may find that neither candidate agrees wholly with their exact beliefs.
“We’re not choosing our best friend. This is not a popularity contest,” Navarrete said. “We’re choosing somebody that has the guts to stand up to anyone in the world.”
