California School Program Gives Undocumented Mexican Students an Opportunity to Visit Their Native Country

Some undocumented Mexican students in the U.S never had the chance to discover their country of origin. Even though some of them have lived in their native country, they were too young to remember their time there before leaving.

However, through a new school program in California, 31 young undocumented Mexican students from various California community colleges and universities have been given the opportunity to not only visit Mexico but also the time to reconnect with their relatives, all in 24 days.

According to the California-Mexico Project, the activity was part of their Study Abroad Program that will allow students to "study, research, develop, and promote policies and programs" among Higher Educational Institutions and cultural organizations which in turn can help increase the academic and professional linkages of California, U.S., and Mexico.

"The goal is to provide students with the opportunity, knowledge, and leadership skills for them to promote and create similar programs that can be replicated throughout the country," Professor Armando Vazquez-Ramos, coordinator of the California-Mexico Project, said in the report.

In a release by Remezcla, it was mentioned that the trip started with the students visiting their relatives. It was then followed by a two-week lecture and presentation about a wide range of topics including Mexico's politics, social reforms, education system, indigenous studies, Chicano studies and muralism.

According to the Remezcla report, one important and surprising lesson that the students have learned was about the requirements of continuing studies in Mexico.

Gretchen Kuhner, director of the Instituto para las Mujeres en la Migración, asked the students the requirements in enrolling in public schools in U.S on which the students replied with vaccines, birth certificates and proof of address.

The director then threw a follow up question asking the students if they were required to submit a signature and seal from the secretary that issued the documents as well as a birth certificate translated by an official translator.

"Well, here the universities still ask for that and primary schools did until last June... and that's the reason that many children and young people who have returned from the United States have been unable to continue their studies," Kuhner said.

The students will return on Jan. 11, 2016.

Remezcla highlighted that the event was made possible through the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and advance parole, an immigration document that allows non-US citizens to re-enter the country.

As of present time, the program was only available to a few schools in California but the California-Mexico Project hopes to bring it all over the U.S.