By Anthony Cali
One after one, the young people on the Zoom call repeated their situation: They want to enroll at William Paterson, but they are undocumented immigrants.
The prospective students came to a seminar run by Legal Services of New Jersey to see whether their dream of college education was possible.
More than 17,000 undocumented immigrants attend college in New Jersey, one of only six states that allows undocumented students to apply for financial aid.
At the seminar, one prospective student described moving to New Jersey from South Carolina, which refuses higher education for undocumented people. Many said they were facing deportation.
“I risk losing my family as quickly as they came here,” said one student from the Middle East. “But we need this opportunity.”
Legal Services outreach director Alayna Berg recommended a free hotline at 888-576-5529 that offers pro bono advice. She explained that one third of New Jersey residents fall into a lower-income bracket that makes them eligible for Legal Services.
wputimes.wordpress.com 