An Undocumented High School Student

Bernard Pastor and his parents and brother were undocumented immigrants from Guatemala living near Cincinnati, Ohio. When Bernard was three years old, his parents fled the civil war in Guatemala, but their application for asylum was denied. Bernard grew up speaking English and knew little about his parents’ homeland. When local law enforcement discovered his status after a minor traffic accident, Bernard was briefly incarcerated but the Immigration Customs Enforcement granted him deferred status despite the Senate’s failure to pass the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act. At the time this article was written Bernard Pastor was attending Xavier University.


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Questions to Think About and Discuss

  1. What were the motives of the Pastor family for living in the United States even though they lacked legal documentation?
  2. Did Bernard Pastor see himself as American, Guatemalan or, perhaps, both? How are our ethnic identities determined?
  3. How did the Springdale police officer respond when he learned that Bernard Pastor was an undocumented immigrant?
  4. What was soccer coach, Bill Simpson’s, response? Why did he change his views? What did he mean when he said, “not everyone is here to use the system”?

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