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The majority of California’s undocumented college students are enrolled in California's community colleges, and face uncertainty and anxiety under the current Trump administration. When Alberto Román was a boy growing up in the Mexican state of Durango, his father was often far from home.
Most times, he’d be gone for months. Román’s father, Javier, had a third-grade education. And when work was scarce in Mexico, he’d venture north to the United Sates and take whatever job he could find.“He was a guy you would find at Home Depot,” Román told LAist. “He did whatever it took to put food on the table and provide with shelter.”If you're enjoying this article, you'll love our daily newsletter, The LA Report. Each weekday, catch up on the 5 most pressing stories to start your morning in 3 minutes or less.Román missed his father terribly, and he relished the time alone with him. When his father would return to Mexico, they'd hike to a majestic statue of the revolutionary Pancho Villa, where Román and his father could also look out at their city. Román did not know it then but, soon, that view would become a memory. When he was eight, his father returned; but, this time, Javier took his son, his daughter, and his wife with him back to the U.S. The family settled in Rialto, in California's Inland Empire. Suddenly, Román had a new home and new challenges to contend with.The move to Rialto unfurled a series of labels and experiences. Román became undocumented; an “English language learner”; a teenage father; a parenting student. With time, he became a naturalized U.S. citizen and, then, a first-generation college graduate who would one day earn a doctorate. Today, Román serves as chancellor of the Los Angeles Community College District, which includes nine campuses and more than 200,000 students. A lot of these students are parents like he was, Román said, and the vast majority of them have to work to help put themselves through school.Román was appointed chancellor last May. Soon after, the Trump administration unleashed its militarized mass deportation effort, which included raids and aAn L.A. County employee makes the allegation in a whistleblower complaint and in interviews about the response to the deadly fire. County officials dispute the allegations.“Do’s federal bribery conviction was the tip of the iceberg,” said his successor, Supervisor Janet Nguyen. She called for further investigation by law enforcement.Eviction defense for tenants at risk of homelessness was set to end March 31 if the city didn’t award a new contract.In conversation with LAist, Román referred to the ongoing raids and immigration detentions as “inhumane.” He also described the experience of a student whose father didn’t come home one night. After being detained by immigration agents, Román said, the student’s family “didn't know where he was for two months.” The student was 20 years old when her father was taken. Overnight, she became the head of her household. Now, on top of fulfilling her responsibilities at school, she has to figure out how to keep herself and her younger siblings housed and fed.According to Cervantes-Salazar, the Trump administration’s deportation effort has transformed campus life. When the raids began last summer, she said, “quite a bit” of students who used to take classes in person moved to complete the semester online.For some, Cervantes-Salazar added, online coursework has become preferable because it enables students to better juggle school and work. For others, the fear of getting to and from campus amid Whether the Dream Resource Centers' support will be enough to meet student needs remains to be seen, but Román takes their stories to heart. “These are the stories of our community,” he said. “These are the stories of our students. These are the stories of their parents. And they areFrom 'English language learner' to college graduate Román’s story in the U.S. began in the 1980s. After moving to California, it took Román about two years to learn enough English to communicate with his classmates. Until then, his time in school was lonely.— an educational model that teaches students in English and another language to achieve biliteracy — were rare in the U.S. At Román’s elementary school, he said, they were nonexistent. To help him learn English, Román’s educators placed him in a separate room for about three hours a day. He was given a stack of books. His job was to put on headphones, listen to audio recordings of the texts and do his best to follow along.When Román tried speaking English, some students made fun of his accent. A bilingual child who struggled with Spanish was tasked with serving as his interpreter.His parents made it clear that returning to Mexico was not an option. They’d been poor and had limited schooling, and they wanted something different for their children. Though neither of Román’s parents got to finish high school, he said, they were determined to send their children to college. Román’s older sister graduated at the top of her class and went on to UCLA. Román aimed to follow in her footsteps. But, when he was a high school senior, Román learned his girlfriend was pregnant. He was 17, and he wasn’t sure how fatherhood would square with pursuing higher education. When Román told his parents there was a baby on the way, they remained steadfast."Now you have all the more reason to go to college," his father told him. That fall, Román enrolled at UC Riverside. To help provide for his son, Román got a job at Payless ShoeSource, where he worked up to 40 hours a week. When possible, Román stacked his classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays, to keep the rest of the week open for work. “It was tough,” Román said. “I was getting home at 10, 10:30 at night, trying to read, trying to do essays, trying to be a father.” “In moments of weakness,” he added, he contemplated quitting school. But, like his parents, Román wanted a better life for his son.Román graduated with a bachelor’s degree in political science in 1999. When he crossed the stage at his commencement ceremony, his child, his parents and his sister beamed from the audience. Today, Román connects his lived experience to that of students at the district, 70% of whom study part-time. “That’s because they're working, because they have families,” he said. Last spring, Román watched thousands of new graduates embrace their loved ones after receiving their diplomas at a commencement ceremony at the Greek Theatre. “When I see my students on stage waving their degrees — despite all the challenges they face — that award is so much more meaningful,” he said. “I know what they went through.” You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our connected community. We are free to tell the full truth, to hold power to account without fear or favor, and to follow facts wherever they lead . Our only loyalty is to our audiences and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen our community. Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive from readers like you will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.Oscar winners
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