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Education in the United States is apparently so good that people will do anything to obtain it, even if it means they must enter the country illegally and create false documentation.
Such is the case for 27-year-old Josue Oswaldo Ramirez-Mejia. The Guatemalan native was arrested Sept. 27 for posing as an 18-year-old at a Pasco County high school in Trinity, Fla. He told authorities that he had enrolled in the school to learn English and further his education.
Ramirez-Mejia illegally entered the country after being denied entry in 2002. He lived with his brother, Maximo Ramirez-Mejia, who told Local 6, the local CBS affiliate, that Josue worked after classes at their Lake Worth tiling business. He said his brother planned to finish high school and learn English, with the intention of working in the United States for a few years before returning to Guatemala.
To enroll at J.W. Mitchell High School, Ramirez-Mejia used forged documents, including a Guatemalan birth certificate claiming his birthday to be Jan. 3, 1987. According to the local sheriff’s office, someone also posed as his guardian. His ability to present authorities with proper resources for enrollment, coupled with his good behavior and hardworking nature, caused school officials to overlook the possibility that perhaps something wasn’t quite right.
“Everything seemed to be in place,” Jim Davis, assistant superintendent for the school district, told Local 6.
It wasn’t until Ramirez-Mejia lost his wallet during a physical education class that the truth was unveiled. Students who found the wallet discovered identification cards listing Ramirez-Mejia’s birthday as Jan. 3, 1978.
The offender was promptly arrested on charges of “forging an instrument,” meaning he used illegal documents, and was placed in prison on $5,000 bail.
Though a situation of seemingly small consequence, the implications of the event are grand. Because education in the United States is held at such high regard, it is desired by individuals all over the world. No longer is it even much of an issue for illegal immigrants who enter the country seeking education that they need to succeed in America. Nowadays many hope to obtain an education to be successful in their countries of origin. Ramirez-Mejia wasn’t even planning on living in America for very long. Rather, he wanted to acquire knowledge to take back to Guatemala to help him become prosperous.
While the United States is relatively open to immigrants, it is unacceptable to extend visas for those who simply want to get an education and return to their homelands. It is far more beneficial to educate individuals who will in turn contribute to American society, not those who will use resources and promptly leave. Individuals like Ramirez-Mejia place a burden on the educational system because tax-payers foot the bill and valuable commodities will be used.
I am in no way against individuals immigrating to the United States in search of a better life, complete with opportunities (particularly educational ones) to fulfill the American Dream. It seems unfair, though, for people who ignore rules and overstep bounds to selfishly achieve their goals, while legal immigrants struggle to find places in the educational realm because classes are full. Education is not a matter of acceptance, then. Rather, it is an issue of giving priority to those who are rightfully entitled to it.
Submitted 10-06-2005
MALIBU, CA
