She may have a full ride to Harvard, but as an undocumented immigrant without a job permit, her future is uncertain

CHICAGO — Simone Peña found out she had been accepted to Harvard with a full scholarship after school one day while she was getting ready to go clean houses with her parents, as she did most evenings and weekends. She recalled staring at the computer screen for a few minutes, unable to move or speak until her mother went to hug her.

“I got in,” she whispered to her mother. The three cried, celebrating a moment they never dreamed would be theirs. Then, they set out for their evening job, the family’s livelihood.

Amidst the mundane tasks of their cleaning routine, there was an undercurrent of triumph — a silent acknowledgment of the extraordinary journey they had undertaken together from Mexico to Chicago four years prior, when they decided to immigrate to the U.S., running away from cartel violence in their native town.

Now a rising junior at Harvard, Peña still returns home every school break to clean houses with her parents because she is repeatedly denied internships and other programs due to her immigration status. Even if she graduates with the highest honors from Harvard, as she did from Carl Schurz High School, she may never become the lawyer she wishes to be without the possibility of getting a job permit.

“I worry that my degree won’t be worth it,” Peña said.

Peña’s struggle casts a spotlight on the harsh realities faced by young undocumented immigrants in the United States and their parents. Without a job permit, her future and career dreams are threatened by bureaucratic red tape and political gridlock. Yet, amidst the uncertainty, advocates say her story serves as a beacon of hope for many, illuminating the urgent need for comprehensive immigration reform beyond temporary relief programs for recent asylum-seekers.

On June 7, Peña spoke among political and business leaders who gathered to champion the recent state resolution that calls for action from the White House to give work permits to longtime undocumented workers and more recent migrants alike. The group, once again, urged President Joe Biden to use his executive power to provide immigration reform, harshly criticizing his recent move to instead limit asylum claims at the U.S-Mexico border.

There, behind a podium and before dozens of people, she shared her story publicly for the first time. The sounds of clapping hands resonated through the room that cheered her on.

Though Peña had shared her immigration status with some of her mentors in high school, she mostly kept it a secret out of fear of jeopardizing her family’s safety, judgment and internalized shame, she said. But as she began to navigate life at Harvard, she faced roadblocks that led her to understand that she needed to make peace with her reality to empower her, rather than define her.

“I’m done living in the shadows. People like my parents and I deserve acknowledgment in this country. We deserve a chance to work legally in a country that we’re already contributing to,” she said.

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