Immigrant of the Day: Pedro Ramirez (Mexico), Student Body President Fresno State

The student body president of California State University, Fresno, Pedro Ramirez, is our Immigrant of the Day.  Earlier this week, his college newspaper disclosed that Ramirez was undocumented after receiving an anonymous e-mail.

Ramirez is a dual major in political science and agricultural economics.  He came to the U.S. with his family from Mexico at age 3 and went on to become valedictorian of his high school class in Tulare County. According to the Sacramento Bee, Ramirez did not know "he lacked proper immigration papers until high school, when he told his parents he planned to join the military before applying to college and they told him he wasn't a citizen."

Ramirez pays in-state fees for college as permitted by California law, which was upheld by the California Supreme Court earlier this week.  When elected to be Fresno State's student body president, he declined the $9000 stipend because he could not lawfully accept it. 

For a television news story about Pedro Ramirez, click here.  CNN and MSNBC also have reported on his story.

KJ