Resources for 8-24-11 Seminar - AILA webCLE

12supported on other grounds. Public and professional responsibility willsometimes require the choice of an unpopular course. Id.The 2007 memo also states that there may be other factors that are appropriateto consider. The decision should be based on the totality of the circumstances, noton any one factor considered in isolation. Id. Additionally, a recent ICE memo datedJune 30, 2010 does not list cases involving undocumented college students aspriority cases (Tab N).I. P has strong humanitarian factors in her case.P has lived in the United States since she was ten years old. Her entireimmediate family including her mother, father, sister, and brother reside in theUnited States. While growing up in the D area, she attended elementary school at HD Elementary School and R C Elementary School. She received many scholasticawards for the honor roll and attendance, as well as community awards forinvolvement in such projects as “Learning to be WaterWise” and “Doing our Best”club (Tab D). At R High School, P was in the honors program (Tabs B, C).P is currently a junior at the University of T. As a political science major witha minor in Latin American Studies, she hopes to attend law school after graduationfrom U. Outside of the classroom, P is an active member of the League of UnitedLatin American Citizens (LULAC) and the Young Democrats at U, and volunteers atthe Cesar Chavez Center, the S Peace Center, Girls Inc., and the RetirementCommunity (Tabs B, C).P’s family arrived in the United States in 1998 on a visitor’s visa and did notdepart. P did not make this decision, and through no fault of her own, now considersthe U.S. her home. A denial of prosecutorial discretion would punish P for a decisionthat she did not consciously make.The consequences would be harsh if P were uprooted to Mexico. She has nomemory of her life there and has never visited the country since arriving in theUnited States. Her immediate family resides in the U.S. Although much of hermother’s family remains in Mexico, P has had little or no contact with these familymembers. Her closest relative in Mexico, an aunt, lives in Mexico City, a crime anddrug ridden city.P’s entire education has been in the U.S. school systems. While she studiedprimarily in Spanish during the first one and half years of her schooling here in theU.S., her studies have been in English since the sixth grade. Because she lives inTexas, P is currently granted in‐state tuition, which has allowed her to attendcollege. In contrast, the educational system in Mexico is inferior to that of the U.S. asMexico faces a severe economic and financial crisis. Mexico devotes insufficientresources to education and consequently its educational system is deficient. (Tab K)Funding for higher‐education fellowships and student loan programs is very limited