Pedro Ramirez, Fresno State Student President, An Undocumented Immigrant

After an anonymous e-mail revealed Fresno State Student Body President Pedro Ramirez's secret to the student newspaper, Ramirez is coming clean: He's an undocumented immigrant.

The Fresno State Collegian broke the story Tuesday, reporting that Ramirez was serving in his position without pay because of his citizenship status.

Ramirez told the Collegian that he didn't know of his situation until his senior year of high school. Ramirez came to the U.S. from Mexico at age three.

In an interview with the local ABC affiliate, Ramirez said the revelation of his secret was "a big relief." "I've been holding this in for the majority of my life," he said.

Ramirez is able to pay in-state tuition at Fresno State. He said he didn't think twice about his citizenship when running for student body president. "I'm here to serve the students," he said. "Not the state of California."

Reaction on campus to Ramirez's admission was mixed. WATCH: ABC 30's full report:

Comments

[Ron Arteno]

02:27 AM on 12/23/2010

Pedro is a CRIMINAL and HP glorifies him. Waddu expect?
Pedro thinks you are all a**holes, per his quote.
Pedro belongs to groups that want to overthrow our government.
Pedro has more entitlement than citizens.
Read for yourself.
www.therealpedro.com

[Boetica]

10:55 PM on 11/22/2010

"Ramirez told the Collegian that he didn't know of his situation until his senior year of high school. Ramirez came to the U.S. from Mexico at age three......I've been holding this in for the majority of my life," he said."

Well, he's a poltitical science major so we could forgive his poor math skills, except that he also majors in agricultural economics. It is evident that he is lying about when he became aware of his status. Many illegal aliens DO NOT pay taxes, and often lie about their family status in order to get welfare benefits. Are those American values? Just because someone wants to improve their life, and that of their family, doesn't mean they have a right to come here illegally and gain services through fraud and deceit.

Is tax fraud, welfare fraud, and identity fraud only a crime if you are a citizen? How can supporters of illegal aliens claim that they share our values? "Illegal alien" is a legal term, BTW, for those of you who are uninformed. Yes, humans CAN be illegal, and it's NOT a human right to come to my country and commit fraud to get services that the rest of us have to pay for.

[vato vato]

04:21 AM on 11/28/2010

Then think about all the mexicans that do work under different names but dont claim their taxes of their wages because they are scared too. So imagine how much money goes back to goverment just from that, that happens 50 percent more than mexicans not paying taxes. Im white and all i have to say is watch the movie a day without a mexican and the united states would be screwed without them this country would freeze. Like it or love it thats the way the ball drops.

[Steve1976]

11:13 AM on 11/20/2010

What will the school do about this? Under California law this illegal alien should be expelled and , billed for full out of state tulition. What will the INS do? Under federal law this illegal alien should be arrested and deported. Will any of this happen? Of course not.

[Erik Eriksen]

03:19 AM on 11/20/2010

what documents is he using to work under? who's drivers license does he have? who's taxes is he fouling up so that the real owner gets hit with fines, penalties and back taxes owed for other income? Now let us move on to his parents, and two decades of this activity. How many BILLIONS of dollars is this state in the hole and now we give REDUCED RATES to those here illegally?

[hey0there]

12:31 AM on 11/20/2010

oh.. Another liberal activist 'reveal' that was planned from the beginning.

[JStading]

07:20 PM on 11/19/2010

Going beyond this story, there has to be a real discussion about the in-state/out of state policy at the UC/CSU/other state colleges.  The rationale courts have relied upon when sustaining in-state tuition programs is that states have a fundamental interest in ensuring that those who are likely to stay indefinently in their state have access to cheaper education than those who will, for lack of a better phrase, take their education and split.  I would like to know how, in light of the increased mobility and likelyhood of kids to stay in their college towns after graduation, schools like the UCs/CSUs justify awarding in state tuition breaks to students who could be deported at a moment's notice while billing American citizens a substantial out of state fee?  This is a backwards policy that needs to stop.

[unamas]

01:04 PM on 11/19/2010

I wonder if Pedro Ramirez has a driver license? If he has a driver license how did he get it being illegal alien? If he has no driver license, how did he manage to get around without a car? I hope he is not driving without driver license.

[vato vato]

04:23 AM on 11/28/2010

in high school you could take driver examine at the school and test and all you had to do is take the slip to dmv and didnt ask for anything.

[Palito]

01:26 AM on 11/19/2010

misinformation and lies as usual

A path to legalization for undocumented aliens doesn't mean that the standar to qualify for permanent residency ("green card") will be lower. A path to legalization in no way means automatic permanent residency and/or citizenship. They are ENTIRELY different processes.

Immigration reform would only give a "legal status" and "work authorization" to some undocumented people. To qualify for permanent residency, the applicant has to prove that he/she didnt break any other laws and has had good conduct in and out of the country. One proposed GOP point in the proposed legislation is to force the applicants to LEAVE the US while their applications are pending, meaning most people will just be happy to keep their work authorization and never will become permanent residents and future citizens, therefore pleasing the racist, xenophobe GOP constituents afraid of more brown people voting democratic in the future.

Not paying taxes is a serious violation and any applicant who cannot prove he/she did file/pay taxes will not be eligible for any immigration benefits. Just because there is immigration reform, it doesn't mean that the goverment is going to give free greencards to anyone showing up at DHS. There will be tremendous scrutiny to weed out people with anything illegal in their record. Citizenship applications draw even more scrutiny and inspection of one's record and character, and it would be many years before an applicant would even be eligible to apply.

[Boetica]

11:00 PM on 11/22/2010

They will just commit more fraud. They think it is OK to do so in order to obtain a better life for their families. Pedro has obviously learned to lie like his parents.

[azlegalcitizen]

09:17 PM on 11/18/2010

This illegal alien appears to be a leader, what he should do now we the taxpayers have given him 20 years of free schooling is to RUN BACK TO MEXICO and lead his homeland to a clean gov and maybe even a revolution to rid the country of crooked politicans, crooked and immoral church officals and crooked cops.

[wallawizard]

04:23 PM on 11/18/2010

Does this guy need to have a student visa then to be at that University??? If he doesn't have one that seems a little unfair to international students that have to obtain a visas.

[azlegalcitizen]

09:18 PM on 11/18/2010

HE NEED IMMIGRATION PAPERS, but he "ain't got no stinkin papers."

[Howard53545]

02:10 PM on 11/18/2010

Send him back across the border!

[iuriggs6]

12:52 PM on 11/18/2010

So which is it? He states he found out his senior year of high school. He then states he has been holding this in for the majority of his life. So I ask again, which is it? Caught in his own lies.

[Bill Pilgrim]

11:36 AM on 11/18/2010

Speaking as a tuition paying father of two I wonder who’s paying his .

[azlegalcitizen]

09:20 PM on 11/18/2010

You surely jest, we are the American taxpayer of course, we paid for 20 years of free schools already, you know he ginned the system and got four or more college years free.

[Paul Panola]

06:48 AM on 11/18/2010

Why do democrats hate American kids so much???

More liberal lies. . . Over 95% of all illegal aliens would be eligible since the age limit is 35 and it's not possible to determine how long an illegal has been here.

Nothing could be more wrong that giving illegal aliens the same privileges as U.S. citizens much less giving them even more privileges than U.S. citizens. Having taxpayers pay to allow illegal's to have a cheaper education than our own citizens is absolutely insane and wrong.

[JeanLaffite]

07:05 AM on 11/18/2010

Admit it. What you are really scared of is that these kids become educated, successful and productive members of society, thereby leaving you and the ignorant teabaggers like yourself behind to mow their lawns and clean their toilets.

[iuriggs6]

12:51 PM on 11/18/2010

Admit it, you do realize that the percentage of illegal immigrants becoming educated, successful, productive members of society is very small. Just look around in any big city, medium city or small town and you know what I am talking about.

[azlegalcitizen]

09:25 PM on 11/18/2010

IF those illegal kids are so well educated, successful and PRODUCTIVE? membsers of this society they should race as fast as they can south to mexico and be the leaders to rid their land of the banditos that have overtaken their homeland, and by the way they can also clean out the crooked cops, church leaders and poloticans, that ought to keep those well educated, successful and PRODUCTIVE kids really busy and in their land not ours.

[Palito]

11:51 AM on 11/18/2010

May I you call your BS?
The burden of proof is on the applicant. If a person can't prove how long they've been here they will not get automatic benefits. 95% of all undocumented won't qualify if they cannot offer evidence of their stay

It is perfectly possible to prove how long a person has been here. Even for people who crossed the border with no passport stamp.

And again illegals don't get federal aid, loans, grants scholarships etc so what are you ranting about illegals getting a cheaper education than citizens ?

[azlegalcitizen]

09:27 PM on 11/18/2010

I guess you never heard of stolen i d's. right? Do you think the Swede and Germans are using those millions of stolent id's. .

[dubster]

05:08 AM on 11/18/2010

What do conservatives, Republicans, and Tea Partiers have in common? They are all ignorant, uneducated, xenophobic, and nincompoops. How can you provably, demonstrably, and categorically prove this? It's simple: look at their simple remarks to a deeply convoluted issue like undocumented immigration and you'll have your answer.

[Bill Pilgrim]

11:37 AM on 11/18/2010

you really sound like the voice of reason...LOL

[iuriggs6]

12:53 PM on 11/18/2010

Don't you mean illegal immigrant???

[dubster]

05:27 PM on 11/19/2010

No, I mean undocumented immigrant. A human being can't be illegal. He can be undocumented or unauthorized but not illegal. I'm sure something like language and semantics is something you can comprehend so I won't expound.