Harvard Student Won’t Be Deported, Officials Say

Eric Balderas, the Harvard University student who has been living in the U.S. as an undocumented immigrant since he was 4 years old, will not be deported to his native Mexico, according to an official from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.

Nineteen-year-old Balderas, a sophomore studying biology at the Ivy League university, had feared possible deportation after being detained while trying to board a flight from Texas back to Boston. ICE spokesman Brian P. Hale, according to a story in The Boston Globe, has been granted deferred action, allowing him to stay in the country for the duration of the deferment. He can apply for a work permit and continue studying at Harvard where he is conducing research this summer.

The Globe story says:

In an interview Thursday, Balderas appeared exhausted, tense, and fearful of being deported. After his arrest, he said, he felt helpless and even suicidal. He said he was grateful for the outpouring of support, but was eager just to work in the laboratory for the summer and to return to his studies.

“I can’t wait until this is past,’’ he said. “I just like being down in the lab, doing my thing.’’

Balderas’ case comes as the debate about undocumented immigrants and the DREAM Act heats up. If passed, the DREAM Act would allow undocumented students like Balderas a path to citizenship.

Kristi Eaton is a staff writer for Campus Progress. She graduated from Arizone State University in 2008.

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