From ‘Dreamers’ to lawyers
NEW YORK CITY — The stories of three undocumented young men, three “Dreamers” who overcame enormous obstacles to fulfill their dreams, are worthy of celebration.
One of them, José Godínez Samperio, bubbled over when we spoke with him over the phone last Saturday (May 3).
For good reason. This 27-year-old Mexican, a Florida resident since he was 9, came to the U.S. as a tourist with his parents, who remained illegally in the country. Almost incredibly, in a few days, he will become the second undocumented immigrant in the history of this country to practice legally as a lawyer.
The first one was Sergio C. García, a brilliant Mexican, 36, living in California, who came to the U.S. with his father at age 17. He worked in the fields before taking up Law and graduating with honors. It took him four long years, but on Jan. 2 he was authorized to practice Law, through a process very similar to the one Godínez Samperio went through several months later.
“My experience has been very positive. I have my own office and expect to hire another lawyer before year’s end,” said García, who says he devotes half his time to helping other undocumented immigrants to navigate the complex U.S. legal system.
Both young men have accomplished historical achievements that have required talent and, perhaps more importantly, much dedication and perseverance.
“I have been waiting for three years, using all available resources, trying to get accepted by the Bar Association,” says Godínez Samperio in a Spanish tinged with an unmistakable Mexican accent. He graduated with honors from Florida State University, and in 2011 he passed the feared Bar exam — indispensable when seeking a license — on his first try.
The Florida Supreme Court, after weighing a federal statute that bars undocumented immigrants from obtaining professional licenses, ruled in March against Godínez Samperio. Nevertheless, the magistrates urged the state Legislature to exempt Florida from such a restriction, and last Thursday (May 1) the House of Representatives passed a bill allowing the young Mexican to obtain his license. The following day, the Senate gave its final approval.
“All that’s missing is Governor Rick Scott’s signature and the swearing-in,” Godínez Samperio told us. It is expected that Scott, a Republican with the extremist tendencies of the Tea Party, will sign the bill in a matter of days.
In one of those political ironies, the fact that Scott’s hopes for re-election are being threatened by the popularity of his Democratic opponent, former governor and former Republican Charlie Crist, favored in the polls, has benefited Godínez Samperio.
The reason? Scott needs to earn sympathy among the evermore important Latino voters. This apparently made him see the convenience of supporting the young Mexican and softening the rigid anti-immigration stance that had characterized him until a few months ago.
The third young Mexican, César Vargas, 30, brought to New York as a child by his parents, finds himself in a situation similar to Godínez Samperio’s and García’s. An outstanding student who graduated from the City University of New York’s School of Law, he has been waiting for a ruling from the New York State courts since 2011. It could come at any moment.
An interesting fact is that, according to these young men, there are hundreds of cases like theirs that have not been reported. For that still nameless group, the new Florida lawyer José Godínez Samperio has a clear message, based on his own experience: “Never give up.”
