A new life

Princeton University scholar looks beyond immigration fracas to Oxford studies

By: Hilary Parker
   Dan-el Padilla Peralta, the Princeton University class of 2006 salutatorian, left the United States on Sept. 15 for the first time since he was brought here at the tender age of 4 by his mother.
   The winner of the university’s Daniel M. Sachs Class of 1960 Graduating Scholarship to fund a year of study at Worcester College of Oxford University, Mr. Padilla’s decision to leave the country was not an easy one to make — as an illegal immigrant, he may not be allowed to return to the U.S. for 10 years.
   "I do think about it a fair bit, but I generally try to stay positive and optimistic about my chances, even if from time to time the uncertainty of my predicament weighs on my mind," Mr. Padilla said Wednesday in an e-mail from Oxford.
   Given that his previously "unlawful presence" in the U.S. technically bars him from returning to the country for 10 years, Mr. Padilla must not only apply for a visa at the U.S. embassy in London to visit his relatives in the States, but submit a waiver request to the Customs and Border Protection Division of the Department of Homeland Security.
   His immigration attorney, Steven Yale-Loehr, has said he is "cautiously optimistic" the request will be granted.
   His optimism is predicated on the fact that Mr. Padilla’s previous application to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services for a retroactive student visa, accompanied by letters of support from many prominent politicians, was "mooted" as the case dragged on and Mr. Padilla graduated. Efforts in support of the highly publicized scholar included a phone call from former President Bill Clinton to President George W. Bush to discuss the situation.
   Mr. Padilla said he expects the visa and waiver review process to extend through the end of the year, at least. Ideally, he added, it would be approved in time for him to return to the U.S. for Christmas with his family.
   But, knowing there is no guarantee, he does have other plans in place. He will visit family in Spain and spend time in the Dominican Republic on school vacations. Even if the waiver is granted, it will need to be resubmitted and reapproved each year for the duration of the 10-year period.
   Currently living in a single room provided by Worcester College, Mr. Padilla is gearing up for classes to begin Monday. Though he originally planned to pursue a second bachelor of arts degree in Roman history, he is now in the process of switching to a master of philosophy degree program in the same subject.
   "It’s certainly been a wonderful, eye-opening experience so far, although it has entailed some significant adjustments — from figuring out how to shop for food (and other day-to-day errands; things here are quite different!) to dealing with the waves of homesickness and longing for old friends/family that wash over me sometimes," Mr. Padilla said in the e-mail. "But I’ve enjoyed the challenge of settling down at Oxford and orienting myself in a different environment, and the people I’ve met here are extremely nice and very friendly."
   He is equally complimentary of those who have offered their support since the Wall Street Journal in April first reported his story, the details of which put a new face on the phrase "illegal immigrant."
   Brought to the United States from the Dominican Republic on a temporary non-immigrant visa when his mother needed medical attention for gestational diabetes, he and his family stayed on as his mother’s health status worsened. His father, injured at a factory where he worked, returned to the Dominican Republic in 1993 and his mother found herself struggling to support herself and her two sons. After moving with the boys to a homeless shelter in the South Bronx, she contracted tuberculosis.
   Despite his difficult childhood, Mr. Padilla was able to gain admission to Manhattan’s Collegiate School and go on to attend Princeton.
   "I hope that the media attention to my story has enlightened the national conversation about immigration issues and helped to undermine characterizations of illegal immigrants as good-for-nothings, intentional lawbreakers who are bent on depriving presumably ‘more deserving’ American citizens of their privileges and opportunities," he said.
   "… Many people from all walks of life have offered me their guidance and support — emotional and spiritual as well as material," he continued. "To them above all I am incredibly grateful; I am at a loss to communicate just how much the kindness and generosity of my supporters have meant to me."