Meet Ilse, an undocumented UCLA student: Scenes from 'Vanguard'

I really wish I could find Ilse's last name or email address. I'd love to learn more than what is presented on the show by emailing her directly. I emailed Mariana but no reply so far.

The fact that she hasn't completed the paper work for citizenship is a technicality. She belongs here as much as I do, and my family came from Germany before WWI. We really really need motivated and educated young people to get us out of this old white man funk were in.

I know it's off topic but she has a beautiful name

The immigration problem is just another failure of our unstable government. Congress should do something about giving these people a path to citizenship, but they don't have the courage.

ilse is living in a fantasy world if she really thinks someone will hire her and pay her under the table with a college degree. She needs to take that american education and get a good job in Mexico. Maybe if all the illegal kids with degrees did that, they could make mexico a better place.

I applaud this young woman; she is a credit to society. The problem with illegal immigration is the fiscal impact it has on the USA. I don't subscribe to the assumption that all members of an ethnicity are all bad or all good. The real issue is money. As a public school teacher, I see the problems, stresses, and strains that undocumented families pose on communities. On the other hand, many of these people are good people who don't MEAN any harm, though their presence causes a strain on local and broader economies at a time when money seems to be less abundant. Nonetheless, they did not create the current economic crisis, so let's not use them as scapegoats. Would my job be easier without ESL and ELL students? Yes, but as a human being and an educator, I choose to love and educate these kids, because they deserve a chance. As an American, I believe in abiding by the law, but the law has turned a blind eye to this issue for decades. Now that the money is scarce, we want to plug up the border. Good luck with that. Though illegal workers drive down wages, the real drainers of our economy are on Wall Street.

What a powerful story. It escapes me how people can think that sending people who came to the U.S. as children back to countries that they don't know. There is a lack of compassion and sympathy in the Tea party America. The argument is always made that immigrants take welfare, this girl is highly educated and will contribute to society.

Mariana Van Zeller is my favorite Vanguard journalist, let me say that first. I watched This (Illegal) American Life in somewhat disbelief. She speaks to Ilse and a migrant farm worker, as if 2 people out of the 10-20 million are representative of whats going on here. There are enormously negative consequences of illegal immigration. such as:
- The Dept of Justice in 2000 stated that 27% of the federal prison population is comprised of noncitizens. That was 11 years ago.
- The bulk majority of marijuana, meth, cocaine, and heroin is smuggled into the U.S. by illegals.
- In L.A. county alone, its estimated that welfare/food stamps/healthcare for illegals costs California taxpayers $1 billion a year. Thats only ONE COUNTY.
- Illegal labor drives wages down, forcing legal Americans to work for less money, and support their families on less. The ones to suffer from this the most are legal immigrants since they are in the same compettition for jobs as illlegals.
- Illnesses such as tuberculosis and polio, which were once eradicated in America, have returned, brought here by illegal immigrants.
- There is no incentive for real change in Central America because its citizens come to America instead, leaving the corrupt governments of Mexico, Guatamala, Honduras, and El Salvador in tact.
-The deadliest gangs in America are comprised of illegals, such as MS-13 and 18th street in Los Angeles. These two gangs have murdered thousands in the past 2 decades. MS-13 has spread to 42 states.

We need to address the illegal immigration question with honesty, not just a desire to see everyone as good. Yes Ilse and those like her are good and would make good citizens, but we can't pick and choose which laws to obey. There are laws that I don't agree with either, but I don't break them and then flaunt it like those who support illegal immigration do. That, more than anything is what causes a climate of resentment towards illegals and those who support them. Let's not forget that every ethnic group that came to the United States, whether Irish, Italian, Puerto Rican, Jewish,...they all had it tough, in fact much tougher than current newcomers. Its been part of the American experience that new arrivals had to work hard to make a better life for future generations.

Llse, if you are reading this...first of all, congratulations for graduating. You deserve praise for graduating from one of the top schools in the country. Stop listening to am radio. I saw the preceding video and they were very mean. On the other hand I can understand their point even though I disagree. It looks like you have worked very hard to get to where you are. The strange thing to me is that it looks like you have had every opportunity that I have had being a citizen and if you applied for residency the point would be moot although I am not familiar with the process, I'm sure it wouldn't be easy but is it not attainable? I have several arrests when I was in my early 20's and I cannot get a job here in Florida because of that and I will be 41 this year. It is a little upsetting to see someone that is not a citizen be afforded more than me because I made some poor decisions and got arrested 20 years ago. I have never voted due to my felony record but I did go back to school 2 1/2 years ago with hope for a better life so on that point alone I can understand your struggle. It looks like you have a good home and a loving family, better than what I had when I was growing up. There is a border patrol office right down the road from my house as not far from my house there are farms that harvest food so I guess it's enough of a problem here as there or they wouldn't have an office. Would it not be good to take your education back to Mexico and apply it there? That could surely help Mexico and America at the same time, to grow Mexico's economy would help America at the same time. Or apply for citizenship and stay here. Surely and educated and smart resident alien would be considered before anyone else. I don't really see the big deal about applying, America is full of people that came here looking for a better life. I've been to Ellis Island and have seen pictures of a time when the place was absolutely full, overrun with people just like yourself looking for a better life for themselves and their children. I cannot travel abroad personally due to my felonious past but even if I could, I couldn't just go to another country and just live there. A productive, tax paying, educated person would surely be, at the least, considered for citizenship. However you choose, good luck and I hope you have a good and productive life.

Mariana I love the stories that you do. They get down to the heart of subjects and you get into places that most people fear to tread. You and the other Current journalists are just amazing. Thank you.

By letting these 2 stay in the country a bad example is being set. drop them both off at the border and tell them to never return. It's not 1800 or 1900 anymore. The nation is completely full of people and there is no more room.