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Teen describes ‘glass ceiling’ of being an undocumented immigrant to
Hillary Clinton
Posted by
CNN's Dan Merica
New York (CNN) - When Nova Bajamonti walked into to the Lower Eastside Girls
Club in New York on Thursday, she knew the day would be different. Hillary
Clinton, an inspiration of hers, was coming to speak, and she was one of 60
girls allowed to attend and possibly ask a question.
But that wasn't the biggest reason Thursday's event was going to change
Bajamonti's life. If called on, the 19-year-old student planned to divulge a
secret she had kept for over a decade: She was an undocumented immigrant.
So when she raised her hand and was called on by moderator and actress
America Ferrera, her stomach sank and she instantly became nervous. Standing
in front of a room of her peers, along with Hillary and Chelsea Clinton,
Bajamonti told her story.
"For the first time publicly," she said as she began to tear up, "I want to
say that I am an undocumented immigrant."
The admission elicited some gasps and a round of applause as Bajamonti
talked about being born in Split, Croatia, immigrating to the United States
when she was 5 and living for more than a decade as an undocumented
immigrant.
"I don't have the documentation I need to get a job, to vote, which is
essential to women representation, to buy an apartment, to take out a loan
to go to college, so I couldn't even go to my dream college because of that,
" she said between tears.
And then came her question: "What do we need to do to put this in priority
when it comes to Congress, because this is an extreme glass ceiling to me
that I can't even control?"
Bajamonti told CNN after the event that when she sat down and waited for
Clinton's response, she was very nervous and amazed by what she had just
done. It was all made better, she said, when she heard Clinton's response.
"That was incredibly brave, and I thank you for doing that because it is
important to put ourselves in other people’s shoes," said the former
secretary of state and prohibitive favorite to win the Democratic
presidential nomination in 2016, should she decide to run.
Clinton went on to endorse immigration reform, especially the legislation
that passed the Senate last year but has since failed to go anywhere in the
House of Representatives.
"I am a huge supporter of immigration reform and a path to citizenship and
will continue to advocate for that," Clinton said, as she called immigration
not only good for immigrants but also "good for us."
"We have jobs that are done, we have cultural contributions that are made,
it is good for us," Clinton said. “I believe strongly we are missing a
great opportunity by not welcoming people like you and 11 million others who
have made contributions to our country into a legal status."
Clinton has spoken in favor of immigration before. At an event earlier this
month in San Francisco, Clinton endorsed immigration reform and said the
United States had to "work our way towards the kind of future I envision."
Bajamonti’s admission was a raw moment at what was, until that point, a
fairly scripted forum at the Lower Eastside Girls Club, a private community
center in Manhattan that offers programs and services for girls and young
women.
After the event, the smiling teen was showered with support from friends,
while others, including people close to Clinton, approached to offer their
help.
"It was really important for me as a female to female to tell her how I am
being under-represented, and that is why it was essential to bring this to
her," Bajamonti said after the event, calling her immigration status her "
own personal glass ceiling."
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2014/04/17/teen-describes- | T**********e
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