For many immigrants, few things represent the American dream like a home of their own. So it was a proud day for a Thai immigrant and her three adult children when they pooled their resources to buy a five-bedroom, two-story home in Sacramento last August.

But their success story is in jeopardy. Two of her children -- college graduates who gave up promising careers in their homeland -- are illegal immigrants at risk of deportation.

The family's story illustrates an often overlooked reality about immigration. A common perception is that illegal immigrants are uneducated laborers with few opportunities at home who gratefully take menial jobs in America. Yet, a quarter of undocumented immigrants have at least some college education, with 15 percent holding a bachelor's degree or better, according to a report by the Pew Hispanic Center.

Their story also debunks another common assumption about undocumented immigrants: The Thai family didn't cross the border illegally, but entered the country with valid visas, like almost half of the nearly 12 million undocumented immigrants living in the United States. A full 90 percent of illegal immigrants who are not from Mexico or Central America are visitors who have overstayed their visas, according to another Pew report.