Reid’s Office Arrests 5 Undocumented Latino Youth
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
For Immediate Release


The Dream is Coming


Juan Escalante 407.602.8675


dreamactmedia@gmail.com and media@thedreamiscoming.com


July 21st, 11:00 am.










PRESS CONFERENCE for the DREAM Act






Undocumented Latina arrested in Senator Reid’s Office states,


“We are tired of waiting. We want action.”






Location: West side of the U.S. Capitol, near the corner of 1st Street, NW and Pennsylvania Avenue, NW at the Spring Grotto


Washington, D.C. Yesterday, June 20th, twenty one undocumented youth staged peaceful sit-ins in congressional offices in order to urge congressional leadership to take action and pass the DREAM Act, a narrowly-tailored, bipartisan bill which would grant immigrant youth a path to citizenship. According to recent surveys by First Focus, 70% of the American public supports the DREAM Act..


Twelve were arrested after dropping a banner reading “Dream Act Now” in the middle of the Hart building lobby. Senator Reid’s office arrested five undocumented Latino youth, followed by four more arrests made in Senator McCain’s office. At the time of this release, all but the four participants who were in McCain’s office have been released from custody.


Updates about the legal situation the participants are facing will be made at the press conference.


Isabel Castillo from Virginia was arrested in Senator Reid’s office: “We are tired of waiting, it’s been ten years, and we need to see some action. Two of Senator Reid’s staff members cried when we told them our stories. We don’t want tears or sympathy anymore, we want action.”


Mohammad Abdollahi, cofounder of DREAMActivist.org and ONEMichigan, is one of the lead organizer of yesterday’s events and was part of a sit-in in Senator McCain’s office on May 17th, after which he was arrested and put into the custody of ICE. “Today, we are proud of all DREAMers who crossed the line and stood up for themselves, their communities, and a better, more just America.”


At least 65,000 undocumented immigrant youth graduate from high schools every year, and many of them struggle to attend institutes of higher education and the military. The DREAM Act will grant youth who traveled to the United States before the age of 16 a path to citizenship contingent on continuous presence in the country, good behavior, and the attainment of at least a two-year university degree or a two-year commitment to the armed forces.


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The DREAM is Coming project is a collaboration between multiple organizations, including the New York State Youth Leadership Council, the Immigrant Youth Justice League, Dream Team Los Angeles, Kansas Missouri Dream Alliance, Arizona Dream Act Coalition, the Orange County Dream Team, University Leadership Initiative of Texas, Virginia DreamActivist, and DREAMActivist.org.


www.thedreamiscoming.com
link to http://www.thedreamiscoming.com/2010/07/21/reids-office-arrests-5-latinos/