Trail of DREAMs

Imagine the courage it takes to walk across the country knowing there are people out there that would hope you get hit by a car. Four young people are walking to Washington DC, hoping to make a difference for the millions of people that are living undocumented in the U.S. (we don't use the word illegal in this blog).

For those supporting the TRAIL of DREAMS, lets hope the students stay safe.

--

January 2, 2010 - New York Times

To Overhaul Immigration, Advocates Alter Tactics

By JULIA PRESTON

Lacing up new pairs of walking shoes with a flourish, four immigrant students set out on foot from downtown Miami on Friday, starting a four-month walk to Washington to protest what they called the Obama administration’s lack of action on legislation granting legal status to illegal immigrants.

Three of the four protesters, who are current or former students at Miami Dade College, do not have legal-resident status and risk detention by immigration authorities during the 1,500-mile walk.

The students’ trek showed the resolve and also some limitations of groups supporting an immigration overhaul that would include measures to legalize illegal immigrants. Those groups said this week that they would start a national campaign in January to pressure President Obama to push for the overhaul before midterm elections in November.

But as immigration enforcement has continued at a steady pace during the first year of the Obama administration, many illegal immigrants are clinging to jobs and families in this country and may be afraid to participate in public demonstrations. With unemployment holding at 10 percent, immigrant advocates acknowledge that their campaign could awaken passionate opposition in Congress and around the country.

The students in Miami said in a statement that they decided to begin their walk because they had a “deep desire and need for complete citizenship” after they reached dead-ends in school or work because of their lack of legal immigration status...link to complete article

--

Juan Rodriguez and Gaby Pacheco are two of students walking the Trail of DREAMS. They are former DREAMers who have regularized (meaning they now are able to stay in the U.S. with permission).

top photo: Juan Rodriguez from the WaPo

bottom photo: Gaby Pacheco from the Orlando Sentinel

Story on the Trail of DREAMs from the Miami Herald:

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/florida/AP/story/1405770.html

--

previous dreamacttexas posts on Gaby Pacheco:

DREAMer Gaby Pacheco and Her Family Continue to be Harrassed - March 7, 2008

A Friends Life in Fear - June 26, 2008

Pacheco Family Under the Lens - June 26, 2008

Spanish Television coverage of the Trail of DREAMs:

..

DREAMer Graduation in D.C. - June 23rd

Ten things you can do for the DREAM Act

Originally posted on dreamactivist:

1. Pick up the phone and call your Senator or Representative today. Dial 202-224-3121 to be connected to your member of Congress and speak out in favor of the DREAM Act.

Sample message - "Hi, I am calling in support of the DREAM Act (S.729 / H.R. 1751). The DREAM Act lays the groundwork for immigration reform and allows immigrant youth of good moral character to make crucial economic contributions to the United States. To not pass the act at a time when this country needs an economic stimulus and a more educated workforce would be great folly. I urge _________ to become a cosponsor of the DREAM Act."

Please report back on how your call went.

Follow the easy guide here:
HERE

2. Congressional Recess is happening in a week. That means from Apr 5th to Apr 19th, your congressional representative (Both House Rep and Senators) will be in town to meet people from their districts and hear issues that concerns them. Call and make appointments today - DO not be scared or nervous. Follow the guidelines here -


3. Get on the mailing list by signing the petition -

7000 people have signed already. Leave a testimony, maybe even your own story, for the DREAM Act for ages to come!

4. EMAIL - Change.org has a page to help you email your congressional representatives in support of the DREAM Act.
http://www.change.org/ideas/932/view_action/ask_your_congressperson_to_support_the_dream_act

5. FAX - America's Voice has a page to help you fax your congressional representatives in support of the DREAM Act.
http://americasvoiceonline.org/page/speakout/DaretoDream

6. SOCIAL NETWORKING - Invite more people to DREAM Act facebook cause now over 15,000 people and follow us on Twitter

7. TEXT - Text "Justice" ("Justicia" for Spanish) to 69866 to be the first to know when the DREAM Act is introduced. FIRM's Mobile Action Network is an excellent way to stay connected and have maximum impact at just the right moment.
http://fairimmigration.wordpress.com/2009/03/20/action-join-the-fight-for-immigrant-rights/

8. DONATE - Thank you so much for your donations. We are in need of funding for mass mailing, distribution, covering workshop costs, maintaining and updating the websites. Please keep them up and encourage your friends to contribute as well even if it is a $1 (1.0 unit) - http://dreamactivist.chipin.com

9. Stay tuned to sites like http://dreamactivist.org , http://undergroundundergrads.com and http://dreamact.info for the latest action and alerts on the DREAM Act. DreamAct.info actually has formulated Info for Organizers, including Senate target lists.

10. Don't hesitate to drop us an email at admin@dreamactivist.org or call us at 18005967498 and leave a message on our voicemail that goes to organizers on the ground. We always want to hear from you!



-This is an ongoing pledge that should be fulfilled as often as possible between Apr 01, 2009 and Apr 30, 2009.

The DREAM Act is Coming!!!

If you support the DREAM Act, please sign the petition below this Boston Globe article.

The Boston Globe

March 19, 2009 Thursday

Obama puts immigration reform on docket
Boston Globe

On his very full plate, immigration was one issue that President Obama
had yet to take on - until yesterday, when he discussed it with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.

At a town hall meeting in southern California yesterday, Obama renewed his support for comprehensive reform, including a possible path to citizenship for law-abiding people who entered the country illegally, along the lines of the bill that stalled in Congress in 2007.

According to the White House account of yesterday's one-hour closed session, it was "a robust and strategic meeting" in which Obama announced he will go to Mexico next month to meet President Calderon and discuss, among other issues, effective, comprehensive immigration reform.

After the meeting, Representative Luis V. Gutierrez of Illinois, chairman of the Hispanic caucus's immigration task force, and advocacy groups said they were hopeful that Obama would address immigration reform this year.

"Although it is very early in his administration, he understands that for the immigrant community it's the 11th hour, and there is no time to waste," Gutierrez said in a statement.

Janet Murguia, president and CEO of the National Council of La Raza, added, "While we agree that our priority should be fixing the nation's economy, we also believe that we can initiate an immigration reform that will help us achieve long-term economic growth."

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You can help pass the DREAM Act by signing a petition that goes to the President and Congress.  Click here for the petition.

From Change.org -  Immigrant Rights 

Each year, about 65,000 U.S.-raised students who would qualify for the DREAM Act graduate from high school. These include honor roll students, star athletes, talented artists, homecoming queens, and aspiring teachers, doctors, and U.S. soldiers. They are young people who have lived in the U.S. for most of their lives and desire only to call this country their home. Even though they were brought to the U.S. years ago as children, they face unique barriers to higher education, are unable to work legally in the United States, and often live in constant fear of detection by immigration authorities.

Our immigration laws currently have no mechanism to consider the special equities and circumstances of such students. The DREAM Act would eliminate this flaw. It is un-American to indefinitely and irremediably punish immigrant youth for decisions made by adults many years ago. By enacting the DREAM Act, Congress would legally recognize what is de facto true: these young people belong here. DREAM Act students should be allowed to get on with their lives.

If Congress fails to act this year, another entire class of outstanding, law-abiding high school students will graduate without being able to plan for the future, and some will be removed from their homes to countries they barely know. This tragedy will cause America to lose a vital asset: an educated class of promising immigrant students who have demonstrated a commitment to hard work and a strong desire to be contributing members of our society.

Let's bring these students out of the shadows, out from underground. Tell President Obama and Congress to pass the DREAM Act in 2009. Talented students and their families living in fear of raids and ripped apart by deportations, cannot afford to wait for change. click here to sign petition

Yes, we do get screwed... we really do.

A Dream Deferred has officially launched its blog and initiative from Brave New Foundation. Dont forget to check out the video embedded
***

Immigrant Children Get Screwed When It Is Time to Go to College

By Leighton Woodhouse, Brave New Foundation. Posted March 29, 2008.


The video to the right is a special Brave New Foundation video that makes the case for the DREAM Act, which would enable states to grant in-state tuition to hardworking immigrant students, making higher education (and eventually citizenship) a real possibility.

This year, the presidential election will not hinge on the emotionally divisive issue of immigration.

That's good news for foreign-born residents of the United States. It's good news for everyone who believes that a moral society takes care of its most vulnerable members, forcing no one into the shadows. If the nativist wing of the Republican Party had seen its electoral goals realized, we would have witnessed a Republican primary dominated by a tragic debate about how best to expel the 12 million undocumented immigrants living in America, whether by deporting as many as possible, or by making legal conditions so inhospitable that they leave of their own volition. That debate would have trickled out into the general election, with Republican... (More)

Aqui Estoy, Here I am- Theatre projects touch on Immigration

I was so happy to have come across this today. This is from Albany Park Theatre Project based in Chicago; this play explores the complexities of immigration, its consequences and struggles. The play seems to be out already, but it would be great to see this; this is the clip featured on PBS.

I come from the trash dumps of Honduras, the football fields of Mexico, the genocide in Guatemala, a first-grade classroom in Bogotá. I come from riding the tops of freight trains across la bestia, arriving at O'Hare airport in my mother's arms, hiding beneath clothes in a pickup truck headed for Los Angeles. I come from farming, from shoemaking, from scavenging. From busing tables and going to school. From construction, demolition, painting, gardening. I come from waiting for work at La Parada and waiting for the law to change. I come from my long-distance love for the family I left behind, my devotion to the family that came with me, my dreams for the family I created here. I come from being a citizen, refugee, resident, alien-I come from being American. Aqui Estoy. I am here. In Chicago, in Albany Park, on the stage, in the audience.
Aqui Estoy.

This reminded me of Nine Digits, a play from California that uniquely and solely talked about undocumented Students. As i continued reading i found out that one of the cast members from of Albany Park Theater Project is a DREAMER and Nine Digits was inspired by him.

Campaigning for the DREAM ACT

Here are a few suggestions now that the DREAM ACT will be coming up for vote in Congress the next few days.

Inform everyone you know. Many people who are against the DREAM ACT don't have accurate information. A good example is one of the comments recently posted on this blog. There is concern that the DREAM ACT will encourage fraud and many other bad things for society- You can counter this mis-information by writing your own comments!

You can help by:

1. Talk to people, your friends, your neighbors, your teachers. Just think how fast gossip gets around... info. on the DREAM ACT could get around that fast also.

2. Many newspapers encourage readers to post comments. You can respond to articles on immigration by explaining the benefits of the DREAM ACT. A good example is today's article by the Houston Chronicle about the criminal alien program. You could write about the DREAM ACT kids who do not commit crimes, who follow the rules - and mention that the media too often emphasizes the negative when it comes to immigrants.

3. Many politicians now have a page on MySpace... write comments on their pages about the DREAM ACT.

4. If you are a DREAM ACT student, when you comment say you would benefit from the DREAM ACT.. you don't need to identify yourself. But you can tell people that about your goals and interests. People often come around when they realize that they are dealing with real people, not just numbers.

5. I am not that religious, but I would suggest to pray - some people say it works.


The pressure for the military option in the DREAM ACT is still very much a concern. This is far from a perfect bill... But its still worth your energy to endorse it.

From University Leadership Initiative in Austin

This was actually received as a comment. However I think its really important that everyone have a chance to read it. Making it a regular post instead of a comment makes it more accessible.

_____

Hello EDUCATION SUPPORTERS:

We must support and NOT TURN OUR BACK to our youth who are so desparate to continue with their education.

My name is Julieta. I am part of the University Leadership Initiative (ULI). ULI promotes higher education for Latino students, specifically undocumented immigrant students (as 95% of RAZA in ULI are the affected community), while promoting civic participation amongst our youth.

ULI promotes the passage of the DREAM Act, as it would provide an opportunity to our RAZA to practice their professions and further contribute in all levels for our RAZA. The passage of the DREAM Act is imperative for the youth of Texas and the nation. Since 2001, in-state tuition (HB 1403) was passed and as a result, many (in the thousands) of our HB 1403/Noriega’s students have earned a degree and/or are continuing to obtain a graduate degree.

ULI visits Texas high schools to provide information about HB 1403 and the DREAM Act. We inform students about eligibility for both, HB 1403 and DREAM Act, (i.e. earning a college degree and joining the military). The majority of the RAZA we encounter state that they decide to dropout of high school, NOT because they don’t want to go to college but because they believe that their undocumented status will allow limited opportunities for their advancement. Time and time again, ULI encounters students with the same mind set - “Miss, why should I come to school if I am illegal and they won’t let me attend college, pa’ que?.” Even after 6 years of the passage of HB 1403 the lack of information and complex process prevents many of our students from continuing with their education.

However, the DREAM Act will provide opportunities for our students and at the same time enable them to take action without any fear of repercussions.

The DREAM Act does contain a Military clause, but we must realize IT IS ONE OPTION. We urge others to focus on preventing our RAZA from dropping out of high school and instead give them the tools to earn a college degree. Our task as educators, parent-teacher liaisons, counselors, mentors, principals, superintendents, and community leaders is to get our youth to graduate from high school and go to college. It is our responsibility to raise the stakes in our schools and ensure that our students are provided with the necessary information to empower them to go to college. It is not the government or the schools; it is our duty as RAZA, as individuals to make sure our RAZA attends college and most importantly that they graduate from college.

We applaud the RAZA Educators who have provided scholarships for our youth and urge all the other organizations to raise funds for scholarship for these students, as one of the main barriers for our youth is the financial barrier.


Julieta Garibay
DREAM Campaign Director
University Leadership Initiative
Jovenes LULAC Council 4859

URGENT: From DREAM ACT Portal

My apologies for missing this on Immigration Prof Blog last week... I was traveling that day and didn't see this very important posting.


___
Students Fight for the Dream Act: A Message from the DREAM Act Portal Forum

September 5, 2007

We, the members of The Dream Act Portal Forum, are asking parents, students and pro-immigrant organizations to be part of our campaign for the passage of the DREAM Act. If anyone who is reading this letter was considering calling, writing, faxing or e-mailing his/her Senators, today is going to be the best day to do so. Juan Gomez is a young man facing deportation. He was brought by his parents when he was only two years old. Now, his only chance to stay in the United States of America is the DREAM Act. He made national news, a few weeks ago, when his school mates went to Washington, D.C. and spoke to politicians. Today, Juan Gomez and several members of the Dream Act Portal Forum are in Washington, and they are talking to Senators about the importance of the DREAM Act.

The DREAM Act is not a little amnesty, since none of its beneficiaries choose to break the law. Neither it is fiscally impossible. Every year 65,000 undocumented students graduate from High School, from a total high school graduate population of 2.5 million students. Undocumented students are less than 3% of the total population. Even if this numbers increase, they would still be less than 6% of the total population at best. For a student to qualify he/she needs: Be 16 or younger when arrived to the United States. Lived for 5 years or more in the USA. Graduated from High School Have good moral character, and no criminal record. In addition, he/she needs to finish two years of higher education or serve honorably in the military.

For more information about the Dream Act: http://www.thomas.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c110:S.774 A link to your senators contact information: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

Send an e-mail to your senator: http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizationsORG/NILC/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=12129


Please, call your senators and tell them that you want the Dream Act to pass as soon as possible.

Advocating for the DREAM ACT - You Have to Act Now

From the National Immigration Law Center



Help get the DREAM ACT passed:

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URGENT ACTION NEEDED: Organizational sign-on letter on DREAM Act, AgJOBS, and enforcement-only


Please send the full name of your organization, exactly as you would like it listed, to Jeff Hauser at CCIR (jhauser@cirnow.org) by 1pm EST Tuesday, September 18, 2007


Dear Representative:


Our communities will not rest until Congress enacts a comprehensive immigration reform bill that
deals with all of the problems of our broken immigration system, and provides a path to earned
legalization for every undocumented worker. In the meantime, with the failure to advance a broader
bill in the Senate and polarization in the House over appropriations amendments, we feel it is crucial
that Congress show it can do more than simply debate harsh enforcement measures. There are two
bills now before Congress that, if passed, will demonstrate that our lawmakers have not abandoned
the need to fix our broken immigration system. We, the undersigned labor, faith-based, civil rights,
and immigrant advocacy organizations, call on Congress to pass these immigration bills at the
earliest possible opportunity, and certainly before the session ends.


The DREAM Act (S. 774 and H.R. 1275) allows high-achieving young people who were brought to
this country as children to earn permanent legal status over many years, if they continue their
education in college or the military, show good character, and meet other requirements. This
bipartisan bill would help the country by permitting talented individuals who have grown up here to
fully contribute to the U.S. according to their abilities.


AgJOBS (S. 340 and H.R. 371) is supported by both agricultural producers and farm workers. It
addresses employers' need for a stable, legal workforce while providing undocumented farm workers
with a path to legalization, if they meet many requirements and continue working on our nation's
farms. This bipartisan bill would help the U.S. by keeping our farms in operation and providing
American households with access to safe, homegrown food.


We also oppose punitive "enforcement" measures that scapegoat immigrants but do nothing to
enhance our nation's security, including those that have already been added to various
appropriations bills in either chamber. We call on House and Senate leaders to remove these
harmful provisions during conference committee negotiations, and prevent others from being
attached to future bills.


Passing the DREAM Act and AgJOBS is within our grasp, and will be an important stepping stone
to the broader reforms we need. Failure to pass these bills will only reinforce the public's perception
that members of Congress cannot work across party lines to solve tough problems, and will further
embolden immigration opponents. We must pass these two long-standing, bipartisan bills this year,
even as we continue to work toward broader reforms that can fully restore order and fairness to our
immigration system.



Sincerely,

Senate Vote Next Week on DREAM ACT

From:

Julieta Garibay,
DREAM Campaign Director
University Leadership Initiative
Austin, TX


Dear DREAM Act supporter:

Next week (Sept 17 - 21), the SENATE will likely vote on the DREAM Act as an amendment to the Department of Defense Authorization bill (HR 1585). Please call your SENATORS and urge them to vote for the DREAM Act.

TEXAS Supporters – Please call SENATOR CORNYN @ 202-224-2934 and urgehim TO ACTIVELY SUPPORT the DREAM Act and VOTE IN FAVOR OF THE DREAM Act as an amendment to HR 1585.

FYI • The vote will take place at the end of the week (Sept 17-21) or the beginning of the following week (Sept 24-28)


Julieta Garibay,
DREAM Campaign Director
University Leadership Initiative
Jovenes LULAC Council 4859
Austin, TX
512-297-9417

We Need an Andrew Carnegie to Fund Scholarships and Promote the DREAM Act

A DREAM Act student from Tampa recieved a $30,000 private scholarship to attend Florida Gulf Coast University. If only foundations or private individuals would consider helping undocumented college students. Instead of planting trees with their name on a plaque, wealthy individuals could help a student go to school. Each scholarship is building a future for the students and the nation.

Another way people of wealth can help is by using their influence to promote the DREAM Act and in-state tuition for undocumented students. As the Tampa Tribune mentioned - 40 states do not have in-state tuition for undocumented students. One is Massachussetts, because it was vetoed by Mitt Romney.

Just as people with wealth influence (and help) political campaigns or the passing of a bill in Congress... they could do the same for the DREAM Act.

_____
Undocumented Students Keep DREAM Act Hopes Alive
By JESSICA HOPPER The Tampa Tribune
Published: Aug 19, 2007


TAMPA - At 14, Dulce proudly told her parents she wanted to go to college.

Her parents' response shocked her. They said going to college would be difficult because she was an undocumented immigrant.

"I was broken completely in half. I refused to believe it," said Dulce, now 20.

Unlike many undocumented teenagers, Dulce's college story has a happy ending. She received her associate's degree in May from Hillsborough Community College. She recently received a $30,000 private scholarship that will cover tuition, books, and room and board at Florida Gulf Coast University this fall.

Undocumented students can attend public schools under a 1982 Supreme Court ruling. But undocumented college-age students are not eligible for federal aid and most forms of state aid. Forty states, including Florida, do not allow in-state tuition for undocumented students. Undocumented teens also cannot work legally to save money for college.

Dulce and other immigrant students hope proposed legislation, the DREAM Act, will make college more accessible to undocumented children...

For complete article:
http://www.tbo.com/news/metro/MGB58IBXI5F.html

photograph: Andrew Carnegie in 1914
http://www.clpgh.org/locations/pennsylvania/carnegie/images/mrac.jpg

Lobby for the DREAM ACT

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Four Ways to Help Pass the DREAM Act


http://nclr.org/section//dream_act_support/

1. Thank Senators Richard Durbin (D-IL) and Chuck Hagel (R-NE) for introducing the DREAM Act. You can send them an email by clicking here.

2. Urge your senators to cosponsor the DREAM Act, S. 774. You can send an email to your senator by clicking here. Also, please contact their offices directly by dialing the U.S. Capitol switchboard number: (202)224-3121.

3. Call your representative and urge him/her to cosponsor the American Dream Act, H.R. 1275. For more information, click here.


from Donajih's page

Millenium Kids and Idealism -

Detail from Lincoln's handwritten Gettysburg Address



When my undergraduate students have seemed particularly distracted, self centered, or disrespectful, public school educators I know remind me these are "millenium kids" - used to computers, vivid visual cues, short attention spans, and materialistic overload. These are the children born on the eve of the millenium.

The friends of Juan Sebastian Gomez have shown that millenium kids may just be needing something to hope for (and work for). --- a cause that is worthy. As they make their phone calls, send their emails and boldly confront lawmakers in Washington, they are not just keeping Juan Sebastian from being deported. They are trying to save the society they live in - to keep this country what it was (at least on paper) designed to be -

I am not sure that elementary school children are still expected to memorize the Gettysburg address as they did in the 1960s.

...our fathers brought forth upon this continent, a new nation, conceived in liberty, dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal...

Lincoln did not specify citizens, resident aliens or undocumented people.

_________________________

Juan's friends harness power of idealism
Mon, Aug. 06, 2007
By ANA MENENDEZ
amenendez@MiamiHerald.com

Immigration policy is so complex, so mind-bogglingly difficult that before any action can take place, reams of studies must first be produced, whereupon experts will be retained to weigh in on the details, followed by a complicated association of politicians, lobbyists and blowhards who will turn the entire thing -- which began as a simple human drama -- into an impenetrable, dehumanized tangle of numbers and formulas that everyone will then be forced to call a solution.

Whatever.

A kid's best friend was going to be deported and he refused to accept it. That's the other way.

The week-old saga of Juan Gomez and the school friends who have temporarily halted his deportation is a story of bold youth, new technology and the kind of courage that comes with inexperience.

'We were told, `Don't expect to see your friend again unless you're going to Colombia,' '' Scott Elfenbein, 18, told me Friday afternoon. ``That wasn't a good enough answer to me. It's not what I wanted to hear and I'm too young and naive to think that I can't always get what I want.''

AGENTS FOR CHANGE

The Save Juan campaign illustrates a paradoxical truism of American life: When intellectuals and demagogues talk an issue to the point of sclerosis, the best hope for clarity will come from a child.

A generation ago, kids forced a rethinking of the Vietnam War and the way America viewed race. And for all the talk of today's self-involved, apathetic youth, some of the best changes in Miami in the last years have come out of the unrealistic, untiring efforts of those still in their teens and twenties.

The very young helped force the issue of fair janitor pay at the University of Miami. Idealistic young activists agitated about affordable housing back when the responsible adults in this town were still getting drunk on free open house martinis.

Now a group of teenagers, armed with the technological trappings of their generation, have done what everyone told them was impossible: keep their friend in the United States a little while longer.

A text message from Juan first alerted his friends that immigration police had picked him up. The teenagers could have accepted fate. Instead, they pooled their technological resources and got to work, producing a Facebook page and uploading video.

''I don't think anyone thought to use a social site to start a revolution,'' Scott said. ``My mom still doesn't understand parts of how we did this.''

When the hate began to stream in, Scott maintained his equanimity.

'They tell us, `You're condoning crime,' '' he said. 'My response is, `Did you go to school every day and try to get an education? Did you get a 1400 on your SAT without even trying? Have you always looked to better yourself? If you haven't, then we should be deporting you and not Juan.' ''

POINTING THE RIGHT WAY

The immigration fiasco is undeniably complicated. But complexity is a poor excuse for inaction.

The world needs theoretical thinkers -- landscapes would be impossible to maneuver without the abstraction of maps. But it also needs people who will cut through a mess of obfuscating theory to point the right way.

The children have led, now Congress should follow. Pass the Dream Act that allows students to stay in America. It hurts no one and helps many. If the hate mail starts pouring in and the details begin to overwhelm, legislators can stop, take a deep breath and draw inspiration from Juan Gomez and his teenaged friends.

Seven days from deportation to hope. It was simple.

http://www.miamiherald.com/418/story/194000.html

Success ! Juan Sebastian Gomez gets Reprieve

http://apps.asm.wisc.edu/images/pictures/dream_act.jpg

Interesting that the Gomez case has not been noted in the national papers, except for brief mention in the NY Times on Aug. 2nd.

This is a very significant event. Ever since 9-11 it has been near impossible to get any help from the U.S. House for any individual immigrant. Juan's friends are providing the best example for other groups to follow. What else could be done if we organized ourselves in this way?

-----

Gomez pals learn lobbying lessons in D.C.
The group of teens-turned-lobbyists who went to D.C. to fight the deportation of their high school friend returned to Miami with some lessons in lobbying.

Sat, Aug. 04, 2007
BY NICHOLAS SPANGLER AND LESLEY CLARK
nspangler@MiamiHerald.com

The Killian Senior High students who went to Washington and got the federal government to temporarily halt deportation proceedings against Juan Gomez and his family returned home Friday afternoon, flying into Miami International Airport.

First stop: the airport's press center, where reporters, moms and friends were waiting. Juan, 18, wasn't there, taking the advice of lawyers to keep a low profile.

''This isn't about Juan and Alex [Juan's older brother, 19] anymore,'' said Scott Elfenbein, Juan's best friend. ``It's about fixing a broken system.''

The Killian delegation -- 10 students, most of them friends since middle school heading off for colleges across the country -- spent a week and a half in Washington arguing their case before lawmakers.

A few lessons from Lobbying 101: ''You have to flood the office,'' Elfenbein said. ``Fax, e-mails, phone calls.''

''You can't be shy, you can't be intimidated,'' Joanna Perdomo said.

Be prepared to spend a lot of time waiting in hallways, and don't expect to get more than few hours of sleep a night.

Also, make it easy to understand.

The students prepared packets for all the politicians they visited, each one with an outline of their arguments, a letter from Lincoln Díaz-Balart to President Bush about the Gomez brothers' situation, and a copy of a private immigration bill, sponsored by Díaz-Balart, that would allow them to remain the United States.

45-DAY REPRIEVE

On Wednesday, federal immigration officials released the family from a Broward detention center and granted them a 45-day reprieve from being deported to their native Colombia.

The family now must report back to immigration officials on Sept. 14. That leaves only a small window of time for Congress to take up the matter after it returns from summer recess.

Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., who chairs the House immigration subcommittee, said Friday she and the top Republican on the panel, Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas, will talk to federal immigration officials about further delaying deportation proceedings.

''We've agreed we will approach the department to ask for the delay to give the committee some more time,'' Lofgren said Friday as the subcommittee met and agreed to look at three other private bills.

The extra time will allow Congress to take up Díaz-Balart's bill, introduced in the House. The bill would not allow the boys' parents to remain in the country, since they knowingly overstayed their visa.

Díaz-Balart argues that Juan and his brother shouldn't be punished for their parents' mistakes.

The parents arrived in South Florida in the 1990s on a six-month visitor visa when the boys were toddlers. The parents eventually sought legal status, but the request was denied, a decision that was upheld on appeal.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested the Gomezes early in the morning of July 25, handcuffing them in their living room. Juan -- a top student at Killian bound for the Honors College at Miami Dade College, if he's permitted to stay in the country -- had time to make one phone call before he was processed at the Broward Transition Center at Deerfield Beach.

He called Elfenbein, his best friend. Within days, a grass-roots campaign to save the brothers was up on Facebook.com, the social networking site. They urged their classmates to contact local legislators in the hope of staving off the deportation order.

Less than a week later, more than 1,500 teens had joined the virtual assemblage. They caught the attention of several local lawmakers, including Díaz-Balart and Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, both Miami Republicans.

The teens also rallied in support of the DREAM Act -- separate, broad-based legislation that would provide a path to citizenship for the children of undocumented immigrants. At least 65,000 students could benefit from passage, but it has been stuck in Congress for years.

Ten of them headed for the nation's capital: Elfenbein, Perdomo, Eduard Monteagudo, Scott Friedberg, Brian Moraguez, Jacob Hart, Mauricio Perez-Rosas, Katie Snow, Lane Clements and Andrew Dubbin. They raised money locally through friends and parishioners at St. Louis Catholic Church.

During their Washington visit, accompanied by Killian government teacher Eric Krause, the teens met with Díaz-Balart and Ros-Lehtinen -- and did a lot of lobbying.

TOUGH ODDS

The Gomez brothers still face tough odds if they hope to remain in the country.

During the last Congress, 117 private bills were filed on immigrants' behalf in the last Congress. Not a single one passed. Between 1995 and 2006, just 36 bills were approved out of 495 filed. This year, more than 50 are pending; none has been approved.

Republicans on the committee appeared alarmed that private bills are being expanded beyond their traditional cause of helping those with an ''extreme or unusual hardship'' such as being orphaned without attaining legal status.

''I'm concerned about the precedent we might set,'' said Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa.



http://www.miamiherald.com/news/miami_dade/story/192514.html

More on Juan Sebastian Gomez and His Friends

http://nysyouthleadershipcouncil.googlepages.com/brochure1.jpg/brochure1-full;brt:51.jpg


Juan Gomez pals vow to press on
BY LESLEY CLARK AND KATHLEEN MCGRORY
lclark@MiamiHerald.com
August 3, 2007

WASHINGTON --
When Scott Elfenbein learned immigration officials had granted his best friend a reprieve from being deported, he took five minutes to celebrate.

Then it was back to work.

That single-minded determination among a group of Juan Gomez's former classmates accomplished what most everyone had told them would never happen: They forced the federal government to sit up and take notice.

Less than a week after immigration officials seized Gomez, 18, his parents and his brother Alex, 19, the Colombian-born family was walking out of a Broward detention center with 45 days of freedom -- and a second chance for the two young men to stay in the United States.

''These kids are the bill of rights in action,'' Rep. Lincoln Díaz-Balart, R-Miami, said of the teenagers who contacted his office and convinced him to file his first private bill in 15 years in office. ``They're amazing. I'm just happy to be part of their team.''

The effort that has at least temporarily freed Gomez began to gel just minutes after immigration officials seized the family July 25. When Elfenbein got the call from Gomez, his friend was about to be deported to Colombia, the country Gomez left as a toddler.

''We freaked out at first,'' said the seemingly unflappable Elfenbein, the Harvard-bound president of his student body at Miami Killian Senior High School, captain of the lacrosse team and editor of the yearbook. ``No one had a clue about deportation, about immigration law.''

So Elfenbein said they did what they knew. They created a Facebook page to keep friends informed and they began calling the news media, pleading for coverage.

'We told them, `Just give us 20 minutes, it's a really compelling story,' '' he said.

...Cheryl Little, the head of the Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center, called Elfenbein on his cellphone after hearing about the effort. Gomez's mother, Liliana, had approached a FIAC attorney at the detention center, asking for help.

''Impressed is an understatement,'' Little said of her talks with the students. ``They didn't need a lot of coaching. They had a really good sense of what needed to be done.''

Still, Elfenbein said the word out of Washington was discouraging. 'We were told, `Don't expect too much, you guys are doomed,' '' Elfenbein said.

Little told the teenagers they were trying to convince immigration officials to stay the deportation and convince a member of Congress to sponsor a private bill that would allow the Gomez brothers -- but not their parents -- to stay in the United States.

Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Miami, joked to Elfenbein last Friday that he'd be more effective working the issue in Washington.

''And look what happens when you say something to impressionable teens,'' Elfenbein said Thursday, sitting in Ros-Lehtinen's congressional office, eating pizza that her staff delivered to the crew.

Over the weekend, the teens decided to take their case to Washington. They raised money at a party: Grant Miller, of Miami's Community Newspapers, asked Jacob Hart, another friend of Gomez's, to recite the tale. A hat was passed around and the effort netted more than $400. Parishioners at St. Louis Catholic Church also contributed...

''I haven't met the [Gomez] boys, obviously, but they must be terrific to have friends like this all over the place, advocating,'' said Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., who heads the House immigration subcommittee. ``They're passionate but polite and people are listening to them...''

for complete article:

http://www.miamiherald.com/519/story/191216.html

Juan Sebastian Gomez - Up Against Congress' Schedule

Photo by Lauren Victoria Burke, Miami Herald.
Friends of Juan Gomez, led by best friend Scott Elfenbein, right, and Jacob Hart, next to him in shirt and tie, arrive at the Office of House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers, D-Mich.



CONGRESS | JUAN GOMEZ
Gomez case not on Congress' agenda
Juan Gomez, a Colombian-born Miami teen who faces deportation, won't get a hearing before members of Congress until at least September.

BY LESLEY CLARK
lclark@MiamiHerald.com
August 3, 2007

WASHINGTON --
Congress will leave Washington today for its summer recess without taking up the case of Juan Gomez, a Colombian-born Miami teen who faces deportation.

The House immigration subcommittee is scheduled to meet today, but the private bill filed on Gomez's behalf by Rep. Lincoln Díaz-Balart, R-Miami, isn't on the agenda.

The news came as a disappointment to Gomez's former Killian Senior High classmates and friends who had lobbied in Washington on his behalf for three days.

But the teenagers vowed to keep pushing to find a way to keep Gomez in the United States, where he has lived since he was 2 years old.

''We can't be upset. We have to keep working,'' said Joanna Perdomo, 18, a friend of Gomez's and a Coral Reef Senior High graduate.

The teens continued Thursday to plot strategies and plan to return to Miami today. They have already been credited with securing Gomez and his family a 45-day reprieve from deportation.

Gomez's supporters noted that the House subcommittee will still have time to take up his case when Congress returns in early September.

Republicans on the subcommittee have objected to hearing the private bills, but chairwoman Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., said Thursday she hopes to get it scheduled.

''We're trying to work through this in an orderly, bipartisan way,'' she said. ``We have until Sept. 14, and I don't know that there is bipartisan agreement yet, but I think we're going to have substantially more communication and a lot of personal time.''

The students also said they may talk to Florida's two senators, who could grant Gomez a reprieve until at least January 2009 by filing a private bill in the Senate on his behalf.

A spokesman for Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson noted that senators rarely file private bills and that Nelson used the bill filed in the House to push for a delay in deportation proceedings.

Sen. Mel Martinez could not be reached for comment.

The students are also hoping to return to lobby for passage of the stalled Dream Act, a bill that would offer students who grew up in the United States a chance at legal residency.

The Senate sponsor, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., is trying to attach the bill to a critical defense spending bill that will be taken up in the fall.

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/miami_dade/story/191218.html

DREAM ACT Advocacy Works!

Photos from NY Times 8-3-07











Photo 1: Juan Gomez and his family
Photo 2: Gomez's friend visiting with Congressman Diaz-Balart
Juan Sebastain Gomez has plenty of good friends. They gathered together and successfully advocated for a delay in his
deportation...




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Save Juan Campaign Appeals To President Bush
The Dream Act: Help Bring Back Juan Gomez
CBS Miami
by David Sutta
http://cbs4.com/topstories/local_story_210150851.html

-----
In Increments, Senate Revisits Immigration Bill
Julia Preston
New York Times
August 3, 2007


...The college bill attracted renewed interest this week because of Juan Sebastian Gomez, a student who just graduated with honors from Killian Senior High School in Miami. On July 25, immigration agents in Florida detained Mr. Gomez, 18, his brother and his parents, all illegal immigrants from Colombia, and prepared to deport them. Immigration officials delayed the deportation on Wednesday after a group of Mr. Gomez’s high school friends roused support in South Florida and then flew to Washington to pound on doors.

The friends pointed to Mr. Gomez’s academic record — a near-perfect 3.96 grade-point average — and top scores on 11 Advanced Placement exams. They said he should not be punished for his illegal status because his parents brought him to the United States when he was 2.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/03/washington/03immig.html

thanks to Immigration Prof Blog for pointing out the NY Times article

The DREAM ACT's Advocates Who Can Vote

Helping friends her age who came here illegally is important to Estrellita Montiel, 22. (from NY TIMES 7 16 07, photo by Oscar Hidalgo)



Perhaps the nation is unaware of the millions of advocates ready to help with the DREAM ACT and other legislative issues. The current immigration debate has mobilized Latino voters. There will probably be a big surprise in November - when the nation realizes that the Latino population has decided to use its political clout.

Remember that every undocumented immigrant (or DREAM ACT student) has a relative, friend, colleague, neighbor or employer who knows and respects him/her and will be willing to go to bat for his/her rights. If you start multiplying the numbers, the total is much more than anyone has realized.

----------------


Raising Young Voices for Illegal Mexican Immigrants
New York Times
By DAVID GONZALEZ
Published: July 16, 2007


Who knew a civics lesson awaited every time Daisy and Moises Mendoza looked around their neighborhood in East Harlem? Their parents came to New York from Mexico and raised them the hard way, earning pennies at a time handing out fliers on street corners and selling shaved ice snacks in parks. Other teenagers gave up on school to deliver food or bake pizzas. Their neighbors often slipped into the dreary low-profile routine of the illegal immigrant, sweating in gardens or construction sites and not complaining.

That is where the civics lesson kicked in. Lucky enough to be born in New York, Daisy and Moises are citizens, for whom voting and civic participation are a birthright and duty. They grew up as pint-size bilingual guides helping their parents understand what was happening at school meetings and visits to the doctor’s office. They are active in a youth group at Esperanza del Barrio, a local advocacy group that started out helping street vendors. And while they have to wait to cast their first ballots — Daisy is 17 and Moises 15 — they already feel a special responsibility to help their neighbors...

...Robert C. Smith, a professor of public affairs at Baruch College who has extensively studied New York’s Mexican population, estimated that the city’s half-million Mexicans could have as many as 150,000 children born in the United States. Another big chunk of children came to New York in the early 1990s, when they were reunited with parents who benefited from a 1986 amnesty law that made them legal residents, allowed them to bring their children here and put them on the path to citizenship. And many more are on the way right here, thanks to a rising birthrate.

“We’re beginning to see people coming of voting age,” Dr. Smith said. “Already Mexicans have surpassed Dominicans in terms of birth. For the next 20 years, Mexicans have the tremendous potential to become a political force.”

The image of the Mexican community for years was one of an illegal and politically apathetic group. But in recent years there have been signs that the younger generation is willing to speak out, starting with issues that most directly affect it, especially education.

In 2002, immigrants successfully pushed for the City University system to preserve in-state tuition rates for students here illegally. Currently, they are seeking to keep alive the Dream Act, federal legislation that proposes to offer tuition help and a path to citizenship to immigrant high school graduates....

for complete article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/16/nyregion/16citywide.html