NY Times -Immigrant Children in Legal Limbo

Room for Debate in the New York Times examines the situation of young illegal immigrants who came to the United States as children with their parents and were raised and educated here. The article on the topic will appear over the weekend.

You will see Nick from the DREAM Act Portal and Prerna from The Sanctuary as two of the contributors.

Click here to read it.

What Can You Do To Pass The DREAM Act?

Kyle from Citizen Orange has asked for a call to action.

http://www.citizenorange.com/orange/...the-act-i.html

Here are the five actions:

1. CALL - The National Council of La Raza has a page to help you call your congressional representatives in support of the DREAM Act.
http://capwiz.com/nclr/callalert/ind...ertid=12988601

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

3. 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..._the_dream_act

4. PETITION - Dreamactivist.org has the official petition in support of the DREAM Act.
http://dreamact2009.com/

5. 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...igrant-rights/

Myth #1: The DREAM Act Will Reward Parents

If you catch someone saying this, flick their forehead for me, they have no comprehension of how current immigration laws work.

1) Only American citizens who are at least 21 and can prove they can financially support their parents can sponsor them for a green card. DREAMers will have to wait 6 years plus a few years of paperwork processing before they can become citizens.

2) More importantly, the parents they sponsor cannot have entered the country illegally. This would disqualify most parents.

A DREAMer Thrown in Jail

This is the story of a DREAMer who was jailed for alleged immigration violations she had no control over as a child. I still can't believe we jail children for the actions of others (non-criminal actions that normally don't warrant incarceration) in the United States.


Click here for Rasha's story

Senator Stevens - Seven Time Convicted Felon Has No Sympathy for Law Breaking Toddlers

Senator Stevens is a law man. A year ago Stevens even voted to punish children for the actions of others by voting against the DREAM Act. According to Stevens, those toddlers should have known better when they were being carried across the border.

Anyways, Stevens was found guilty of not one but SEVEN felonies today. Yet, he expects everyone to ignore this and let him continue doing his job of making laws. He's asking for......what's the word I'm looking for? Am-something.......Amnesia? Amnesic?...wait AMNESTY.

It's safe to assume a toddler who is carried across the border or a 5 year old who overstays his visa is innocent. They most likely had no idea what was happening and even if they did, they have no say over the action. Yet Senator Stevens keeps referring to these kids as criminals. Unauthorized presence in the U.S. is not a crime, and crossing the border as a child is not a crime. Under no definition of the criminal justice system are these children guilty, yet they face the punishment and jail time in detention facilitates which are known to sexually and physically abuse minors.

Senator Stevens on the other hand is guilty of knowingly committing an actual crime, 7 felonies.Yet Stevens wants amnesty for his crimes. If he has the nerve to ask for amnesty for his seven felonies. I think he should find it in his heart to give it to innocent children who aren't guiltily of any crimes.

Stevens, you are not above the law. You were not a child when you violated U.S. laws and you knew perfectly well what was happening. You have a pretty strict interpretation of the law when it comes to poor immigrant children, I guess you're more forviging when it comes to corrupt U.S. Senators.


Related Scum: David Vitter, Pete Domenici

NC Attroney General Does A 180

"In a reversal of its former advice, the state Attorney General's Office said Friday that no law bars illegal immigrants from community colleges.

But it's not clear when or whether those illegally in the United States will again be admitted to North Carolina's 58 community colleges.

Scott Ralls, president of the Community College System, said Friday that its board must decide whether to allow students who cannot prove legal status. He made no promises, even though he and members of the board have said in the past that they would like to admit illegal immigrants."

Click here for the whole story

Let's make one thing clear, these students would pay out of state tuition. First, it's not their fault they are undocumented, most were brought here at a young age though no choice of their own and most importantly it's not going to cost the state any money and a large number of these students stay and adjust into legal status and eventually become citizens. The state needs to decide now if they want well educated productive citizens in 5- 10 years or citizens with no job skills. It's not going to cost anything now but if they don't allow them in, it sure will in 10 years when those same kids are citizens.

Third World Invasion of Our Olympic Team

Just in case you have any doubts, I'm being sarcastic. The anti-immigration crowd loves to complain about non-European immigration to the U.S. and what you're about to read must kill them.

The three people representing the U.S. for the 1500 meter run all have one thing in common. As the nativists put it, they're all part of the "importation of the third world". Those third worlders are doing pretty well for themselves and dare I say even better than some native born Americans. GASP, how dare they!

— Bernard Lagat came to America to attend college at Washington State from Kenya.

— Leo Manzano was driven across the Mexican border by friends already living in the U.S. and posing as his parents when he was 4.

— Lopez Lomong was one of the "Lost Boys of Sudan," the name given to young refugees of the grisly civil war in Sudan who made it to the U.S.

A Kenyan, a former DREAMer, and a refugee are the top milers in the country - can't get more American than that. I love it!

Oh yeah and that former DREAMer Manzano, hasn't forgotten where he came from, I found this.

What are your hobbies outside the sport of running?
"Yeah, I've been in a couple of organizations on campus. Last semester I was in this Longhorn program. I advocated for the Dream Act. It's for immigrants that are raised in the U.S, went through the public school systems, who have completed their degrees and have a good moral character. Really it's a pathway for these kids to gain their citizenship, to having their education, and having good moral standards. At the same time there is another way which you can gain your citizenship, it was a bill that never became a law. It was actually denied. I really try to advocate for that and it was going on last semester. I was with that organization and trying to advocate for the Dream Act."

Good luck to you all and we'll see you in Beijing!

Check out my Olympics tag

This American Life

What is wrong with this country?

This is Allie Mulvihill a 15 year old from Allentown, Pennslyvania . She was adopted from Guatemla by her parents at the age of 2 and since then USCIS has been trying to deport the girl.

No one but the USCIS (present day INS) is challenging Allie's adoption. Not the Guatmealn Goverment nor anyone but USCIS. Allie will soon be 16 and it may be too late for the adoption to be recognized. She will join the ranks of DREAMers across the country.

Allie has lived in this country since she was 2, she knows no other country. Her family is here, it's cruel and inhumane to try to deport her to a forgein country.

Allie is part of a growing number of DREAMers with citizen parents. Many like Allie, had adoptions that went wrong or aged out when their parents become LPRs and then citizens.

The DREAM Act Portal is full of people who were raised by U.S. citizens but are without a status. Allie go to www.dreamact.info/forum to find other people in the same situation as you. You may find it helps in knowing you're not alone. They can also provide help in applying and attending college as an undocumented student.

This is America's Biggest Threat

This is Camila, she's a Florida college student who is currently sitting in jail for a crime she did not commit and the government knows it. Worse than sitting in jail for something she didn't do, she will most likely be deported. She will never see her home, friends, or the country she calls home EVER AGAIN.

We can stand there and cry and pray for people who lose their homes in a disaster. What if you not only lost your home but everyone and everything you ever knew and could never see them again? This is what the U.S. government is doing to this innocent girl.

Our tax dollars are spent ruining this poor girl's life while dangerous criminals roam the country because of a lack of resources. Yet they seemed to find the money to arrest and jail this girl for something she didn't do.

If you haven't already, sign the DREAM Act petition which would spare kids like Camila.

Politicans Neglect our Soldiers and DREAMers.

WASHINGTON — Army leaders are expressing increased alarm about the mental health of soldiers who would be sent back to the front again and again under plans that call for troop numbers to be sustained at high levels in Iraq for this year and beyond.

Click here for the full story

If DREAM Passes there would be hundreds of thousands of new soldiers to aid the military. AT LEAST 1/3 (probably more) of DREAMers would opt for the military option. I don't understand congress. Why are they doing this to our soldiers and to DREAMers when they have an immediate solution available.

Scumbag of the Week - David Vitter

Senator David Vitter of Louisiana is a strong opponent of "amnesty". I don't think Vitter understands the definition of the word.

Amnesty : a period during which offenders are exempt from punishment

Vitter claimed the DREAM Act was amnesty and that it would reward criminal behavior.
The DREAM Act would have allowed innocent children who through no choice of their own became undocumented immigrants to become documented. Many of these children do not even know they are undocumented. They committed no crime yet face the punishment such as Jail while being held in detention or worse yet deportation to a country they haven't seen since they were toddlers with decade to lifetime bans on re-entering the U.S., the only country they have ever known.

I think it's safe to assume a toddler who is carried across the border or a 5 year old who overstays his visa is innocent. They most likely had no idea what was happening and even if they did, they have no say over the action. Yet David Vitter keeps referring to these kids as criminals. Unauthorized presence in the U.S. is not a crime, and crossing the border as a child is not a crime. Under no definition of the criminal justice system are these children guilty, yet they face the punishment and jail time in detention facilitates which are known to sexually and physically abuse minors.

David Vitter on the other hand is guilty of knowingly committing an actual crime. Sexually exploiting a woman, using the "services" of a prostitute is a crime (not to mention morally despicable). Yet Vitter was amnestied for his crime. Prostitution has a statute of limitations. If we can give amnesty to a criminal such as Vitter, I think he should find it in his heart to give it to innocent children who aren't guiltily of any crimes.

Vitter's Senate number: (202) 224-4623

Tell Vitter you are opposed to amnesty, especially for men who violate prostitution laws and that your tax dollars shouldn't be going to these criminals.

More on Vitter from the Wonkette.

Movie - Under The Same Moon

If you're having trouble viewing the trailer click here for a QuickTime version from apple trailers. It's supposed to be a good kids movie, when it comes to theaters, I'll take my little cousin to see it.

UNDER THE SAME MOON (LA MISMA LUNA) tells the parallel stories of nine-year-old Carlitos and his mother, Rosario. In the hopes of providing a better life for her son, Rosario works illegally in the U.S. while her mother cares for Carlitos back in Mexico. Unexpected circumstances drive both Rosario and Carlitos to embark on their own journeys in a desperate attempt to reunite. Along the way, mother and son face challenges and obstacles but never lose hope that they will one day be together again. Riggen’s film is not only a heartwarming family story; she also offers subtle commentary on the much-debated issue of illegal immigration.

The fact that it was picked up by Fox Searchlight means it will be shown in theaters nation wide and because it received a standing ovation at the Sundance Film Festival I think it will be good.
IMDB link to cast & other info

Sister and Brother, One Undocumented, One Legal

Click here for the Story

This is the story of Julia and Gustavo who came here at age 11 for her and at age 18 for him. Gustavo is a legal immigrant now after marrying his wife who was an American citizen. (just like our ex-undocumented Australian and Irish American Idol contestants). Like many immigrants that overstay their visas, they come from a well educated family that fled instability and violence in their native country.

Since getting his green card, Gustavo likes to make jokes. Bad ones. He'll say something like, "What are we gonna do with all these illegals?" and smile.

Though they came to the United States on the same flight, Julia and Gustavo have adapted to the caprices of immigration policy and undocumented life in starkly different ways: she, by working hard in school and trying to attend college; he, by marrying an American citizen.

Julia is not rewarded

And while Gustavo can laugh about it, Julia is looking for someone to blame. "I know other kids, American kids, they've been here all their life," she says. "They could care less about going to college. But I can't go to school. I can't work. I can't do pretty much anything."

I also like how this article discusses marriage, undocumented students, and the reason why they came to the U.S. Many people have no choice but to flee their native countries. Also, too many people think it's as easy as marrying an American citizen. Julia is 18 and has never had a boyfriend. Think back and try to remember who you were dating at the age of 18. Think if you married that person. shudders. For most of us, it's a scary thought. 18 is too young to get married and Gustavo being married at the age of 21 was too young as well but forced into it by his situation. It's no surprise it didn't last. An undocumented student once told a reporter that her boyfriend asked her to marry her after a few weeks of dating in an effort to help her become legal. She wouldn't do it because she considered it form of prostitution. To many people especially immigrants, marriage still means something.

Plus, not everyone can simply become legal by marrying a citizen. Immigration laws are complicated and depend on the situation. Click here and here of examples of spouses not being able to adjust to legal status.

John McCain's a DREAMer (of sorts)

Thousands of American children grow up believing they are American only to find out that because they weren't born here, it doesn't matter how American or patriotic they are, or even that they don't remember their birth country. The government does not recognize them as Americans. We call them DREAMers (after the DREAM Act).

John McCain can honestly say he can relate (a little) to what it feels like to have a technicality such as birth place determine if he is American enough ( in this case to be our president).

Have no fear John, Barack Obama sponsored a bill that would allow children of service members born abroad to still qualify for the American presidency just for John. Obama himself has been hit recently with fear politics trying to paint him as a foreigner. McCain recently distanced himself from a supporter who constantly brought up Obama's middle name (Hussein) in an attempt to portray him as a Muslim terrorist (obviously, he isn't either). If these two are our nominees, I will be very proud of my country.

Click here for the Immigration Prof blog's analysis of this issue.

Vigil for Sarjina Emy

Sarjina Emy is a 19 year old teenager who has been detained at the Broward Transitional Center for over seven months. Sarjina came to this country when she was four years old. Her parents have already been deported. The family's lawyer Dr. Petia Knowles has a case pending in Federal Court to keep Sarjina and her brothers here, but is asking ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) to release them to their friends and family while their cases are pending. This vigil is to ensure that ICE knows how much Florida cares about Sarjina's family.

Before all this happened to me I had a good life, good people around me,and a good family, We never did anything to hurt anyone. But now I feel we have lost everything. My family is torn apart. I haven’t seen my mom in 7 months, since the day they took us and split us up. I can only see my brothers for an hour and a half every week, even though they are in the same facility. I spent my birthday and every holiday in jail (Broward Transitional Center).

Date:	Friday, February 22, 2008
Time:	12:00pm - 5:00pm
Location:	In front of Broward Transitional Center
Street:	3900 N. Powerline Rd.
City/Town:	Deerfield Beach, FL

Sarjina did nothing wrong yet she is being jailed for over 7 months for something she unwittingly did as a four year old. If Florida residents have any sense of justice, they will come out and support her.

If you would like to learn more about the conditions in detention facilities click here and here.

Her brothers Sam and Rumy were also brought here as children. Since their detention, Rumy is expecting his first child with his wife Solange, a US Citizen. Sam's wife, Munmun, a Legal Resident soon to become a citizen, has lost her home because she could no longer afford to live there due to her husband's detention.

Here is a statement from Sam's wife.

"All that I can say is I really want my family back. I have no support here. I didn't work before. My husband was the one that supported me. Since my husband has been detained I have been really sad and depressed. I can't sleep. I wake up in the middle of the night with bad panic attacks. I even had to go to the hospital and even saw a psychiatrist. I have to take sleeping pills to sleep. I work every day to support myself. Last month, we lost our home because we couldn't afford it. I feel like we have been left with nothing. I really hope my husband can come back home. I really wish we can all be a family again. "

Click here for a news story on Sarjina.

Old Professions of the Undocumented

I came across a thread in the DREAM Act Portal Site where they took a survey of their members to see how many had parents with a college education. 52% of those who took the survey had parents with college degrees, not exactly the stereotype Roy Beck or Lou Dobbs like to portray of undocumented immigrants. In fact it's almost twice as high as the general American population.

This quote summed up the tone of the thread.

---

My mom was a doctor before we came here, graduated med school and all, and her first job in the states was at Jack in the Box.

---

Some of the professions listed

Accountant
Engineer
Judge
Professor
Nurse
Teacher
Chemist
Lawyer

Is it really in our best interests to have these people working as dishwashers or at Jack in the Box?


Click here for the thread

Randolph J. Sealey Jr

Growing up in Brooklyn, Randolph J. Sealey Jr. never felt like anything other than a typical American kid with an immigrant's background. ''I was either going to play for the New York Yankees or be a doctor,'' said Mr. Sealey, who arrived in the United States from Panama at age 8.

He went the latter career route. On a scholarship at Lawrenceville, a prestigious boarding school in southern New Jersey, he emerged as a leader in the classroom, on the playing fields and in student life. He worked his way through Duke University and then medical school at the State University of New York.

Few would guess that Mr. Sealey, with all his accomplishments and prep school manners, has lived in the United States unlawfully for most of his 27 years. Like others in his situation -- remarkable students running, often unwittingly, under the radar of the Immigration and Naturalization Service -- he has had to wage a quiet crusade to finish his education.

Click Here for More

Young Immigrants Have to Grow Up Fast

Click here for the full story
For many of them, adolescence isn't an option. They've likely grown up fast -- very fast. At 12, 13, 14, many of the young people interviewed for this story had their first job. They worked to support their parents (not vice versa) and to help brothers and sisters along the way. For them, youth's milestones -- education, friendship, fun and youthful indiscretion -- were overshadowed by two major responsibilities: to help support family and to keep from getting deported.

Few go on to graduate high school let alone qualify to attend college. The few that do are the exceptions that made it despite the odds. They are success stories without the happy endings. The DREAM Act would have given youth who came to the U.S. at a young age and made it despite the odds the opportunity to earn legal residency by either attending college or joining the military. Sadly, it has yet to be enacted.

Dan-el Padilla

Click here for the full story
Dan-el Padilla Peralta, a 21-year-old classics major at Princeton University, has risen from a childhood in homeless shelters and blighted apartments to maintain a 3.9 grade-point average. He has won prize after prize, often taking twice the typical course load. One faculty member, writing a recommendation, predicted "he will be one of the best classicists to emerge in his generation."

Mr. Padilla stands out at Princeton for another reason: He's an illegal immigrant. And two weeks ago, he did something few people in his shoes ever do. He turned himself in.

Mr. Padilla recently won a two-year scholarship to Oxford University in the United Kingdom. But according to longstanding immigration law, if he leaves, he can't return to the U.S. -- his home since the age of 4 -- for at least 10 years.