America's Voice Blog

Posted 09/02/10 at 09:52am By Guest Blogger

DREAM Now Letters to Barack Obama: Saad Nabeel

The "DREAM Now Series: Letters to Barack Obama" is a social media campaign that launched Monday, July 19, to underscore the urgent need to pass the DREAM Act.

Dear Mr. President,

My name is Saad Nabeel and I am writing to you from Bangladesh. Prior to my arrival in this nation, I lived in the United States for 15 years. My parents brought me to America at age three. It is the only home I know. I used to attend the University of Texas at Arlington with a full scholarship in Electrical Engineering. Through no fault of my own I was forced to leave my home, friends, possessions, and most importantly, my education behind.

November 3rd 2009 is a day I will never forget. My mother called me and told me that my father had been detained by ICE and that we needed to leave immediately to Canada to seek refugee status. Being an only child, I had to take care of my mother and go with her.

Click here to read more.
Posted 08/31/10 at 04:56pm By Mahwish Khan

Dear Senator Snowe and Senator Collins: Let’s Keep Selvin in Maine!

As we reported last week, after spending three months in jail facing deportation, Ivan Nikolov was released.  He’s currently safe at home with his fiancée and stepdad – thanks to your help.  Together, we sent nearly 15,000 faxes to the Department of Homeland Security and ICE, and another 2,800 faxes to Ivan's Congressional representatives in Michigan, sharing his story and urging his release. Our persistence paid off.

Now another young man – Selvin Arevalo – needs our help. Selvin came to the United States from Guatemala when he was just 14 years old. His dream was to work hard to support his mother, who needed open-heart surgery, his two brothers and his sister. Selvin paints houses during the day and takes classes at night to pass his GED. Though he's incredibly active in his church and local community in Maine, the 24-year-old could be deported any day now.

Earlier today, immigrant advocates convened a call, asking Maine Senators to intervene and stop Selvin's deportation.  Following is what Isai Galvez, youth leader of Iglesia Pentecostal El Sinai and Selvin’s best friend, had to say Selvin’s contributions to Portland and his battle with deportation: 

Selvin’s dream has always been to get his high school diploma and attend college but when he was detained, his hope of becoming an American citizen, graduating college and starting his own business was put in jeopardy...I’m asking Senators Collins and Snowe, on behalf of the greater Portland community, to come to his defense and intervene on his behalf.  Selvin is a living example of why we desperately need the DREAM Act in order to protect the future leaders of our nation.

We've seen how successful these campaigns can be. We helped save Ivan Nikolov in Michigan and Marlen Moreno in Arizona. Now Selvin Arevalo needs our help.

Please send a fax now to stop Selvin's deportation!

Click here to read more.
Posted 08/30/10 at 09:22am By Guest Blogger

DREAM Now Letters to Barack Obama: Lizbeth Mateo

The "DREAM Now Series: Letters to Barack Obama" is a social media campaign that launched Monday, July 19, to underscore the urgent need to pass the DREAM Act.

Dear Mr. President,

My name is Lizbeth Mateo and I am undocumented. On May 17th, on the 56th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, I, along with Mohammad Abdollahi, Yahaira Carrillo and two others, became the first undocumented students to risk deportation by staging a sit-in inside Senator McCain’s office in Tucson, Arizona, to demand the immediate passage of the DREAM Act. As a result of that sit-in we were arrested, turned over to ICE, and we now face deportation.

I came to this country when I was fourteen-years-old from Oaxaca, Mexico.  It was the late nineties and Mexico was, and is still, facing one of the worst socio-economic and political periods in recent history. For my parents - a taxi driver and a stay-at-home-mom that were struggling to make ends meet-  it was clear that they would have to choose between seeing their children starve and get sick, or risk it all, leave everything behind and relocate the family to Southern California with hopes of a better future. In 1998 we moved to Los Angeles and have lived here, since. 

Click here to read more.
Posted 08/26/10 at 02:06pm By Guest Blogger

DREAM Now Letters to Barack Obama: Myrna Orozco

The "DREAM Now Series: Letters to Barack Obama" is a social media campaign that launched Monday, July 19, to underscore the urgent need to pass the DREAM Act.

Dear Mr. President,

On July 20th, 2010 I was arrested in the office of Senator John McCain fighting for the DREAM Act.

I am one of the thousands of students who would qualify for this legislation. I was brought to the United States at the age of four and have been here ever since. I consider myself to be a good student and I always strive to be a good example for others. I have been waiting for the DREAM Act to pass since it was first introduced in 2001, and this year I decided that I couldn't stand by and wait another year. I decided to fight for my DREAMs.

I can no longer watch as politicians gamble with my future and the futures of my friends, family, and even strangers who are in the same position as I am. This is why I, along with 20 other DREAMers decided to take action and fight for what we believe is right; thus, we decided to conduct sit-ins at various senators offices and urge them to take action on the DREAM Act. We can not stand by as another class of outstanding students graduate without being able to fulfill their DREAMs.

Click here to read more.
Posted 08/25/10 at 02:19pm By Guest Blogger

Victory! Ivan Reunited With Family and Friends

Yesterday, Ivan with members of OneMichigan (shown in the picture on the right with Ivan holding a sign that reads: Pass the DREAM Act Now!) held a press event in support of the bi-partisan legislation called the DREAM Act that would give undocumented young people like Ivan who were brought to the United States at a young age a path to citizenship.

Priscila Martinez, an organizer with OneMichigan, said “This is a victory and it feels good to be able to help Ivan, but we need to continue working to pass the DREAM Act as soon as possible because every day we are losing a DREAMer.”

Three months ago, Ivan was detained by ICE merely because his mother missed a court-date ten years ago when he was 12.  Ivan was brought to the United States from Russia when he was only eleven. His mother married a U.S. citizen and his family has lived in Michigan for the last decade.  On the morning of May 5th, Ivan's home was raided by ICE and his mother was deported back to Russia.

His story is all too familiar.  According to most figures, nearly one million undocumented youth are in situations similar to Ivan’s.

For the last three months, Ivan has been imprisoned in an ICE facility where the only way he could see his family and fiancée was through a glass viewing wall in the visitation center.  While Ivan was locked away, public support for his release grew. First in Michigan and then throughout the country as advocates called for his immediate release.

Click here to read more.
Posted 08/24/10 at 12:25pm By Guest Blogger

DREAM Now Letters to Barack Obama: Carlos A Roa, Jr.

 

The "DREAM Now Series: Letters to Barack Obama" is a social media campaign that launched Monday, July 19, to underscore the urgent need to pass the DREAM Act.

Dear Mr. President,

My name is Carlos and I'm a 23 year old undocumented immigrant from Caracas, Venezuela.  I want to legalize my immigration status in this country through the passage of DREAM Act this year.  For too long have I lived in the U.S. without papers.  It has been over 20 years, now.  I want to legalize my immigration status in order to fulfill my dreams of becoming a young professional in architecture.

There are obstacles in my daily life that make it extraordinarily difficult to pursue a career in architecture.  Fortunately, because of my determination to continue my studies after graduating high school in 2005, I'm currently a student in Miami Dade College.  It has not been without great difficulty.  For many years it felt as if all the potential I developed in high school was for nothing.

I am the perfect example of other students in similar situations whose voices have been silenced by the fact that we are not truly accounted for.  We are afraid of speaking up because doing so might affect our immigration status in this country and possibly even lead to deportation.  I myself felt this way for several years, but after dealing with my status for so long, I now consider it a duty to speak up for myself and for other youth in my shoes.

I remember that dark and cold feeling of shame, fear and hopelessness.

Click here to read more.
Posted 08/20/10 at 11:58am By Maria Ponce

WATCH: Advocates deliver over 6,000 petitions to DHS

Yesterday, as part of our two week campaign to stop the deportation of Ivan Nikolov, America’s Voice joined Matias Ramos, Tania Unzueta, Dulce Matuz and other DREAM activists to deliver over 6,000 signed petitions, along with a letter of support from Senator Carl Levin, letters from family and friends, and another letter of support signed by 32 national and local organizations, all of which are urging ICE to reconsider Ivan’s deportation.

Check out Matias Ramos, undocumented leader of United We Dream Network based in Washington D.C, along with other Dream Activists, call out to Janet Napolitano to stop Ivan’s deportation right as she was walking out of the ICE building!

 

Posted 08/19/10 at 08:35am By Mahwish Khan

Ivan’s Fiancée to DHS: It’s Cruel to Send Him to Russia

Yesterday afternoon, local and national advocates held a media call to highlight Ivan NIkolov’s struggle to remain in the country he knows as home, and call on DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano and Immigration and Customs Enforcement chief John Morton to prevent his deportation. 

Ivan Nikolov's story is compelling. He has been held in a detention center since May and is facing imminent deportation to Russia, despite the fact that he didn't even know he was undocumented until he was 15, and he barely speaks Russian. His only “crime” was having missed a court date ten years ago – when he was only 12 years old. His mother has already been deported, despite being married (legitimately) to a US Citizen.

If his deportation goes through, he will be forced to join the Russian military, even though he is an American in every way but paperwork.

Not long ago, your faxes made a difference and helped stop an aspiring Arizona preschool teacher named Marlen from being deported. Today, you can do the same for Ivan -- please fax DHS and tell them to keep Ivan at home with his fiancée. Local DREAM activists will be delivering letters to DHS in Washington, D.C. this afternoon, so please do your part.

Click here to read more.
Posted 08/18/10 at 10:33am By Guest Blogger

DREAM Now Letters to Barack Obama: Selvin Arevalo

Editor’s Note: Today, syndicated columnist Ruben Navarette argues rather pointedly for an end to any politicking that might hold up the DREAM Act:

And there’s the best argument for passing the DREAM Act --  so that deserving young people get the chance to realize their full potential. With so much of politics driven by the self-interest of politicians, we’re fresh out of leaders in this country. So we had better start growing a new crop.

---Jackie

[Note from Kyle de Beausset: Selvin wrote this letter right before he got into a minor car accident on April 9, 2010. He was set to get his high school diploma in June but has been in detention ever since. I have chosen reproduce Selvin's letter as I found it in his empty room, rather than polish his slight grammatical errors, to allow his character to shine through.]

The "DREAM Now Series: Letters to Barack Obama" is a social media campaign that launched Monday, July 19, to underscore the urgent need to pass the DREAM Act.

Dear President Barack Obama,

From the bottom of my heart, I plead to my God that you and your entire family receive blessings from the highest God while you are reading this letter.  I admire and thank you for the great labor that you are fulfilling as a president in this big nation.  My name is Selvin Ovidio Arevalo.  I came to this country when I was 15 years old.  I came from Guatemala to this country to fulfill my dreams because I always have believed that this is a country of many opportunities for those whom want to succeed.

Click here to read more.
Posted 08/16/10 at 03:49pm By Jackie Mahendra

DREAM Now Letters to Barack Obama: Yves Gomes

Editor's Note: This afternoon, Janet Murguía, President one of the nation’s top Latino advocacy groups, NCLR, chimed in on the DREAM Act in the Huffington Post:

The rationale for the “DREAM Act” is clear and compelling. Congress needs to put its weight behind this proposal for what it is: a measure geared toward young people to promote future economic prosperity. Those who have not yet co-sponsored this legislation should explain why they are standing in the way of progress. And when it comes to immigration, they should keep in mind that Latino voters will take stock of who is just trying to score points with political ads and who is actually delivering the comprehensive solutions our country needs.

---Jackie

The "DREAM Now Series: Letters to Barack Obama" is a social media campaign that launched Monday, July 19, to underscore the urgent need to pass the DREAM Act.

Dear President Obama:

My name is Yves Gomes. I am 17 years old and I just graduated from Paint Branch High School in Burtonsville, MD this June. Under the grace of God I was able to do well in my studies all my life and I graduated in the top 5% of my class and got into University of Maryland College Park and a handful of other colleges. However until today I had an order for deportation from this country on August 13, 2010, a few days from now.  I spent the last year restlessly awaiting my unknown future. But today, thanks to the work of my lawyer, Mrs. Cynthia Groomes Katz, the help of the media (e.g. Ms. Andrea McCarren of WUSA9 TV) Organizations such as the We Are America project of the Center for Community Change and my family and friends, I was able to get Deferred Action after subsequent to Stays of Removal, and now I am ecstatic because I can stay in the United States.

Click here to read more.

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