[For Immediate Release-8/12/10@10:30AM]-Solidarity with Chicago DREAM 10 Youth
JOSEFRO...@aol.com
Press Advisory
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 11th, for August 12th
Event
Press Contacts
Jose Herrera 773-632-9992 josefro...@aol.com
Mike Johnson 773-701-2908 michaeljo...@gmail.com
Solidarity with Chicago DREAM 10
Undocumented youth Arrested in Washington D.C. rallying for the DREAM Act returns for first court appearances, as a campaign to stop the deportation of a DREAM youth launches.
What: Press conference to inform about the 10 Chicago
DREAMers, who were arrested on July 20th, members of the Chicago-based youth
organization, Immigrant Youth Justice League (IYJL).
Among the ten, Lulu
Martinez, Uriel Sanchez, David Morales, Jesus Morales, Edy Dominguez are
schedule to appear in front of a judge today in Washington D.C. at 9:00AM (ET)
Nico Gonzalez appeared in court on Wednesday, August 10th and Tania
Unzueta and Reyna Wences, who are charged with unlawful entry, a more serious
offence, are schedule to appear in court on Friday, August
20th.
When: Thursday August 12th, 10:30 am
Where:
Federal Plaza, 230 S. Dearborn St. Chicago IL
Who:
Chicago-based Immigrant Youth Justice League (IYJL)
Why: On July
20th 21 undocumented youth from around the country staged sit -in
urging legislators to move the DREAM Act forward this year, putting themselves
at risk of deportation. This week they are back in the capital for their first
court appearance. They are facing misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct and
unlawful entry for their actions. Nico Gonzalez, 23, a local IYJL member
appeared before a criminal judge Wednesday August 11th, along with Jose Torres,
22, an undocumented student from Texas who also participated in the action.
Their first status hearing is set for August 20th, and they were ordered to stay
away from Capitol Hill, approximately 20 blocks in diameter.
“Although
ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] has not contacted us or pursued our
cases, we know that there is also no guarantee that this will not change in the
future,” stated Gonzales. “Young people are getting deported every day, we are
still fighting deportation by deportation, and we can’t do that anymore. We need
the DREAM Act to pass this year,” he concluded.
Twelve other youth,
including seven from Chicago, who were arrested in the atrium of the Hart senate
building will be appearing in front of the judge Thursday August 12th at 9:00 AM
in Washington D.C.
The court cases date comes on the heels of the deferred action of Marlen Moreno, 24, an immigrant youth from Arizona who was set to leave the U.S. August 8th, and the launch of a campaign to stop the deportation of Ivan Nikolov, 22. In May, Ivan and his mother were picked up in an immigration raid on their home. Ivan was told that in 2002, when he was just 12, he missed a court date at which he was ordered removed from this country. Ivan’s mother was deported on Friday, August 6th and Ivan himself is set to be deported any day now.
The DREAM Act is a bipartisan legislation that would allow undocumented students who entered the U.S before the age of 16, graduated a U.S high school and completed either two years of a college education or military service to earn a path toward citizenship. Each year, over 65,000 immigrant youth graduate from U.S. high schools with the hopes of pursuing their dream, only to find a roadblock because of their immigration status.
Visuals:
People will be carrying signs and wearing
Undocumented-Unafraid T-Shirts!
The
Immigrant Youth Justice League is a Chicago-based organization representing
undocumented youth in the demand for immigrant rights through education,
resource-gathering and youth mobilization. For more information
visit www.iyjl.org.
For information on the national project to pass the DREAM Act visit www.thedreamiscoming.com
-END-