Two months ago I wrote about my disappointment with Organizing for America (OFA) for not including immigration on their agenda, even after President Obama reaffirmed his commitment to pass comprehensive immigration reform. Now that the debate on immigration has heated up thanks to the controversial law in Arizona, the upcoming political pressure from the Partnership for a New American Economy, and the recent President's address on immigration, OFA has finally added immigration in their Agenda.
Showing posts with label Immigration Reform. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Immigration Reform. Show all posts
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Organizing for America - Let's Pass the DREAM Act
Two months ago I wrote about my disappointment with Organizing for America (OFA) for not including immigration on their agenda, even after President Obama reaffirmed his commitment to pass comprehensive immigration reform. Now that the debate on immigration has heated up thanks to the controversial law in Arizona, the upcoming political pressure from the Partnership for a New American Economy, and the recent President's address on immigration, OFA has finally added immigration in their Agenda.Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Video-Blogging a Week of Action With the Trail of Dreams
I was invited by SEIU to Washington, D.C. to support the last phase of the Trail of Dreams, a historical 1,500-mile walk undertaken by four immigrant students from Florida to give the undocumented youth a voice. My trip started with a bang on April 27, since on that day the controversial SB 1070 bill in Arizona was everywhere in the media. Even the 200,000 people in Washington, D.C. on March 21st demanding comprehensive immigration reform didn't get people talking about real reform the way Arizona's action has.
April 27 - Meeting Trail of Dreams Walkers, Walter Lara & SEIU
I headed to the SEIU HQ to meet the Trail of Dreams walkers and Walter Lara, a Dream Act Candidate from Miami who fought deportation and is currently in the country through a deferred action. Though we'd never met in person before, we had an instant connection, since we already knew so much about each other from our stories. It was like re-encountering old friends. I also got to meet up with SEIU staff, including Joaquin Guerra, Josh Bernstein, and Ali Jost, who were big supporters during my campaign to stop my deportation. Walter and I began video-blogging our adventure in D.C.
April 28 - Trail of Dreams Press Conference
On Wednesday, in front of the White House, the Trail of Dreams held a press conference where they reported that, after requesting three months in advance to meet with the President, the Obama Administration had remained completely unresponsive. Listening, I was thinking about how many times President Obama said during his campaign, "Change starts from the bottom and up," and here I was, filming four young leaders who walked 1,500 miles during the past 4 months for a cause they strongly believe in, yet were left without even a response.
April 27 - Meeting Trail of Dreams Walkers, Walter Lara & SEIU
I headed to the SEIU HQ to meet the Trail of Dreams walkers and Walter Lara, a Dream Act Candidate from Miami who fought deportation and is currently in the country through a deferred action. Though we'd never met in person before, we had an instant connection, since we already knew so much about each other from our stories. It was like re-encountering old friends. I also got to meet up with SEIU staff, including Joaquin Guerra, Josh Bernstein, and Ali Jost, who were big supporters during my campaign to stop my deportation. Walter and I began video-blogging our adventure in D.C.
April 28 - Trail of Dreams Press Conference
On Wednesday, in front of the White House, the Trail of Dreams held a press conference where they reported that, after requesting three months in advance to meet with the President, the Obama Administration had remained completely unresponsive. Listening, I was thinking about how many times President Obama said during his campaign, "Change starts from the bottom and up," and here I was, filming four young leaders who walked 1,500 miles during the past 4 months for a cause they strongly believe in, yet were left without even a response.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Alonso Chehade on Becoming a Promoter of Positive Change
My name is Alonso, and I am alumni of the Michael G. Foster School of Business at the University of Washington. I am also an undocumented student who has been fighting deportation during the past year. I am still in the country thanks to the support of many, including SEIU, who not only supported me during my struggle with immigration, but has also given me the opportunity to be part of the last phase of the Trail of Dreams, an inspiring story of four students who have walked 15,000 miles from Florida to D.C. to give the undocumented youth a voice.
A year ago, on March 15, 2009, I was stopped by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) authorities, charged, arrested, and sent to jail for two weeks. What’s crazy about this is that I was brought by my parents at the age of 14 through a tourist visa, which then the family overstayed, so it wasn’t really my choice to come here and be undocumented. On top of that, the reason my parents had to immigrate through a tourist visa was because doing it through our U.S. Citizen relatives would have taken more than 10 years, which is literally a big slap in the face. We are talking about the hierarchy of needs here and the reason my family decided to move to another country was because of the lack of the physiological part of it in our home country Peru.
Before my incident with immigration I wasn’t too knowledgeable about the immigration system until it hit me hard. I still remember passionately reading a huge book called “Know your rights” while I was in jail, and that was a turning point in my life. The more I learned, the more I knew that I had to get out there and tell the world.
A year ago, on March 15, 2009, I was stopped by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) authorities, charged, arrested, and sent to jail for two weeks. What’s crazy about this is that I was brought by my parents at the age of 14 through a tourist visa, which then the family overstayed, so it wasn’t really my choice to come here and be undocumented. On top of that, the reason my parents had to immigrate through a tourist visa was because doing it through our U.S. Citizen relatives would have taken more than 10 years, which is literally a big slap in the face. We are talking about the hierarchy of needs here and the reason my family decided to move to another country was because of the lack of the physiological part of it in our home country Peru.
Before my incident with immigration I wasn’t too knowledgeable about the immigration system until it hit me hard. I still remember passionately reading a huge book called “Know your rights” while I was in jail, and that was a turning point in my life. The more I learned, the more I knew that I had to get out there and tell the world.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Congressional Liaision Report | 01.27.2010
The past few weeks have been crazy. Nothing compared to what I was used to with the comforting aura of the holidays filling the Capitol. A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to receive the first draft of the new Immigration Reform Bill (H.R. 4321). One that my Congressman was able to co-sponsor. However, last week with the election of Republican Scott Brown, I’m afraid the news are not as exciting. The fact that we have lost the 60th vote in the Senate only means that progressive reforms like this one will take all our effort and dedication to go through, and at this time I’m afraid in D.C the economy and job creation have taken the front seat. Especially because a lot of the blame on the lost seat is geared towards Martha Coakley's (Democrat opponent) focus on amnesty for undocumented immigrants. It was one of the most hurtful things I have heard this year, but we need to keep fighting!
We still have a lot to find out and I think tomorrow’s State of the Union will be an interesting way to see what’s going on, so make sure to tune in. Obama is probably going to take about an hour to explain a plan that is really going to be a bit painful. Reports say there will be a freeze on domestic spending and this will put a halt to any type of immigration reform. A few weeks ago I read an article in a magazine called Congress Daily that explained that even if Congress and the Senate are ready to talk reform, the only people that will actually get it moving are in the White House. If Obama is not willing to make it a priority, then no one else can.
I would like to add that elections are coming up. Latinos and Latinas give Democrats an incredible boost, and we need to make them aware how much our vote will count on this election year (for those of you who can vote!). If you can't vote don't hesitate and become part of a campaign that shares your ideals. Campaign for them using your Spanish and reach out to the Latino community who is documented, but needs information. Be your community liaison.
On a more positive note, I am posting a couple of videos from a great think-tank in D.C called the Center for American Progress (CAP). Enjoy!
English version:
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2010/01/kelley_video.html
Spanish version:
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2010/01/cardenas_video.html
*Visit Center for American Progress for more information*
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