Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano says her “‘hands are tied” on immigration reform, but some activists have been successful in delaying deportation of young people.
By Erin Rosa
November 18, 2009
Janet Napolitano speaks at the Center For American Progress.
In her first major speech on immigration since becoming the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano spoke at the Center for American Progress on Friday about the need for immigration reform, noting “how difficult the current laws can be on families.”
But when it comes to the thousands of undocumented young people who were brought into the United States when they were babies or small children, Napolitano also lamented in a recent interview with Think Progress that “our hands are tied” until legislation can be passed to address the issue.
Not so, if we look at recent cases of those who arrived here when they were young. Young people, propelled by successful community organizing, have teamed up with lawmakers and other national groups to pressure the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to defer deportation proceedings for at least four students this year alone.
These young people have been called DREAMers after the proposed Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act, federal legislation that would create special rules for immigrants who entered the United States before they were 16. These young people, under the DREAM Act, would have the option to eventually become citizens after meeting certain requirements. Activist groups argue that undocumented youth deserve a path to citizenship and shouldn’t be punished for an immigration status for which they are not responsible.
Currently, there is no legal distinction between immigrants who willingly crossed U.S. borders as adults and those who entered the United States as children. Walter Lara, now 23, entered the country when he was only 3. Lara grew up and pursued his dreams without papers or a social security number with no path to citizenship. Taha Mowla, an 18-year-old high school graduate, was brought to the United States from Bangladesh when he was a toddler and doesn’t even know the Bengali alphabet. Both of these young people managed to defer deportation, at least, for now.
After excelling at high school, Lara graduated with honors from Miami Dade College in 2006. Lara was accosted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and later given deportation papers, forcing him to move back to Argentina, a country he didn’t remember and with which he had no current connections. In July, Lara, who by then was living in Florida, was set to be deported on Independence Day weekend.
The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) has been working with the social networking site DREAMactivist.org, which has been on the frontlines working to pressure the government to halt the deportations. The SEIU took up Lara’s cause, even posting the following YouTube video in which he says he will be deported:
“I will be deported this July 4 weekend, unless the DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano steps in and stops my deportation,” Lara wrote on an SEIU blog during the campaign. “I know that Secretary Napolitano will hear our calls.”
On July 1, five days before Lara was set to be deported, voicemail boxes at the DHS were full of messages from activists pleading to delay Lara’s deportation. Hours later, on the same day, Lara was given as least one more year to stay in the country.
Mowla achieved the same results just a few weeks later. He was set to be deported on July 29. The federal government halted his deportation five days before that date, thanks in part to another massive campaign spurred by Lara’s success.
“Their success was based on their own organizing through their personal networks and the use of social networking sites,” says Ali Jost with SEIU, who specializes on immigration matters. Jost has assisted with numerous efforts to stop pending deportations against undocumented youths.
“Their campaigns started with Facebook group pages, which provided SEIU with a base of supporters to organize and channel their activism in the form of calls and letters to the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement,” Jost says.
But the success of the cases of Lara and Mowla are just two in the sea of undocumented immigrants that came here as children.
“It’s a challenge because Department of Homeland Security’s job, unfortunately, is to enforce the broken laws as they are on the books,” Jost says. “Until we can fix those broader laws, it’s critical that youth advocates get involved in our online efforts to support these DREAMers and show the real costs of our broken immigration system.”
It’s currently unknown when the DREAM Act, introduced to the Senate in March, will come to a vote. Napolitano acknowledged in her immigration speech last week that the Obama administration plans to tackle immigration reform sometime in 2010.
Erin Rosa is an associate editor at Campus Progress. Follow her on Twitter.
We think that today’s administration under President Obama or previous political parties had a goal of enforcing our immigration laws. But corrupt politicians intervened on behalf of the open border fanatics and special interest lobbyists. As with E-Verify that has become a spotlighted enforcement law, because it was originally nearly tabled by Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA). But public uproar caused them to forcibly change their decisions and fully fund E-Verify for another 3 years. WITHOUTPUBLICSUPPORTTHEYWOULDNOTHAVE CAVED-IN? Right now it is the—ONLY—true enforcement tool implemented, but it is only as good—IF—business owners are forced to use it. Even though hundreds of thousands of companies have now decided to apply it, yet it is not MANDATORY? It is up to the discretion of employers? In a few states Representatives have introduced it into law, as with the fed’s issuing an ultimatum that all contractors/subcontractors must use E-Verify. Remember E-Verify does not need buses for deportation? Those here will self-deport. It will take time, but without access to jobs—THEYEVENTUALLYWILLLEAVE. THEYCALL IT “ATTRITION?”
Justifiably bloggers should be either criticized for their anti-sovereignty stand, or praised for informing the unaware public of the taxpayers money needed to fund a 2009-2010 Comprehensive Immigration Reform. Rewarding the millions already illegally squatting here, with the costs to support families, children and those kin who will come here through sponsorship. THENTHEMILLIONSMOREWHOHAVEHEARDTHECALLFORAMNESTYANDRUSH TO GETHEREFROMPOORNATIONS, BEFORETHENEWLAW MATERIALIZES?
House Judiciary Committee’s Ranking Member Lamar Smith (R-Texas) wrote an op-ed for the Washington Times today He stated that the Washington Times had slammed the Obama Administration for hardened enforcement. While the opposite reaction came from the open border advocates saying there was too much enforcement. However Rep. Smith determined the opposite? This is his statement:-
* Rescinding of the “no-match” rule that prevents the Social Security Administration from contacting employers when a new hires name and social security number don’t match their records. “Without this protection, many employers will continue to employ individuals they know are illegal and are taking jobs that should go to citizens and legal residents,” Smith said.
* Repeal of REAL ID in lieu of PASS ID, which makes it easier for illegal aliens to obtain a driver’s license. “This makes it easier for illegal immigrants to stay in the country. And it can provide terrorists with a legitimate ID – as we saw with the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorists, who between them obtained 30 driver’s licenses and ID cards,” Smith said.
* Lack of funding for an airport biometric exit system that is part of a DHS proposal to monitor when foreign visitors leave the country. “40 percent of all 12 million to 20 million illegal immigrants in the United States entered the country legally but overstayed their visas. This program will show who did not leave the country when they should have,” Smith said.
* Restricted the 287(g) program by limiting the ways local law enforcement officials can help federal immigration enforcement officials.
* No funding for border fence, which was required by the Secure Fence Act of 2006.
* Signing the CHIP bill making it easier for illegal aliens to get health care.
* Reduced work site enforcement by shifting the focus away from the illegal workers and onto the businesses that hire them.
* Allow states to provide in-state tuition to illegal aliens even though it violate federal law.
Reading the Washington Times indicates to me, that they are pro illegal immigration, that is not in the American workers interest. They have consistently reacted to any enforcement of laws. They are obviously adverse to any immigration restriction, as the majority of the national press have indicated to us. Unlike the rural media who do not condone DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano’s rush to OVERPOPULATION through another BLANKET AMNESTY? Grade your Senator of Congressman/Woman on NUMBERSUSA website. Call them and reprimand them for approving another AMNESTY or anything else at 202-224-3121. The people of America have been blindsided to long and must become more involved. We all no by now we cannot trust our government anymore to do the right thing for all of us. To survive we must fight back or financially—SINK. Washington is truly a corrupt place, where taxpayers money is the bargaining chip. Read all at JUDICIALWATCH, CAPSWEB, ALIPAC, AMERICANPATROL & THEDARKSIDE OF ILLEGALIMMIGRATION.
Deportation is a complicated subject. It doesn’t affect only one person but also this person’s family. I wrote the story of Rafael Morales, a 21-years-old New Yorker, who was kept in an Immigration Detention Center for ten months. He is now free. He doesn’t even want to imagine how his life would it be if he was deported to the Dominican Republic. In this post you can also listen to him.
!
We think that today’s administration under President Obama or previous political parties had a goal of enforcing our immigration laws. But corrupt politicians intervened on behalf of the open border fanatics and special interest lobbyists. As with E-Verify that has become a spotlighted enforcement law, because it was originally nearly tabled by Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA). But public uproar caused them to forcibly change their decisions and fully fund E-Verify for another 3 years. WITHOUT PUBLIC SUPPORT THEY WOULD NOT HAVE CAVED-IN? Right now it is the—ONLY—true enforcement tool implemented, but it is only as good—IF—business owners are forced to use it. Even though hundreds of thousands of companies have now decided to apply it, yet it is not MANDATORY? It is up to the discretion of employers? In a few states Representatives have introduced it into law, as with the fed’s issuing an ultimatum that all contractors/subcontractors must use E-Verify. Remember E-Verify does not need buses for deportation? Those here will self-deport. It will take time, but without access to jobs—THEY EVENTUALLY WILL LEAVE. THEY CALL IT “ATTRITION?”
Justifiably bloggers should be either criticized for their anti-sovereignty stand, or praised for informing the unaware public of the taxpayers money needed to fund a 2009-2010 Comprehensive Immigration Reform. Rewarding the millions already illegally squatting here, with the costs to support families, children and those kin who will come here through sponsorship. THEN THE MILLIONS MORE WHO HAVE HEARD THE CALL FOR AMNESTY AND RUSH TO GET HERE FROM POOR NATIONS, BEFORE THE NEW LAW MATERIALIZES?
House Judiciary Committee’s Ranking Member Lamar Smith (R-Texas) wrote an op-ed for the Washington Times today He stated that the Washington Times had slammed the Obama Administration for hardened enforcement. While the opposite reaction came from the open border advocates saying there was too much enforcement. However Rep. Smith determined the opposite? This is his statement:-
* Rescinding of the “no-match” rule that prevents the Social Security Administration from contacting employers when a new hires name and social security number don’t match their records. “Without this protection, many employers will continue to employ individuals they know are illegal and are taking jobs that should go to citizens and legal residents,” Smith said. * Repeal of REAL ID in lieu of PASS ID, which makes it easier for illegal aliens to obtain a driver’s license. “This makes it easier for illegal immigrants to stay in the country. And it can provide terrorists with a legitimate ID – as we saw with the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorists, who between them obtained 30 driver’s licenses and ID cards,” Smith said. * Lack of funding for an airport biometric exit system that is part of a DHS proposal to monitor when foreign visitors leave the country. “40 percent of all 12 million to 20 million illegal immigrants in the United States entered the country legally but overstayed their visas. This program will show who did not leave the country when they should have,” Smith said. * Restricted the 287(g) program by limiting the ways local law enforcement officials can help federal immigration enforcement officials. * No funding for border fence, which was required by the Secure Fence Act of 2006. * Signing the CHIP bill making it easier for illegal aliens to get health care. * Reduced work site enforcement by shifting the focus away from the illegal workers and onto the businesses that hire them. * Allow states to provide in-state tuition to illegal aliens even though it violate federal law.Reading the Washington Times indicates to me, that they are pro illegal immigration, that is not in the American workers interest. They have consistently reacted to any enforcement of laws. They are obviously adverse to any immigration restriction, as the majority of the national press have indicated to us. Unlike the rural media who do not condone DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano’s rush to OVERPOPULATION through another BLANKET AMNESTY? Grade your Senator of Congressman/Woman on NUMBERSUSA website. Call them and reprimand them for approving another AMNESTY or anything else at 202-224-3121. The people of America have been blindsided to long and must become more involved. We all no by now we cannot trust our government anymore to do the right thing for all of us. To survive we must fight back or financially—SINK. Washington is truly a corrupt place, where taxpayers money is the bargaining chip. Read all at JUDICIAL WATCH, CAPSWEB, ALIPAC, AMERICAN PATROL & THE DARK SIDE OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION.
— Brittanicus - Nov 18, 06:13 PM - #help me please usa please please
— mamadi kaba - Nov 19, 11:54 PM - #Deportation is a complicated subject. It doesn’t affect only one person but also this person’s family. I wrote the story of Rafael Morales, a 21-years-old New Yorker, who was kept in an Immigration Detention Center for ten months. He is now free. He doesn’t even want to imagine how his life would it be if he was deported to the Dominican Republic. In this post you can also listen to him.
blogs.journalism.cun…
— Carla Candia - Nov 20, 07:50 PM - #