Global Voices » Hoa Quach

USA: Soldier Homecomings on YouTube

Hoa Quach — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 01:58:20 +0000

After months for some; and years of battle for others - the moment when a soldier returns from duty abroad can capture human emotion like no other. On YouTube, videos of soldiers coming home have multiplied over the past several years.

In this video, a mother cries when she finds her son at home after a six month stint in Afghanistan. Apparently, according to his mom, he got “Bigger.”

Surprising mothers is a trend, at least for some soldiers. This soldier gives his mother the best present she could ever receive on her birthday.

Another soldier caught his son off guard when he visited his school. There isn't much dialogue in the video but the words “Daddy” should say enough for most viewers.

Children aren't the only ones who see their loved ones take off to serve the country. In this final video, the homecoming was sweeter than sweet. A solider receives a warm greeting from his dog.

USA: Undocumented Students Begin Week of Action on February 22

Hoa Quach — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 17:47:29 +0000

Despite the arrival of another year without a pathway for citizenship for undocumented students in the United States, activists continue to rally.

During the week of February 22, supporters of the DREAM Act — a proposed federal bill that could assist more than 65,000 students who arrived in the United States as children to obtain a pathway to legal residency — will host the DREAM Action Week.

The DREAM Act, which has been in limbo in Congress since 2007 although similar bills have been proposed since 2001, is an acronym for the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act. If passed by Congress and signed into law by President Barack Obama, undocumented students who arrived to the U.S. before the age of 16 would be granted “conditional permanent residency.” Though the proposed federal bill remains at a halt, state lawmakers have considered passing other legislation that would assist undocumented youth like in Florida and Tennessee.

Regardless of stalled efforts at legislative levels, groups like DREAM Activist and the United We Dream Network are inviting supporters to take part in free online trainings - “webinars” - to promote the cause of “just and humane immigration reform” in the U.S. Four trainings are on offer: basic guide, recruitment of supporters, legislative analysis and accessing local media.

Utilizing the power of the Internet and citizen media again, DREAM activists are spreading the word of Action Week via different social media outlets. Bloggers of Immigrants in USA have re-posted the information, while hundreds of Tweeps are tweeting about it.

A South Korean-American blogs on the website of Asian Pacific Americans for Progress about the importance of the DREAM Act despite the challenges and asks for fellow undocumented students to not be “silent or ashamed.” She also writes that the issue isn't limited to Latinos but Asian Americans too.

Today, I have a 3.8 GPA while I actively involve in a community. I work hard and push myself to show that anything is possible in this country, despite my undocumented status. And I will continue to push myself to be a role model to other people, especially in the Asian American community.

There are thousands of Asian-American undocumented students who are struggling to live a normal life just like me. Clearly, immigration is not only a Latino issue; it impacts everyone.

And to further keep the momentum despite the nearly nine years of static, Kemi Bello writes on Change.org, that one of the oldest student organizations, United States Student Association, passed a resolution in support of immigration reform and the DREAM Act a top priority in 2010.

The USSA's Board of Directors is composed entirely of college students from across the country, and the organization has an active presence on over 400 college campuses. And this broad coalition of students chose to make the DREAM Act, along with Student Aid Reform, one of its key legislative priorities for 2009 and 2010. It's recent decision to support CIR ASAP stems in large part from the fact that the legislation includes a DREAM Act provision to address the plight of undocumented youth brought to the U.S. at a young age.

But Bello notes in her blog that activism isn't limited to undocumented students but everyone.

The student voice — whether that of an undocumented student, citizen student, LGBT student, student of color, minority student, or veteran student — is awakening in America.

See Global Voices special coverage page on the DREAM Act for more stories on undocumented youth in the United States

USA: New campaign to “Restore Fairness” to deportation proceedings

Hoa Quach — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 00:01:42 +0000

A new online campaign asks lawmakers to “Restore Fairness” to deportation proceedings of immigrants in the United States suspected of being undocumented or in violation of the terms of their visas. Thousands of people are currently incarcerated in detention centers and jails and denied court hearings across the country.

The campaign created by the human rights organization Breakthrough, documents the lives of numerous individuals who have encountered grave injustices in detention centers or in dealing with immigration authorities through a series of videos.

From the About page on Restore Fairness:

“The Restore Fairness campaign is calling on the U.S. government to restore due process and fairness to our immigration system. Since the Declaration of Independence, America has striven to uphold fairness and due process. But today, a broken immigration system denies basic human rights and due process to people who live here. In the aftermath of 9-11, immigrants have borne the brunt of harsh policies, with the U.S. government allowing raids and arrests without warrants, holding thousands in inhumane detention conditions, and deporting people without a fair trial.”

The Restore Fairness campaign encourages Americans to ask their local representatives to help win every individual a “fair day in court”; create legally enforceable detention standards and implement cost effective alternatives to detention; and stop indiscriminate raids and the continued use of local law enforcement to enforce federal immigration law.

They are also asking immigrants who feel their human rights have been violated to share their stories.

Moving images

At the heart of the campaign is a 9-minute documentary created with the assistance of 26 partner organizations. There is also a blog, a Twitter feed, resources for further study of the issue, and videos of several more people who have been wronged.

One story shared was that of Juana Villegas. She was arrested while pregnant and was forced to have her baby while a sheriff stood in her hospital room:

She was taken in for a routine traffic violation that is normally taken care of by a simple citation. This violation (of which she was later cleared) was handled by immigration authorized local police and she was locked up in a jail in her state. Taken to the hospital in chains, she went through labor with a sheriff’s officer standing guard in her hospital room, where one of her feet was cuffed to the bed most of the time.

Juana Villegas: A Pregnant Woman Detained from Breakthrough on Vimeo.

June Everett shared a story too. Not her own story, but that of her sister’s who died while in detainment.

Sandra Kenley, a 52-year-old grandmother, who after living in the U.S. legally for 33 years, was subjected to degrading and grossly inhumane conditions, which led to her untimely death.

Sandra Kenly: Death by Detention from Breakthrough on Vimeo.

Ali also suffered in immigration detention. Born in Pakistan, Ali arrived in New York City to live freely as a gay man. When he was detained though for year, he wasn’t given the medicine he needed as an HIV positive resident.

He says, “There’s no benefit for HIV+ or AIDS people. If you die in your room they don’t care.”

Ali: An HIV+ Man Suffers in Detention from Breakthrough on Vimeo.

The stories of Villegas, Kenley and Ali are sadly not unique. Breakthrough have highlighted the stories of many more people living in the United States. In hopes that the immigration system could be reformed, they encourage viewers to take action:

With your help, we can mobilize members of organizations, groups and individuals to demand that our government uphold the human rights of all people within the immigration system. We need you to take action now. Together, we can stand up for American values of due process and fairness.

USA: Immigrant Students in National Day of Action

Hoa Quach — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 14:57:43 +0000

On Sept. 23, 2009, dreamers across the country raised their voices in a national back-to-school day of action at university campuses across the United States and asked lawmakers for the passage of the DREAM Act.

The DREAM Act is a piece of proposed legislation that has been in limbo for years in the United States. It would create an avenue through which undocumented immigrant students who came to the United States as children could obtain conditional legal residence. While American lawmakers continue to debate whether the act should be passed, thousands upon thousands of students continue to struggle to obtain higher education without knowing whether they will ever be permitted to work in their home country legally.

The National Dream Act Day of Action was initiated by the United We DREAM Coalition and was supported by dozens of organizations across the nation's campuses last week. The day of action was planned to remind government how many thousands of students are affected as they wait for lawmakers to take action.

In a press release from the National Immigration Forum, executive director Ali Noorani said in support of the campaign:

The plight of thousands of students who are culturally American, caught in the limbo of our laws, and who cannot fully integrate into our society remind us of what is at stake in the DREAM Act. Each year that passes by with Congress failing to act on immigration, America looses a vital asset: an educated class of promising immigrant students who have demonstrated a commitment to hard work and a strong desire to be contributing members of our society.

Mainstream media coverage

And if lawmakers weren't paying attention, the dozens of events across the country at least attracted the attention of mainstream media who covered the campaign extensively.

In New Mexico, a campus saw “dozens” of groups join forces to gather signatures for its petition calling lawmakers to support the DREAM Act. In Orlando, Florida, students held posters stating, “What crime did we commit?” and “There are no illegal aliens, only undocumented humans.” And in Wisconsin, one state leader told a media outlet Congress should pass the Act.

The story of Ernestina

Blogger Teresa Puente from Chicanisma wrote about one young woman, who's life is currently on hold because of failure to pass the DREAM Act.

Ernestina came to the United States from Mexico when she was 3 years old.
Her parents brought her here and they overstayed a visa and became undocumented immigrants.

Now she is 19 and has lived in Chicago all her life. She was the valedictorian of her high school class. She is a sophomore at a state university and aspires to become a graphic designer.

But her dream may never come true. Her only chance to become a legal resident is if Congress passes the DREAM Act.

Status of Jorge-Alonso Chehade

Peruvian-American Alonso is currently being threatened with deportation and may be forced to leave the U.S. However, there may still be hope for the 22-year-old, who recently graduated from University of Washington. Alonso was originally scheduled to leave the country last week, but with the assistance of over 3,400 Americans who signed petitions and telephoned officials — his deportation has been delayed. He writes at DreamActivist:

During these difficult times and this endless campaign, it is the support of all you that keeps me running and optimistic. I don’t even know how to thank you enough for co-signing and writing those letters, and making those calls on my behalf. I am still in the country because you cared and did something about it.

But the work isn't over yet for Chehade and his supporters. He's asking Dreamers to turn up the pressure on senators and allow for him to stay in the country he's known for the majority of his adult life.

I humbly ask you to keep making those calls. Keep urging Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell to introduce a private bill that will stop my deportation for the long term.

See Global Voices special coverage page about the DREAM Act

USA: Deportations Feared as New School Year Begins

Hoa Quach — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 21:09:21 +0000

A proposed bill that would resolve the legal status of approximately 65,000 undocumented students in the United States is still in limbo as another school year begins this month.

The DREAM Act, an eight-year-old bill that was reintroduced to the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate in March 2009, would create the opportunity for “good” students who arrived in the United States as children to obtain conditional legal residency.

As politicians deliberate, students across the country are seeing their education goals disrupted as threats of deportation arise. Some, are seeking support to get their deportations delayed until their fate would be determined by the new law.

“I qualify for the DREAM Act”

Jorge-Alonso Chehade recently graduated from the University of Washington with a business degree. Unlike the thousands of fresh college graduates who are busy seeking employment though, Alonso is protesting for his right to remain in the U.S.

Alsonso was born in Peru and brought to the U.S. by his parents eight years ago at the age of 14. A couple of months before graduating, Alonso found himself in a difficult situation.

In an email sent via the Dreamactivist.org network to supporters, Alonso explains:

“On March 14, 2009, I and a friend went to visit some friends at Western Washington University and rather than driving back home late at night we decided to stay at our friends' place. The next morning, not being familiar with the area we took a wrong turn on the highway and ended up near the Canadian Border. I was stopped by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) authorities and when it was discovered that I was undocumented.”

Alonso is scheduled to be deported to Peru on September 25. His flight is on September 17. With the help of other young immigrant-rights activists, he has started campaign to ask Americans for support. There is an online petition, a Facebook group, and a push to call the Department of Homeland Security.

In this video, Alonso describes his situation and why he believes people should support him.

There are other videos on YouTube in the same channel, including this video highlighting his achievements:

Another dream on hold

As described on Global Voices last month, Herta Llusho, a 19-year-old college student born in Albania, was facing deportation on August 19, but eventually had her deportation date deferred thanks to a similar campaign led by the Dream activists.

She has been given until November 9, and is using the time to encourage more Americans to support her.

On Take Part, education blogger Melanie Smollin wrote in support of Herta:

“Herta and her family still need your help. She was given an order of supervision, and told to appear at her local DHS office with her mother on November 9th, which means she isn’t out of the woods just yet. She can still be detained at any time.

Deporting this educated, talented, and ambitious young woman who is committed to becoming a productive citizen and serving her community would be an utterly senseless act, and would cause more harm than good.”

DREAM Act Day of Action: September 23

With the knowledge that thousands of undocumented students could be affected by deportation — the United We Dream Network is asking supporters to join forces on September 23 and declare a Back to School Dream Act Day of Action.

The group hopes to promote the DREAM Act legislation with rallies across the country on college campuses.

Buoyed by the success of a previous Dream Act Graduation Day on June 23, where 500 people made their way to Washington DC, they say they are confident another nationwide event will be successful:

“This time, we are going back to school to let Congress know we are part of the communities they represent.

USA: “I am getting deported on Wednesday”

Hoa Quach — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 19:14:06 +0000

Update: When Herta reported to the authorities on August 19 she was told she can remain in the country until November 9. She says there was a 9-inch stack of letters from supporters that her attorney has asked be added to her file. The campaign continues.

Herta Llusho is a 19-year old student at risk of being deported from the United States to Albania on Wednesday, August 19.

Bloggers at DreamActivist.org and other immigrant rights blogs are calling on Americans to help delay her deportation until new legislation is enacted that would enable her to stay.

And they have listed numerous ways for people to help, including: calling senators and congress members, joining groups and organizations or by simply blogging about her story.

Herta's Story

Herta is a freshman at the University of Detroit Mercy, majoring in electrical engineering.

Eight years ago, as a child, Herta arrived in the United States from Albania with her mother, in pursuit of the ‘American dream'. She graduated middle school and high school with good grades.

Llusho (third from the left) with friends during her high school graduation ceremony.

By definition, Herta is an “undocumented immigrant” but her family have been trying to obtain legal status for her since her first year in the U.S. On August 19, their hopes for her future may be shattered. This is when the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) plan to return her to Albania.

In an email sent to Dreamactivist.org subscribers, Hersha writes:

“Despite our best efforts, on August 19, I will be removed by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from the only place I know as my home. I will be sent back to a country that has become a foreign place to me. I don't even speak Albanian well anymore.”

Herta’s father stayed in Albania, while her mother and siblings ventured across the Atlantic Ocean.

“My parents brought me to the United States because they believed in the promises this country had to offer. To them it was the land of opportunities, values, and ideals. They were faithful believers of the American Dream, meaning that through hard work, education, and good character their children could accomplish anything they wanted.”

In this video made with Kyle de Beausset from Citizen Orange, Herta explains what she is going through.

Blogging for Llusho

Several bloggers have written about Herta and encouraged their readers to fight for her cause, including American Humanity, B-Listed, Documenting Me, Nuestra Voice and Standing FIRM.

Change.org is hosting an online petition to help Herta, and the SEIU (Service Employees International Union) is facilitating phone calls to senators on their website. On Facebook Herta's cause has attracted more than 2000 supporters.

Kyle from, Citizen Orange wrote about meeting with Herta and her older brother Lirjon, who has a student visa.

“Lirjon and Herta are incredible people. Herta is especially lucky to have a brother like Lirjon who has been tirelessly advocating for her. Even in the short time that Lirjon and Herta introduced themselves to my family, they had a huge impact. It was a special moment for me, too. My family is used to seeing me type away at a computer. This was the first time they got to meet the real people whose lives I'm affecting.

He continues:

“Herta would probably not want me to describe it this way, but the U.S. has spit in her face and she has responded only with love. That deep, true, and endearing love in the face of injustice, when acted upon even by one person, does more for the betterment of the universe than millions of angry demonstraters will ever do. By fighting to stay in the U.S., Herta is participating in what Gandhi would call “satyagraha”, which the Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. often translated into “truth-force” or “love-force.” Those who support Herta are participating in satyagraha, too.”

“I continue to believe…”

With the support of DreamActivist, Citizen Orange, and many others - Herta has shared her story with the world. Their hope is that a proposed bill called The DREAM Act will be passed soon. It would allow undocumented students, like Herta, to become legal residents depending on certain prerequisites, like age of arrival and years of study.

Although federal lawmakers first rejected the bill in 2007, it was re-introduced with some changes in March 2009 and supporters hope that it could gain enough support to be passed with President Barack Obama in office. Should it pass, it is estimated that around 65,000 undocumented students who entered the U.S. as children would be permitted to stay.

Herta hopes that her life may take the same turn as another 18-year old undocumented immigrant and student, Taha in New Jersey. Taha, would have been sent back to his ancestral home of Bangladesh – however, after support from two senators and other Americans – Homeland Security deferred his deportation.

Now, Herta is asking for the same.

“Help me delay my deportation until I finish college or until the DREAM Act is passed. Help renew the promise of the American Dream for me, so that together we can work renew the promise of the American Dream for everyone”

USA: The battle over medical marijuana

Hoa Quach — Wed, 27 May 2009 17:13:56 +0000

Photo by Neeta Lind on Flickr

In the United States, 13 states currently allow citizens to use marijuana for medicinal purposes, but even these limited rights are under threat. In response, many Americans have created blogs to support and extend the legalization of marijuana.

The American debate over legalizing marijuana (cannabis) can be traced back to the early 1900s when people began using it for recreational purposes. More than one hundred years have passed and the debate hasn't loss one ounce of heat.

State vs. federal law in courts

In February, Attorney General Eric Holder announced that the federal government would no longer raid medical marijuana clubs that abide by state laws. Despite this announcement, those opposing the drug are still fighting the battle. Most recently, a Republican Senator in Oklahoma, Tom Coburn, introduced an amendment to a bill that would force states to abide by the federal government, which has not yet passed a bill to legalize marijuana nationwide. The amendment failed to pass by a narrow vote on May 21.

A blogger for NORML Daily Stash, Dudemaster, quoted from an article on Opposing Views by Americans for Safe Access about the foiled attempt to stop medical marijuana:

“At present, the only way for medical marijuana to be properly evaluated by the FDA is for privately-funded sponsors to conduct FDA-approved clinical trials (like any other drug evaluation). If Senator Coburn’s intentions with regard to the medical efficacy of marijuana were genuine, he would consider first removing the monopoly imposed by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) on licenses for the cultivation of medical-grade cannabis for research purposes. Currently, the DEA exclusively licenses the cultivation of medical-grade cannabis to the National Institute for Drug Abuse (NIDA), which primarily investigates only the negative effects of cannabis. This monopoly obstructs any investigation and research in the U.S. into the medical properties of cannabis and thwarts the normal drug approval process.

In California, a longtime legal battle also came to an end earlier this month. Two counties, San Diego and San Bernardino, attempted to overturn a 1996 state law that allows the medical usage of marijuana by bringing the case to the U.S. Supreme Court. They lost the case on May 18. Scott Morgan of the Stop the Drug War Organization blogged about the counties' court loss:

“For the hundredth time, conflict with federal law is not an obstacle to passing and implementing state laws that permit medical marijuana. Federal law enforcement can come in and cause trouble, but that doesn’t make state laws invalid. Those laws still apply and provide valuable protection against state police, who patients are more likely to come in contact with.

The very idea that federal law somehow cancels out state policies is just some made-up nonsense that enemies of medical marijuana have been spewing in desperation for several years now. Nice try, but you're wrong. Case closed.”

Medical marijuana club in San Francisco, by Thomas Hawk on Flickr

Joe Elford from Americans for Safe Access blogged at Medical Cannabis: Voices from the frontlines about his experience in a court room in California on May 26 where he presented an oral argument in favor of medical marijuana. The case concerns a group of cannabis patients who claim to have been harassed by the sheriff's department.

I had an oral argument before the Court of Appeal for the Third Appellate District, which is a state court in Sacramento. The case is Williams v. Butte County , which involves a small patient collective, which was harassed by the Butte County Sheriff’s Office. Specifically, Williams and six other patients pooled their labor and resources to maintain a 41-plant garden on Williams’ property. During one of the notorious Butte County sweeps several years ago, Deputy Sheriff Jacob Hancock came to Williams’ property without a warrant and required him to tear down all but twelve of the plants upon threat of arrest…

Blogging for marijuana rights

Although medical marijuana is legal in California, only 12 other states have adopted the same policy. This leaves many advocates constantly campaigning to legalize the drug nationwide. Advocates have taken their protest to the blogosphere, often listing the many reasons why marijuana is beneficial.

On the blog of the Marijuana Policy Project, MPP Blog, Bruce Mirken presents a study that shows cannabis can help against colorectal cancer, and insists that medical marijuana “is not just about getting high”.

The Stimulist gives five reasons why he think marijuana will be legalized - including the fact that baby boomers are growing older; the decline in the popularity of the drug war; and the economic benefits:

“California’s economy is hurting, and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is looking for any way he can to make some money. San Quentin and the L.A. Coliseum are for sale, but the most drastic measure he’s taken is calling for a study on legalizing dope. “Creating extra revenues, I’m always for an open debate on it,” he said earlier this month.”

Entire online news communities about marijuana have been created, including maps that show users where to find the nearest cannabis clubs, photo sharing communities and forums.

Despite, its many supporters - opposition is still strong and therefore, a federal law legalizing marijuana may be far down the road. Deb-HAS-grn write a forum post at Green Passion about a conversation she had recently with her son.

“I was talking to my son a few months ago about my love of growing and my new place on the internet, Green Passion, I also was saying to him, As I get older my desire to need to see pot legalized grows stronger and stronger. His words responding to that should not of surprised me as I have thought the same myself, but at the time when he said to me, Mom I am sorry to say this but I honestly don't think they will legalize marijuana for many many years to come. It kind of hit me hard hearing those words and thinking I may never see the day that I would be legal to grow and smoke as I please. And I am not talking about the first much needed legalization of medical marijuana in all countries, I am talking about the freedom to do as I please when I please when it comes to weed.”

USA: Blogging from Prison

Hoa Quach — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 00:41:34 +0000

Reading books, playing cards, or learning new skills, are some of the tips on how to deal with going to jail offered by former inmate Sam Stanfield on Ezine @rticles. But for the 1 in 100 adults in prisons across the USA, another pastime can now be blogging – at least via someone on the outside with access to a computer.

Blogging from prison is becoming more and more widespread.

Shaun Attwood

Shaun Atwood, a former prisoner, now maintains a blog titled, Jon’s Jail Journal, in which he posts letters from imprisoned Americans.

Late last year, he received a letter from “lifer” Renee, who was sentenced to 60 years in an Arizona prison when she was only a teenager. Renee writes that she works and goes to school, and also describes other prison happenings.

“You asked what I think of chow. Oh that made me laugh. I can not eat in the kitchen. I’ve seen them pull a cockroach out of the soup and keep serving it. I’ve seen the trays on the yard and the pigeons eating out of them. Raw chicken lying about not covered up. It grosses me out.”

Shannon Park

Also in Arizona, is Shannon Park, a writer and human rights activist. Park writes on his blog, Persevering Prison Pages, that his prison complex is lacking staff.

“Contrary to popular belief and information provided to Arizona's lawmakers and tax-payers, filled COII positions in the ADOC are lacking. Enough so that guards must be pulled from other units to keep the minimal number of guards needed to keep a unit running. And lawmakers are currently in the process of reducing the number of COII's in ADOC by 614. Being short staffed while over-crowded can be very harmful. Especially in a place riddled with drugs, frustration, hunger, animosity and addicts who believe they have nothing to lose.”

Park goes on to describe some of the activities of other cell members including use of heroine and other drugs. He says monitoring is lacking because of diminished staff.

On the blog, Friends of Prisoners, a recent post asks readers to become pen pals with four prisoners who are mentally ill. One is James Schmeisser from Wisconsin who writes that he is isolated.

“Hello to those who are caring, loving and understanding. I am at this time under considerable duress due to my current situation. I’m isolated for 24 hours a day 3X a week and 23 hours 4X a week. I have no family support, moral support, friend support etc. As most people I have made mistakes and my kids and I have suffered and I actually don’t know what to do. The devil has been actively destroying everything in my life. Including my attempts to be a better man, my back is up against the wall and truly I am suffering mentally, emotionally and physically.”

Activism is also alive in prison with a group called SHAC7, who were imprisoned for “campaigning to close down the notorious animal testing lab, Huntingdon Life Sciences.”

One of the group’s members, Josh Harper has a self-titled blog. In his latest post, he writes that he continues to fight, and refuses to consider the prison his home.

“As of today the state has stolen the last two years of my life. On November 16th of 2006, I walked into the nearby Federal Detention Center, was stripped naked, given a jumpsuit, and thrown in a cell for advocating controversial tactics to shut down an animal lab.

The first inmates I met gave me some advice— try to forget you are here. Don’t think about the time. Do your best not to remember the outside world. What awful advice! Although it might make my life harder, I’m relieved that I still bristle at incarceration. I never want to be one of the fully domesticated folks who slowly stop seeing the bars and razor wire and start to consider this place home. I hate prison with a passion. That lets me know I’m still sane.”

USA: Marrying for Love and Country

Hoa Quach — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 15:13:08 +0000

Whether for love or for visa, deciding whether to marry is never an easy thing. In the United States, where more than 12 million people live as “undocumented” immigrants, falling in love and getting married to an American is one way legal status can be resolved.

According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security 1,052,415 people obtained “legal status” in the United States in 2007. Of these, 274,358 people obtained it by marrying U.S. citizens.

On the website of anti-immigration advocacy group Center for Immigration Studies, David Seminara questions how many of these thousands of marriages were really for love, and highlights examples of mail-order brides, arranged marriages, and money exchanging hands.

Plenty of immigrant bloggers discuss their own thoughts on marriage and documents in the United States.

Marriage of inconvenience

El Random Hero in California writes that as an undocumented migrant, friends and family have suggested marriage to him as an option, but that he finds the idea too far-fetched:

“It's one of the hardest things to do for me personally really. Being of illegal status in this country I feel that this is a burden I should carry alone. Of course countless friends have joked and suggested that I get married to an American girl and get my papers. 9-11 changed the world forever and its affects are still being felt in waves. Getting married is no longer a viable option because immigration has seriously started preventing and prosecuting individuals involved with green card marriages. Then there are the moral ramifications of spitting on the sacred act that is marriage so I'm left at a cross road.”

In another blog, Damn Mexicans, the blogger discusses a newspaper article about Julia and Gustavo, two siblings who came to the United States at age 11 and 18. Gustavo married an American citizen, but Julia remains undocumented as she works her way through college.

“…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.”

“Till death do us part”

According to the organization, Surviving Spouses Against Deportation, some people are threatened with deportation when their “legal” husband or wife dies.

“Because of a flaw in the law, legal spouses of American citizens face automatic denial and threat of deportation when their spouses die during lengthy bureaucratic green card processing. There are over one hundred eighty of these cases across the country affecting women, mothers and children.”

Blogger My life as an Alien discusses one case.

“Dahianna Heard, the widow of Jeffrey Heard, killed in March 2006 when the Army soldier was shot in the head by insurgents while delivering equipment to U.S. troops in Iraq. Dahianna Heard, a citizen of Venezuela who lives in Florida, now could be deported even though she and her husband had applied for her residency permit and were awaiting completion of the paperwork. They also had a son who is a U.S. citizen but faces an uncertain future if his mother is deported.”

The blogger writes that she has gone through all the “hurdles” to gain citizenship but can understand how the spouses must feel.

“It is hard to move to a new country, it is a big adjustment. And after you make this new place a home, the old country is not home anymore. I can’t imagine losing my husband and then my home.”

Broken dreams, strong hearts

Amy is a U.S. citizen living in Chicago, Illinois while her husband Carlos, once an undocumented migrant, is now living in Monterrey, Mexico. Amy writes in their shared blog, Destinazione Paradiso that because Carlos migrated from Mexico to the United States “illegally” as a teenager, he faces legal problems that even a marriage can't fix.

“You see, contrary to popular belief (blog post on THAT coming soon), people brought into the US illegally can't simply fix their status by returning to their home countries and asking for a visa. Nor can they fix it automatically by marrying a US citizen. And while generally, crimes committed as a minor are viewed differently than those committed as an adult, in the immigration world, age doesn't matter: you can be held to the same penalties whether you entered illegally at age 8 or 58.
Carlos' immigration story just happens to cross not one, but TWO grey areas of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1996. It happens that while the law forgot to specifically address minors in certain areas of the Act, the US consulate in Mexico has recently decided to apply its own rules and treat minors identically to adults.”

In October 2008, Carlos was given the verdict that he could no longer legally enter the United States. His wife Amy wrote:

“Well, sadly, our year-long immigration adventure has experienced a violent and devastating collision with the reality of immigration law. After nearly 11 months, two humiliating Mexican jobs, thousands of dollars, 9 international flights, endless hopes and dreams, and tons of prayers, we are left empty-handed. As things stand right now, Carlos is banned from entering the US for life, and there is no opportunity for a waiver. This was always a possibility, sort of the worst-case scenario, but this is now our only scenario.”

Nevertheless, Amy writes that the fight continues.

Photo of wedding ring above is shared under Creative Commons license by Pictr30D on flickr.

USA: Blogging their Dreams of Citizenship

Hoa Quach — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 01:57:43 +0000

Each year, thousands of children are brought to the United States by undocumented immigrant parents and can go through regular public schooling without ever acquiring legal residency. Even if they have never known another country, they are at constant risk of being deported to their birth countries as they grow up.

A proposal for a law that would allow undocumented students to become legal residents, the DREAM Act, has so far been rejected by U.S. legislators in 2007 (similar bills were also rejected in 2001 and 2006). At least 65,000 undocumented students would benefit from its passage.

Days before President Barack Obama was inaugurated, more than 655,000 people participated in an online vote about which issues American activist website Change.org should focus on in 2009. Thanks to campaigning from DreamACTivist.org and other online immigrant activists, passing this law was selected as one of the top 10 priorities.

It’s personal

A post-graduate student and DREAMActivist in California named Prerna, describes her personal blog as, “part of a growing network of pro-migrant voices online that seek to counter the hatred and ignorance spewed by hate groups and promote meaningful immigration reform.” It's called No Borders and Binaries.

On DesiCritics, Prerna has also written about her struggle to stay in the United States. Because she is 24, she cannot claim legal U.S. residency even though her entire family has legal status. Her only “option” is to get married.

She raises other personal issues:

“Fiji: The country where I was born tells me that I am a colonizer, that I don't belong there.

India, Pakistan and Bangladesh: The countries of my ancestry predetermine me as a criminal even though I have never stepped foot anywhere in the Indian subcontinent.

The United States of America: The country where I have spent close to a decade, continues to demand a Green Card and a nine-digit number in order to accept me, regardless of the fact that the rest of my family comprises tax-paying citizens and legal permanent residents.”

Another blogger, “Somfolnalco”, a Mexican immigrant who received a university degree in 2007, questions what exactly being “illegal” means in his blog, Documenting Me.

“I would like to take this time to clarify something.

I (insert my name here) am NOT prohibited by law.

So why does this inaccurate label refuse to detach itself from me? Well because it makes things easier.

By labeling me as “illegal” I am suddenly robbed of the ability to be identified as a part of society. I am robbed of my humanity. Which in turn makes it easier for others to deny me of rights, to deny me of an identity, in essence to deny me of my being.”

Blogger Marip0sa, who is also “undocumented” explores the similarities and differences between her and “documented” Americans.

Many other voices can be found blogging across the country, including: Maria M. from Pennsylvania blogs about what the DREAM Act means on Give These Kids a Chance; “El Random Hero” living in California writes about the “Green Card Marriage,” on his blog, American Wetback; and, Alexander Spero writes about his experiences on his blog, Dreaming to Live.

The controversy from the DREAM Act is also present on YouTube, where students at the University of California in Los Angeles tell their stories in the video below. The same video was shown in a congressional hearing in May 2007.

In July 2007, students in California also posted numerous videos from a week long fast to campaign for the DREAM Act.

Is the DREAM Act fair?

For blogger Maegan la Mala of VivirLatino, the issue is personal because it affects her friends.

“I have friends who are finishing their college education pero can't find jobs because they don't have papers. I know students who are graduating high school but worry about college as an option because they don't have papers. While generally I am wary of promoting that a certain class of immigrant should be “legalized” over another, because I feel it promotes the classist ideal that only “educated” immigrants should have access to a status out of the shadows, the DREAM Act is worthwhile because it is a step in helping a younger generation of immigrants move forward and don't we all deserve the access to make ourselves better? Isn't that what that whole “American Dream” talk is about.”

Mala adds that another problem with the proposed legislation is the requirement of beneficiaries to enlist in the military.

Although the DREAM Act has a number of supporters who are immigrants, one commentator on Latina Lista, latnszzl, writes that the DREAM Act would be a “burden” despite the fact that she is also from an immigrant family.

“I am for giving people opportunities, but what I have a problem with when immigrants come here and want more education, is that the tax dollars necessary for that education are shrinking in these tough times.

Further, do Americans have the same opportunities in the countries mentioned by the applicants who want to stay? I think not. There is a double standard, that excludes foreigners from attending their institutions (not that I would want to).”