Thread: Chicagoans stop deportation bus

Windy City Times

Chicagoans stop deportation bus From a press release 2013-11-19 November 19, 2013 ( Chicago, IL ) — Twelve Chicagoans have attached themselves to a deportation bus full of immigrants headed to the airport to be separated from their families. The immigrants on the bus include Octavio Nava and Brigido Acosta Luis, who have been the focus of national campaigns, and who are considered "priority for deportation" due to their past immigration histories. Their families, along with action participants, are urging President Obama to use his administrative powers to expand prosecutorial discretion for people who have crossed the border back to reunite with their families. This is the second action today, after immigrants in Atlanta shut down the local ICE Field Office."All my son wanted was to be next to us. They didn't even let me give them a hug goodbye. It's not fair that President Obama has the power to stop deportations and keep this family together," said Maria Luisa Sanchez, mother of Octavio Nava Cabrera after seeing her son before he was put on the deportation bus headed to O'Hare airport. "We have fought so hard. I don't think any family should go through this," she concluded. The group describes the separation of these families as heartbreaking. "Our mothers and fathers should not drive home from work fearing that a traffic stop will lead to deportation, like in Octavio's case," said Arianna Salgado, 21, queer undocumented leader with the West Suburban Immigrant Collective, a member of Undocumented Illinois, the organization leading the action. "The separation of these families is what enforcement looks like. Even here in Illinois every day that the President doesn't take action is a day that more parents don't come home," she concluded. This action is part of the national campaign calling for "Not One More" deportation, calling on President Obama to take action to stop deportations, and address his egregious record of deporting close to 2 million people during his term. Specifically, they are asking the President to use his administrative action to take the "priority" label off those who have re-entered the United States after being deported. These individuals are not a threat to the community, have contributed to this country, have built a life in the United States, and have no criminal record or no more than a minor misdemeanor. Those who have re-entered the United States are also a group that could have qualified under the Senate version of the immigration bill that was supported by the President, yet continue to be a high priority for deportation. Undocumented immigrants who have been deported in the past are at high risk for being separated from their families, regardless of whether they have children, criminal records, or have lived in the country for more than 10 years. Considered "high-priority" for deportation under Immigration and Customs Enforcement criteria. This means that if immigration authorities detain them, they can be deported without contest or being able to apply for relief, they can be permanently barred from gaining lawful status, and can be criminally prosecuted for "unlawful reentry," which is a federal felony. Action happening in front of Broadview Detention Center, 1930 Beach St., Broadview, IL. Watch live atwww.notonemoredeportation.com/2013/11/18/Chicago . http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/l...bus/45209.html

12 Arrested In Broadview For Blocking Bus In Demonstration To End Deportations


Photograph courtesy of National People's Action

Activists temporarily blocked a bus outside the Broadview Detention Center yesterday, which contained about 50 undocumented immigrants set for deportation. About a dozen people affiliated with the group Undocumented Illinois locked themselves to each other to stop the bus, the latest in a series of actions from activist groups around the country calling for an end to deportations. Earlier this month, more than 100 protesters were cited for blocking traffic in front of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

“All my son wanted was to be next to us. They didn’t even let me give them a hug goodbye. It’s not fair that President Obama has the power to stop deportations and keep this family together,” said Maria Luisa Sanchez, mother of Octavio Nava Cabrera, one of the deportees on the bus.

According to organizers, more than 50 supporters chanted and sang as local police (many clad in riot gear) cut through the PVC locking the 12 activists together. Cabrera and Brigido Acosta Luis, another deportee on the bus, are “high priority,” because of their previous immigration history. Organizers say President Obama has the power to change that status and are urging him to do so to reunite families that have been separated by deportations.

Claudia Amaro, one of the “Dream 9,” a group of immigrants who were allowed to re-entry to the United States after being deported pending asylum requests, joined the protest in Broadview to support the group. In an interview with Chicagoist, Amaro said she wanted to show what the reality of the effect of deportations is on families. “This happens every day, every week, every month...families being separated,” she said. “We’re tired of nothing being done. This is not about politics, it’s about humans being separated.”

http://chicagoist.com/2013/11/20/12_arrested_in_broadview_for_blocki.php