Thread: CA:Fresno high school valedictorian scheduled to be deported

How many IAs are high school valedictorians...and what does "high-performing illegal immigrants" mean?
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Fresno high school valedictorian scheduled to be deported
The Associated Press
Article Launched: 06/02/2008 09:52:23 AM PDT

FRESNO, Calif.—The valedictorian at Fresno's Bullard High School won't be attending college in the United States this fall because he's scheduled to be deported.
Seventeen-year-old Arthur Mkoyan's 4.0 grade-point average qualified him to enter one of the state's top universities. But he and his mother have been ordered back to Armenia after their last appeal for asylum failed.

The family fled from what used to be part of the Soviet Union and has been seeking asylum since 1992.

A spokeswoman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement says they were given an extension until June 20 so Mkoyan could attend his graduation ceremony.

A federal bill called the DREAM Act that would have given some high-performing illegal immigrants legal status to attend college stalled last year in Congress.

http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_9454611

This is sad since they were trying.....but not everyone who wants to come here can.....no matter how "good" they are.

Nice to see ICE showed compassion and let them stay to graduation, this also gives them time to sell assets etc, he will have a bright future, and no reason he can't apply for a student visa after they get back home, as he has broken no laws here. many excellent schools in his homeland.

There are more Armenians in Fresno than any other place on earth except Armenia. I find it incredible that the Armenian community hasn't done more to accommodate and/or help these people get legal.

Is there more to this story?

....sad situation but the parents are at fault ...they've been here for 12 years seeking "asylum".....there are excellent universities in the former Soviet Union...and with his excellent English skills and intellect ...his future is bright.

It may just be that their request for asylum was denied because, now that the Soviet Union no longer exists in it's past form, the reason they wanted asylum no longer exists as a threat

Not saying that's it, but in conversations with my employers about immigration.....they immigrated here themselves from a Soviet country many years ago.....there has been discussion about those who came here for refuge purposes no longer qualifying for asylum since conditions have changed. They have had both family members and friends return home for just that reason.

It is good to see impartial law won out over subjective emotion in this situation.

Support flows for Bullard High studentLawmaker, Armenian group, peers respond to plight of valedictorian.
By Vanessa Colón / The Fresno Bee06/02/08 22:31:51


Arthur Mkoyan, the Bullard High School valedictorian who may be deported before he can fulfill his college dreams, got a boost Monday in his efforts to remain in this country.

Mkoyan, whose story was featured in Monday's Bee, drew immediate support from a local Armenian advocacy group and fellow Bullard High students -- and a promise from Rep. George Radanovich to take a second look at his request for help.

On Monday, Arthur said, he was showered with questions and offers of help from students and teachers at school, who hadn't known of his plight. His home phone has been ringing off the hook as friends and supporters called. Television news reporters were trying to get an interview most of the day, Arthur said.

The shy 17-year-old with a 4.0 grade-point average said he is overwhelmed by the sudden attention.

"It makes me feel good people care," he said.

Arthur will graduate from Bullard High June 10 as a valedictorian. He'd like to stay in the United States and attend the University of California at Davis, where he has been accepted for the fall.

But the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement ordered Arthur and his mother to leave the U.S. by late June and return to Armenia, a country Arthur hasn't seen since he was 2.

Arthur's family fled from the old Soviet Union and has been seeking asylum since 1992. Ruben Mkoian, Arthur's father, applied for asylum but was rejected. Mkoian, who spells his name differently from his son, appealed to the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco. He lost his appeal. Mkoian is currently at a detention center in Arizona.

On Monday, as news of the family's plight spread, Arthur's family was contacted by the Armenian National Committee of Central California. Hilda Santikian, the committee's chair, said her group is exploring how it can help the family.

Meanwhile, Arthur's mother, who has declined to give her name for fear of losing her job, was invited on Ray Appleton's afternoon radio show on KMJ 580 and discussed the family's situation. She said the family had sought help from Radanovich, R-Mariposa, but his office wasn't able to do anything for them.

Radanovich's office acknowledged Monday that the family first sent a letter to the congressman on April 18. A few days later, a staff member told the family that its only option was a private bill to grant legal status to individuals, but that Radanovich doesn't introduce private bills.

"He doesn't feel he should be able to pick winners or losers and who should on an individual basis stay or leave," said Spencer Pederson, Radanovich's press secretary.

Arthur's mother then turned to Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who has introduced private bills in the past. Feinstein is now looking at Arthur's case. Private bills are rarely introduced and often don't pass, but if a bill is introduced, deportation is halted.

Radanovich called Arthur's mother soon after her KMJ radio appearance. His staff now plans to meet with Arthur and his mom Thursday.

"We are taking a more extensive view" of the case, Radanovich said in a phone interview.

"This is a second look. ... We would be reviewing the case to see if there's anything we can do."

Arthur is surprised by all the attention. But he is trying not to let it distract him -- he has one more final exam and an essay still to write.
The reporter can be reached at vcolon@fresnobee.com or(559) 441-6313.
http://www.fresnobee.com/263/story/641556.html

You can hear the KMJ podcast here: (I'm listening now)
http://www.kmj580.com/kmjpodcasts.html?pollId=203

Maybe someone could pursuade immmigration authorities to allow this boy to stay in the US...in exchange for all the illegal aliens from Mexico who don't even graduate from HS! I think that would be a fair exchange!

While I have a certain amount of empathy for this achieving individual's plight, at some point we have to enforce the law and stop making exceptions.