Thread: PCC DREAM act fighters return home

PCC DREAM act fighters return home

By Brian Charles, Staff Writer
Posted: 12/08/2011 06:22:23 PM PST

PASADENA - A pair of Pasadena City College students on the front lines of the immigration battle returned to the college Thursday to tell of being arrested in Alabama and the subsequent effort to deport them.

Jonathan Perez, 24, of Montebello and Isaac Barrera, 20, of Boyle Heights, were arrested in Mobile, Alabama on Nov. 15, as part of a organized action to bring awareness to the fight for immigration reform. Their actions were intentional and were designed to hasten federal immigration reform, which has languished in Congress.

The pair were in Alabama to challenge a proposed state law that would deny undocumented children access to public school and access to fair housing.

"When you challenge the system directly, it falls apart," Barrera said.

The pair walked into an immigration enforcement office in Mobile, Ala and told the officers they were "undocumented." Perez and Barrera were immediately arrested.

They were initially jailed in Alabama before being transported to Louisiana. Perez was never given a court date. Barrera's court proceedings were repeatedly delayed.

"When the cameras aren't rolling (Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agents) continue to detain and deport low-level offenders including DREAM Act eligible youth, contrary to what The Department of Homeland Security and the Obama Administration continue to say," Barrera said.

The federal DREAM Act is a legislation proposal put before Congress earlier this year which would establish a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants who were brought to the country as minors. Those children would be eligible for citizenship, if they refrain from criminal activity and either pursue a college education or serve in the military. That legislation hasn't moved much since being introduced to Congress.

Meanwhile, California passed its version of the DREAM Act, which makes undocumented children eligible for state financial aid.

Inside the deportation center, Perez and Barrera began to chronicle what they saw.

"Most of the people we met were in there because they did not have a driver's license, it was hard to see how many fathers were kept from their families - not knowing when they would see a judge or if their family is doing okay."

The pair held workshops and said they taught other immigrants about what rights they had and how to best represent themselves in court.

"A lot of people in the undocumented community were happy we were there," Perez said. "We were proudly saying `we are undocumented and we are not afraid.' The community there hadn't seen that."

Perez and Barrera were released on their own recognizance. The two must report to immigration officials in California. It remains unclear whether either will be deported due to their actions.

"There is always that risk, but we are willing to take the risk," Barrera said.

Perez and Barrera's respective stories of arriving in the United States mirror the stories told by many of the millions of undocumented immigrants in the country.

Barrera's father came to the country on a visa, which later expired. His father saved money and sent for Barrera, Barrera's mother and his littler brother.

Perez's story is a bit more complex. His family came to the United States from Medellin, Colombia during the height of that country's drug war.

The family made an asylum claim, a request which was denied.

But instead of deporting the family, Immigration and Naturalization Service officials placed the Perez's case in an administrative hold.

"They didn't give us asylum but they didn't deport us," Perez said.

The decision left the Perez family in limbo, since they couldn't apply for residency or citizenship. Like the millions of undocumented in the nation, Perez and Barrera said they grew up in the shadows, always worried that their actions, including protesting, might draw undue attention and potentially land them in a deportation hearing.

"For a long time, I was told not to do anything because it would jeopardize our asylum," Perez said.

The trip to Alabama changed that.

"It was inspiring and power to see parents and children standing up," Barrera said.

Immigration reform has been part of the national conversation for years, but federal legislation has continued to lag behind calls for changes on both the political left and right.

More action is needed and a sense of urgency.

"You look at Brown vs. the Board of Education, the black community had that but things didn't really start to change until they started to mobilize," Barrera said.

brian.charles@sgvn.com

twitter.com/JBrianCharles

626-578-6300, ext. 4494

http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/news/ci ... z1g3leKpCu

When the article said "return home" I thought it meant they went back to their home nations like most Americans want them to.

W

Originally Posted by ALIPAC

When the article said "return home" I thought it meant they went back to their home nations like most Americans want them to.

W

Wouldn't that have been nice.