Again Think the writer of this article was Involved RED ALERT..... DREAM ACT IS COMING
Jessica Kwong, Chronicle Staff Writer

San Francisco Chronicle November 14, 2010
(11-14) 16:03 PST SAN FRANCISCO -- Sen. Dianne Feinstein has asked immigration authorities to halt the deportation of City College of San Francisco nursing student Steve "Shing Ma" Li while she considers introducing a bill that would allow him to stay in the U.S. temporarily, her office said today.
The effort by Feinstein came as Li's attorney said his removal flight to Peru would no longer happen on Monday, as initially planned. The lawyer, Sin Yen Ling, said the immigration officer that told her of the change of plans did not give her any more details.

"Why? I don't know," said Ling, whose client is at a detention center in Florence, Ariz. "In terms of when he's going to be put on a plane, I don't know that either. They wouldn't provide me with additional information but I do think it has a lot to do with the advocacy work that's been happening."

Li's case has attracted attention because the 20-year-old says he has no real connection to Peru, nor family members or friends there. His parents were born in China but moved to Peru in the 1980s to escape the government's one-child policy. They brought Li to the U.S. at age 11.

The three were arrested in San Francisco Sept. 15 because they were only allowed to stay in the United States through the end of 2002. Li's parents were released and wear electronic ankle bracelets as they await deportation to China.

Many of Li's supporters, who include thousands of college students and visitors to his Facebook page, rallied for seven hours outside Sen. Barbara Boxer's office in San Francisco on Friday, trying to get her to intervene. Supporters have also engaged in letter-writing campaigns targeting Boxer, Feinstein and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Feinstein's office today noted her support for the DREAM Act, which if passed would grant undocumented immigrant children citizenship if they entered the U.S. before age 15 and were attending college. In a statement, Feinstein said it would be unjust to deport Li before the bill can be voted on.
"I have asked ICE to halt the deportation proceedings while I consider introducing a private bill that will allow Mr. Li to remain in the United States on a temporary basis," Feinstein said.

Private bills are often last resorts in immigration cases. Few of them are successfully passed by Congress.
After meeting with Li's attorney and mother Friday, Boxer's staff reiterated her support for the DREAM Act.

"While we do not introduce private bills, our staff was happy to meet with Mr. Li's family and attorney to discuss his case," spokesman Zachary Coile said.

A spokesman for Pelosi, Drew Hammill, said Friday she believes Li's case "is a textbook example of the pressing need for comprehensive immigration reform and passage of the DREAM Act" and is "working with other Members to recommend that ICE grant deferred action in this case."
Ling, the attorney, asked for a deferral of Li's deportation after his arrest, but said she received a fax from Immigration and Customs Enforcement Friday afternoon denying the request. The decision was made in Arizona, where Li is being detained, and could be reversed by ICE Director John Morton.

"The reality is ICE is as bureaucratic as any other federal agency," Ling said. "So it's just a matter of getting John Morton's attention to say look, the Arizona office denied deferred action and there's something wrong with the decision, and do something about it."

Virginia Kice, an ICE spokeswoman, said in an e-mail today that the agency never confirms the timing of a removal in advance but that Li "remains in ICE custody while the agency seeks to make arrangements for his removal."

Ling said she had not told Li's parents and key supporters about Monday's change of plans, because she did not have enough information and did want to give them false hope.

"I'm optimistic that at least we were able to delay things, but I'm also being cautious about my optimism - I need to be realistic," she said. "Unless he's going to be released from Arizona I need to be prepared that ICE will change their mind and deport him anyway."

E-mail Jessica Kwong at jkwong@sfchronicle.com.



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