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Originally posted on Citizen Orange.
In case you missed it, the Associated Press recently covered our request for a meeting with Senator Scott Brown (R-Mass.). We are asking Sen. Brown to meet with us before April 17.
Harvard College Act on a Dream has been trying to meet with Sen. Brown since he was first elected at the beginning of the semester. We were told that his office was a mess the first couple of months, but we were finally asked to fax our meeting request to his office. We sent the fax on March 5, 2010.
After not getting a commitment to a meeting for over a month, we were forced to take our meeting request public. We joined forces with the Student Immigrant Movement to set up an online petition which already has over 100 signatures (please sign it if you haven’t done so, yet). The online petition resulted in coverage from the AP, and now our request is all over the web. We were happy to hear through the AP that his office has received our meeting request and will shortly ask for more information from us.
Still, it’s going to take a lot more than an AP article and a hundred petition signatures to secure a meeting with Brown. Here are some things you can do to help:
- SIGN the petition at change.org and ask all of your friends and family to do the same, especially if they are Massachusetts residents.
- CALL Brown’s D.C. office (202-224-4543) and his local office (617-565-3170) to ask whether or not Brown will meet with us before April 17.
- JOIN the Facebook group and ask your Facebook friends to do the same
- HELP us fight any misinformation or nativism that you see online regarding our meeting request.
Currently, we are not asking for any policy commitments from Sen. Brown. We are only asking for a simple meeting. We want Sen. Brown to hear the stories of immigrant youth who have been affected by the brokenfederal immigration system so that he can decide for himself what should be done. We believe that if Sen. Brown hears from these youth, who know only the United States as their home, that he will do the right thing.
While immigrant youth are at the center of this struggle, it is important to state that it’s not just immigrant youth that are affected by this broken immigration system. I am a U.S. citizen, a constituent of Sen. Brown’s, and this issue affects me more deeply than almost any other issue that the federal government is currently considering. It affects the U.S. citizen family members of these youth. It affects the peers that these youth study alongside of. It affects the communities they are a part of. It affects a nation which does not take advantage of some of the most talented individuals that it puts through its education system.
It is also important to state that contrary to nativist talking points, there is no "line" for undocumented youth to get into the back of in order to secure legal status. The same is true for the vast majority of all unauthorized migrants, for that matter. If undocumented youth could get in line for citizenship, they would, but they can’t. That’s a big part of why the system is broken and why it needs to be fixed.
So, when the AP publishes an article that the Boston Globe entitles "Immigrant Students seek meeting with Brown" and the Boston Herald distorts that headline into "Illegal aliens seek Scott Brown’s help" first let the Boston Herald know that "no human being is illegal". Then, let the Boston Herald know that this issue doesn’t just affect undocumented youth, it affects all of us. And finally, let all of those nasty nativist commenters know that there is no line for undocumented youth to get into the back of, and there is no humane way to deport them all. Undocumented youth are American in every sense of the word except for a stupid nine-digit social security number, and it is time that we start treating them as such, and give them the right to exist in the only country they know as their home.
Below is both the description and text of the petition I encourage you and all of your friends to sign.
Leaders of Harvard College Act on a Dream and the Student Immigrant Movement are asking Senator Scott Brown to to meet with immigrant youth from Harvard and across Massachusetts who are being adversely affected by the broken federal immigration system before April 17.
By some estimates, there are currently two million undocumented youth living in the United States. Every year approximately 65,000 undocumented youth graduate from high schools across the U.S. With graduation season fast approaching, yet another generation of undocumented immigrant youth will be lost to the shadows if something doesn’t change.
Having been brought into the country as young children, these youth have lived most of the lives in the United States, and only know this country as their home. After graduating from high school, they face unique barriers to higher education, are unable to work legally in the U.S., and are increasingly at risk of detention, deportation, and even death. Under current U.S. immigration law, there is no absolutely no mechanism for considering the special circumstances of these youth.
We believe some of the following stories from undocumented youth across Massachusetts illustrate how desperate the situation is:
Last year, Nur Munir, our peer from the Harvard Divinity School, disappeared for over a month after he was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Another one of our peers at Harvard, Alan, whose story was covered in the Boston Globe, was forced to leave the United States in January, effectively barring him from ever returning to the the only country he’s ever known as his home. Another immigrant youth from Massachusetts, 19-year-old Gustavo Rezende recently committed suicide.
We believe these situations could have been avoided if it weren’t for the broken federal immigration system. There are at least a dozen others at Harvard and thousands of others across Massachusetts that are at risk of similar fates if something isn’t done soon.
We’re asking Sen. Brown to meet with immigrant youth so that he can better understand the hardships the members of all our communities face as a result of a broken federal immigration system, and help us come up with solutions. We understand that Sen. Brown is extremely busy, but the lives of our peers and the health of our communities are at increasingly at risk with each passing day. This issue affects all of us, native born and immigrant, documented and undocumented alike. Please stand with us in calling for Sen. Brown to meet with immigrant youth before he returns to Washington D.C. on the weekend of April 17.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
After signing this petition you will get an email back from Jennifer Han, Director of Scheduling for Sen. Brown, asking you to fill out a form email for a meeting request. This is how we filled out the form an we encourage supporters to do the same:
Organization Name and Description: Harvard Act on a Dream – A Harvard student group that organizes for the interests of immigrant youth at Harvard and works closely with local immigrant youth organizations like the Student Immigrant Movement.
Contact Name and Title: Mr. Kyle de Beausset
Meeting Purpose (need specific issues): To hear the stories of immigrant youth affected by the federal immigration system.
MA Connection: We are all residents of Massachusetts
Meeting Location: Massachusetts
Work #: N/A
Cell #: Private
E-mail: beausset[at]fas[dot]harvard[dot]edu
Address: Harvard College Act On A Dream, Student Organization Center at Hilles, Box #59, Shepard Street Cambridge, MA 02138
Requested Date (no open-ended requests): April 16 (Or anytime before April 17)
Suggested Time: 5:00 p.m.
Meeting Attendee(s) Name, City of Residence, Title and Affiliation (if requestor is attending, please include his/her information): Leaders of Act on a Dream — Kyle de Beausset (Cambridge, MA), Scott Elfenbein (Cambridge, MA), Melissa Tran (Cambridge, MA). Leaders of the Student Immigrant Movement — Isabel (Methuen, MA), Deiv (Dartmouth, MA), Renata (Brockton, MA)
Subject: Will Scott Brown Meet With Undocumented Youth Before April 17
Dear Jennifer Han,
It is my understanding that you are Director of Scheduling for Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown. I am writing to ask that you please schedule a meeting with Sen. Brown and select immigrant youth from Harvard and across Massachusetts before April 17.
The broken federal immigration system doesn’t just affect immigrant youth, it affects all of us, native born and immigrant, documented and undocumented. It affects the health of the Massachusetts communities Sen. Brown represents. That is why I’m asking that Sen. Brown takes time out of his busy schedule to hear first hand from those that have been adversely affected.
This is urgent. Undocumented immigrant youth in the United States are increasingly at risk of detention, deportation, and even death. In the next couple of months, another generation of undocumented immigrant youth will graduate from high school, or even college, only to be relegated to the shadows.
One student from Harvard, Alan, whose story was covered in the Boston Globe, was forced to leave the United States in January, effectively barring him from ever returning to the the only country he’s ever known as his home (http://www.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/2009/07/27/after_harvard_illegal_immigrant_is_facing_uncertainty/). Another immigrant youth from Massachusetts, 19-year-old Gustavo Rezende recently committed suicide (http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/features/x90198082/Immigrants-suicide-leaves-behind-pain).
I’m asking that Sen. Brown meet with select immigrant youth from Harvard and the broader Massachusetts area before there are more stories he’s unable to hear in person. This affects all of us, and it’s urgent that Sen. Brown hear the stories of immigrant youth now.
24 Comments
Thanks. Recd and signed.
Thank you Jason!
Signed and good luck
Scott Brown is only serving the Right constiuients.
Gives a whole new meaning to look forward not backward and selective law enforce,ent.
I went to the SIM website for more info, but it’s not enlightening. So when the word immigrant is used but not defined, I bet it’s referring to illegal aliens. Yes, there is a difference. While I may feel sorry for kids stuck in our system who are trying to get educated, playing with language will not change the facts. If you were not born in this country and you came here illegally, you are not an immigrant. I may be a liberal Democrat, but I will not be signing this petition.
Did you try any of the other websites, Sharonsj to look for more info? Check out dreamactivist.org, too if you’re interested.
Where was I “playing with language?” I am very specific with my language, especially when I refer to migrants. Like it or not, “immigrant” refers to everyone that comes into the United States, regardless of their legal status.
I would also caution you against drying a bright big red line between “legal” and “illegal” immigration. Though it makes for nice talking points, it’s not that simple and anyone who has ever interacted with the U.S. immigration system knows that.
See this for just one example.
For a more systemic, non-anecdotal example, look at a study in California that was done which shows that most “legal” immigrants were “illegal” at one time.
I believe very strongly that no human being is illegal, but if that belief isn’t enough for you, take it from an immigration lawyer who describes how problematic it is to refer to people as “illegal immigrants.”
Anyone who’s a journalist knows how careful you have to be when describing someone who hasn’t been convicted of a crime, yet. It’s why journalists always used “alleged” to refer to people that haven’t been convicted in court, yet. The same is true for using the word “illegal immigrant.” Like it or not all immigrants, regardless of their status, have rights, and many have cases for staying in the U.S. through asylum seeking or other procedures. I could go on, but I’ve said enough.
Finally, if you haven’t read it yet, you should read that post I link to above entitled, there is no line.
David Dayen has a fresh cross-post already in progress: Showdown in the Senate on Unemployment Insurance and COBRA Benefits
@sharonsj #5 —
The word ‘immigrant’ refers to a person who moves from one country (typically one in which s/he was born) to permanently settle in another (typically one in which s/he was not born). Whether or not a person has migrated legally is immaterial to the fact that s/he has migrated. If the word ‘immigrant’ only refers to persons who migrate legally, then the phrase ‘illegal immigrant’ — which is indisputably a part of our lexicon — would be a redundancy, i.e. we wouldn’t need to use it. If you want to have a debate about terminology, make sure you understand what words actually mean.
Well put, David. You beat me too a rebuttal and you were much more to the point.
“migrated here but not in compliance with United States law” suit you?
“illegal” seems less unwieldy
Of course “Undocumented” is both correct factually and far less intrusive.
well, migrating without complying with a country’s immigration requirements tends to be a bit on the “intrusive” side, but all we should be doing is looking for a short, simple and commonly understood word or phrase to move things along, so I’m good with “undocumented”, especially if we’re discussing people brought here as young children and not likely to have been able to form an intent to evade US law when they came.
I like the term undocumented, but often use the word “unauthorized” too if folks prefer that.
My objection is not to the modifier ‘illegal’ (frankly it doesn’t matter to me whether you use the term ‘unathorized,’ ‘undocumented,’ or ‘illegal’ to describe the group we’re discussing here, though the term ‘alien’ does seem unnecessarily incendiary). Rather, I object to the suggestion that the term ‘immigrant’ refers only to individuals who migrate by legal means, which is simply not the case. I found sharonsj’s reply particularly ironic.
Frankly, my comment was a somewhat snarky distraction from a more important discussion we should have sometime as progressives about immigration issues. Notwithstanding the way sharonsj phrased her objection, I can understand it; not everyone on the classically liberal side of the political spectrum is in favor of unchecked immigration, which clearly occurs in the U.S. right now. Should progressives ultimately decide to break away from the Democrats and form an alternative political party, immigration is an issue its membership will need to address. A site like this allows the so-called ‘grassroots’ to hash out what we think about the issue. I hope sometime we have the chance here to do so.
Good reply, david. Hashing through the issue is a hell of a lot better idea than trying to hold a proxy war of the words.
If the chance comes here to have that discussion, I look forward to reading your ideas.
“It is also important to state that contrary to nativist talking points, there is no “line” for undocumented youth to get into the back of in order to secure legal status. The same is true for the vast majority of all unauthorized migrants, for that matter. If undocumented youth could get in line for citizenship, they would, but they can’t. That’s a big part of why the system is broken and why it needs to be fixed.”
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On the contrary, THERE ARE LINES back in their home countries. I’ve lived in several countries poorer than Mexico, such as Egypt and Turkey. There are long lines outside the U.S. consulate to apply for student visas, work visas, green cards, etc. These “students” should be back in their home countries applying for those visas. And if they can’t or won’t, too bad. I’ve had foreign students and colleagues who’ve had to jump through immigration hoops, pay high fees and high foreign student tuition, and to take the risk of rejection. These “children” shouldn’t get favored because their parents (and they, when they become 18) choose to break the law.
In what world would allowing these youth a chance to succeed in the U.S. be favoring them, Ali? They’ve already lived in the U.S. in the shadows, without the right to exist, for decades on end. What’s even more remarkable is that instead of getting jaded and hating the U.S. for denying them the right to exist in the only country they know as their home, they contribute to it through their schools and their communities, and they’re actually organizing to change this country. They love the United States more than I ever will.
Furthermore, please get your facts straight, Ali. If these youth leave the United States, they’ll be barred from even applying to get back in for decades. With the added time of applying, they are essentially barred for life. Also, please read the link “there is no line” before you comment on something without knowing about it.
kyledeb wrote:”Anyone who’s a journalist knows how careful you have to be when describing someone who hasn’t been convicted of a crime, yet. It’s why journalists always used “alleged” to refer to people that haven’t been convicted in court, yet.”
————
Actually, the concept of “innocent until proven guilty” doesn’t apply in immigration law. It’s not up to the government to show that someone is here illegally, but up to the person to show that they have a legal right to be here. Since immigration is a CIVIL proceeding, it’s also the reason that illegal aliens (the legally correct term) are not entitled to taxpayer-funded representation.
Did you read the link, Ali? I’m not interested in debating someone that refuses to even argue in good faith.
Even though migrants are not appointed lawyers, they still have a right to a lawyer and due process if they ask for one. I also encourage you to read the recent supreme court decision which suggest the Constitution does apply to immigration law, and that criminal lawyers do have to provide migrants effective counsel as to the consequences to their immigration status.
Just wanted to thank Firedoglake for standing with migrant youth!
I think Scott is laying low hoping to continue to get contributions by saying that the “scary lesbian Rachael Maddow” is running against him. She’s not and says so over and over again. That doesn’t keep scrotum head Scott from admitting that it’s a total lie. So he’s hiding out. Hoping the bucks roll in.
Boo! Lesbian. Are you scared? Scott wants you to be scared. His platform is “I got a truck. I’m not a lesbian. Vote for me.” What a retard.
Before you march into Mr. Brown’s office demanding the same rights that citizens possess, you might want to consider that he just returned from Afghanistan…no doubt a shocking experience…to actually witness the war zones – for a war supported by Dems and Obama. He has recently seen the sacrifices of life and limb by servicemen and women…who have risked all to protect Americans’ life and liberties.
Not to protect YOURS – if you are here illegally – but to protect AMERICANS. If you have a whine or a desire or a complaint – go tell your criminally-minded parents…and whine to them until the next moon comes up. Because YOU are entitled to nothing from Americans.
While you are studying, look up the word “conservative” as it relates to ideology. This could also be beneficial to you.
Since you are seeking help at a Progressive Party web site – shouldn’t you be soliciting your Democratic Representatives, Governor, State Legislators, etc.? Why not solicit donations from DailyKos or this site’s owner?
I am sure that they are willing to give away anything EXCEPT their own dollars…they love getting that “warm, fuzzy” feeling of giving and helping – as long as it is those evil Americans’ money – and not their own.
I’m a U.S. citizen and a constituent of Brown’s cosas32 and this issue affects me more deeply almost more than anything else the federal government is dealing with, right now. You can try to criminalize me and take away my Americanness all you want, but this issue affects more than unauthorized migrants, it affects all of us.
The major issue is that the welfare system of our nation cannot sustain large amounts of unskilled immigration. The only way to counter that would be to greatly increase skilled immigration (from China and India), but ironically, that faces a lot of progressive opposition under the mantra of “American jobs for American workers”.
It makes no sense at all to support immigration reform when there are Latinos involved, but oppose immigration for Indians and Chinese (even though they are some of the highest tax-payers).