Rally tonight to protest teen's deportationThis week the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) plans to spend our tax money deporting longtime New York resident RoxRoy Salmon and 19-year-old Michigan student Herta Llusho.
The reason is legislation that the politicians pushed through Congress in 1996 to convince their constituents that they were "tough on crime and illegal immigration."
Salmon is a father and community activist whose problem with the immigration code comes from drug charges brought against him in 1979 and 1989. Although he maintained his innocence, his legal representatives advised him to cop the pleas, a common practice among young men of color in New York City; he never served a day in prison. Join Roxroy's facebook page, and tell others to do so as well. This will demonstrate visible community support in this critical hour. You can reach it here. Once you join, you can also invite your friends to join as well.
Herta Llusho is a freshman at the University of Detroit Mercy, majoring in electrical engineering. Bloggers at DreamActivist.org and other immigrant rights blogs are calling on Americans to help her. Llusho was brought to the United States by her family when she was 11; the family has spent the past seven years trying unsuccessfully to get legal status for her. Before 1996, immigration judges could exercise discretion in cases like these; now they have no choice but to order deportation (link)
In an email sent to Dreamactivist.org subscribers, Hersha writes:
Despite our best efforts, on August 19, I will be removed by the Department
of Homeland Security (DHS) from the only place I know as my home. I will be sent
back to a country that has become a foreign place to me. I don't even speak
Albanian well anymore.
My parents brought me to the United States because they believed in the promises
this country had to offer. To them it was the land of opportunities, values, and
ideals. They were faithful believers of the American Dream, meaning that through
hard work, education, and good character their children could accomplish
anything they wanted.”
Change.org is hosting an online petition to help Herta, and the SEIU (Service Employees International Union) is facilitating phone calls to senators on their website. On Facebook Herta's cause has attracted more than 2000 supporters. Kyle from, Citizen Orangewrote about meeting with Herta and her older brother Lirjon, who has a student visa.“Lirjon and Herta are incredible people. Herta is especially lucky to have a brother like Lirjon who has been tirelessly advocating for her. Even in the short time that Lirjon and Herta introduced themselves to my family, they had a huge impact. It was a special moment for me, too. My family is used to seeing me type away at a computer. This was the first time they got to meet the real people whose lives I'm affecting. Herta would probably not want me to describe it this way, but the U.S. has spit in her face and she has responded only with love. That deep, true, and endearing love in the face of injustice, when acted upon even by one person, does more for the betterment of the universe than millions of angry demonstraters will ever do. By fighting to stay in the U.S., Herta is participating in what Gandhi would call “satyagraha”, which the Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. often translated into “truth-force” or “love-force.” Those who support Herta are participating in satyagraha, too.”
With the support of DreamActivist, Citizen Orange, and many others - Herta has shared her story with the world. Their hope is that a proposed bill called The DREAM Act will be passed soon. It would allow undocumented students, like Herta, to become legal residents depending on certain prerequisites, like age of arrival and years of study. Although federal lawmakers first rejected the bill in 2007, it was re-introduced with some changes in March 2009 and supporters hope that it could gain enough support to be passed with President Barack Obama in office. Should it pass, it is estimated that around 65,000 undocumented students who entered the U.S. as children would be permitted to stay.
Take Action for Herta:
1) Join the facebook group for immediate updates
2) Sign petition, which will be hand-delivered to targets
3) Use SEIU Click to Call Action Tool to call DHS4) Call Senator Carl Levin at (202) 224-6221. Urge him to a) introduce private bill for Herta, and b) write letter to DHS asking them to stop Herta's deportation.
5) Call Senator Stabenow at (202) 224-4822. Urge her to a) introduce private bill for Herta, and b) write letter to DHS asking them to stop Herta's deportation.
6) Call Representative Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick at (202) 225-2261. Urge her to a) introduce private bill for Herta, and b) write letter to DHS asking them to stop Herta's deportation. Read more about Herta and watch her video:
firedoglake.com
seiu.org
citizenorange.com
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