After 3-Months in Jail Undocumented Ivan Nikolov, 22, to be Released on Monday
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Contact Priscila Martinez
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After 3-Months in Jail Undocumented Ivan Nikolov, 22, to be Released on Monday
Local advocates delay deportation of local DREAM student
Today – Detroit Michigan, after a long fight with Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) Ivan Nikolov is set to be released on Monday morning.
Late in the afternoon Ivan’s family received word that ICE had moved Ivan to local jail in Dearborn; initially they were fearful as it is the same jail that Ivan’s mom was deported from two weeks prior. However their family soon learned that Ivan was actually sent to be released on Monday.
Alanna Woolley, Ivan’s fiancée says “I am cautiously optimistic, I am ecstatic that ICE has responded to the overwhelming public support and I just hope that the rumors are true and that ICE will be allowing Ivan to return home.” If released, Ivan will be reunited with his fiancée, his family and his pets.
Ivan originally immigrated to the United States at the age of 11, his family was detained and given a date to present themselves in court. Due to an address change the family was never informed of the court date and as a result, when Ivan was only 12, he was ordered removed from the United States. In May, Ivan along with his mother was detained at their Roseville home. Ivan’s mother was deported on August 5th.
“This is a victory and it feels good to be able to help Ivan, but we need to continue working to pass the DREAM Act as soon as possible because every day we are losing a DREAMer.” says Priscila Martinez, an organizer with OneMichigan. She went on to say “with the help of America’s Voice and other organizations we were able to send over 10,000 faxes to ICE.”
The DREAM Act – an immigration reform measure authored by Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Richard Lugar (R-IN) – is supported by 70 percent of likely voters and has garnered bipartisan support in Congress. The legislation would provide a path to permanent residency for thousands of young people who have been raised in the United States, worked hard in school, and who want to pursue higher education or to serve in the military.
This temporary relief comes with the support of numerous local and national organizations – OneMichigan, DreamActivist.org, the Immigrant Youth Justice League of IL, America’s Voice, Dream Team Los Angeles and many others. “Ivan is only temporarily out of the clear, to be safe from deportation again we need the DREAM Act to pass” said Rigo Padilla, a national organizer on the DREAM Act.
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ONE Michigan is a youth-led, state-wide immigrant rights organization. Its mission is to provide immigrant youth and allies the space, training, and opportunity to make a difference in the lives of youth in Michigan http://1michigan.org
