Hugo has been detained at Monroe County Jail in Michigan for over a year, despite being a low-priority case and having a pending Asylum case. Let him fight his case outside of detention.
Hugo fled Mexico after being tortured for being gay. Two men burned and sliced Hugo’s genitals, leaving them permanently scarred after they found out he was gay. His own father even threatened to kill him!
Hugo is a low-priority case and should be released immediately so he can be reunited with his partner. Hugo is terrified of being sent back. Help us get him out!
Make a Phone Call
1. Call ICE – John Morton (202.732.3000)
Sample Script: “I am calling to urge ICE to release Hugo Gallardo Petatan (A#200-299-394) from Monroe County Jail in Michigan. Hugo was tortured and threatened in Mexico for being gay. He has been living in the U.S. for 6 years and is terrified of going back. Hugo is a low-priority case and has an open Asylum case. He should be released immediately.”
SIGN THE PETITION
=========================================================================
EMILIO TOVAR GONZALEZ (A# 099-092-978): Drop hold and release him from the St. Clair County Jail.Emilio is a DREAMer and sole provider for her US citizen daughters. President Obama has said he is not deporting DREAMers. So why Emilio is still detained?
Tell ICE to release Emilio from detention so that his two daughters do not spend Christmas without their father. Sign the petition and make a call!
Take Action:
Call ICE – John Morton @ 202-732-3000
Sample Script: “Hi, I am calling to urge ICE to release Emilio Tovar Gonzalez(A# 099-092-978), who is currently being held at St. Clair County Jail in Michigan. Emilio is a DREAMer and sole provider to her U.S. citizen daughters, who need him back home. Please don’t let his daughters spend Christmas alone. Let Emilio go home to her family now!”
SIGN THE PETITION!
Continue Reading
As you may already know the Secretary of state made the decision to deny Deferred Action for Childhood arrivals the right to apply for a Driver’s License or State ID . We waited long enough and on December 19th 2012 One Michigan in conjunction with the ACLU and other DACA-eligible individuals filed a lawsuit with the U.S. district court to ensure immigrant youth authorized to work in the U.S. can drive.
We Don’t know how long or when the lawsuit will get its day in court, we want changes to happen NOW! Will you urge Secretary of State Ruth Johnson to overturn this discriminatory policy?
SAMPLE SCRIPT:
“Hi, I am calling to urge the Secretary of State to reverse the backwards policy of denying driver’s licenses to DACA holders. This goes against the federal government’s REAL ID Act and makes Michigan an unwelcome place for immigrants.”
Spread the message; now that we got deferred action, legislators need to recognize our power and do what is good for our communities, not their votes.
Continue Reading
One Michigan Undocumented Youth file lawsuit against Secretary of State Ruth Johnson over Driver’s Licenses
Represented by the American Civil Liberties Union
DETROIT—One Michigan for Immigrant Rights will be represented by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in a lawsuit against Michigan Secretary of State Ruth Johnson challenging the ban on driver’s licenses for recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
As an undocumented youth-led organization, members of One Michigan were excited about the doors that DACA opened for them, including the opportunity to work, attend school, and obtain identification. This past summer, in a coordinated effort with other national partners such as the National Immigrant Youth Alliance (NIYA), we were instrumental in pushing for DACA program announced by President Obama on June 15, 2012. On October 8, Johnson announced that the state would deny driver’s licenses and personal identification cards to those authorized to live and work in the United States under DACA, reestablishing many of the barriers placed before undocumented youth in our state. In response to this policy, One Michigan in conjunction with the ACLU and other DACA-eligible individuals filed a lawsuit on December 19, 2012 with the U.S. district court to ensure immigrant youth authorized to work in the U.S. can drive.
One Michigan member Xochitl Cossyleon, 19, of Detroit, MI was devastated when she found out about Johnson’s policy, and felt like DACA was pointless without being able to drive to work and school. For Xochitl, getting a driver’s license was the main point of applying for DACA.
This policy has been extremely detrimental to the immigrant community in Michigan, because it has discouraged many DACA eligible candidates from applying and becoming productive tax-paying residents of the State of Michigan. This has caused organizations like One Michigan to divert their attention from offering workshops for DACA applicants to organizing to reverse Ruth Johnson’s illegal policy.
It is the hope of One Michigan and their partners in this lawsuit that Ruth Johnson will recognize that allowing DACA recipients to obtain driver’s licenses and identification cards is not only the right thing to do, but her obligation under the law. We will not rest until this policy is reversed, our community is safe, and the undocumented youth of our state are able to work, go to school, and support our families.
###
Check-out the Complaint here:
http://www.aclu.org/files/assets/one_michigan_v__johnson_complaint_final.pdf (PDF)
Press coverage:
Continue Reading
