For Immediate Release:
Media Contact: Jose Franco
313-721-5056 media@1michigan.org
Local Student Testifies in First Ever Senate DREAM Act Hearing
Student recently was granted deferred action and DREAM Act is only hope to fix status
Washington D.C, 6/28/2011- Ola Kaso, a recent graduate of Cousino High School in Warren, MI will testify in the first ever Senate committee hearing on the DREAM Act. The DREAM Act would allow undocumented students a path to citizenship through 2 years of college or military service. Students would have to have arrived before the age of 16, been here for 5 consistent years, have no criminal history, and have a high school degree or GED.
Ola Kaso recently faced deportation back to Albania. She came to the United States when she was four years old. Due to negligence of Ola and her mother’s attorney, Ola and her mother both faced deportation to a country they no longer considered home.
With the support of One Michigan, a youth and immigrant led organization advocating for immigrant rights, Ola was granted deferred status. During this campaign to stop her deportation, One Michigan with the help of the Kaso family was able to collect over 10,000 signatures.
Ola was granted deferred action which means her deportation is delayed for another year. The only true hope for Ola is the passage of the DREAM Act “Every time we see a student like Ola with a 4.4 grade point average, we are reminded of the need for the DREAM Act. That is why this hearing is so important. The DREAM Act needs to be a legislative priority as we continue to see students like Ola facing deportation.” states Dayanna Rebolledo, lead organizer of One Michigan.
WHEN: Tuesday, June 28 2011 10:00 AM CSPAN
WHERE: Senate Immigration Sub-Committee Washington D.C
WHAT: Senate Hearing on DREAM Act
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One Michigan is an organization led by immigrant youth and supported by strong allies. We work towards providing resources to immigrant communities through organizing, education, and empowerment. We answer to and are driven by the needs of our community.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact: Jose Franco, 313-721-5056
media@1michigan.org
DREAM Act Introduced, Local Organization Reacts
Today the Development, Relief, Education of Alien Minors Act (DREAM Act) was introduced in the Senate by Senator Durbin. The DREAM Act would allow undocumented students a path to citizenship if they complete 2 years of college or military service. Students would have to have arrived before the age of 16, been here for 5 consistent years, have no criminal history, and have a high school degree or GED.
The DREAM Act has been introduced for the past 5 legislative sessions. In December of 2010, it passed the House and fell only 5 votes short of passing in the senate. Locally, One Michigan led a campaign for the DREAM Act. One Michigan is a undocumented youth led organization advocating for immigrant rights. While advocating for the DREAM Act, One Michigan held rallies, marches, and phone banks. Detroit Immigrant youth empowered by national DREAM Act advocates came out of the shadows and declared themselves, “Undocumented and Unafraid.”
“We are excited that the DREAM Act was introduced but to put our complete faith in it would be to ignore the political reality. We are aware that, President Obama can use his executive power to provide immediate relief to Undocumented youth. If congress is really serious on taking on the issue we’ll be there to fully support it” states Jose Franco, lead organizer of One Michigan.
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Dayanna explains her reasons behind this courageous act:
My name is Dayanna Rebolledo and I am undocumented and unafraid. The reason I decided to risk my deportation is because I’m tired of seeing our communities being terrorized. I’m tired of seeing my brother and sister lose hope. I’m tired of seeing my parents live in fear, afraid to go to work in the mornings wondering if they will come home. I’m tired of seeing my dreams and hopes be put on hold.
So I decided to take the challenge, I asked myself if I was doing enough and what was I going to do to change what was wrong in my life, my society, and my community. When was I going to have enough of being treated like less than a human being and finally be allowed to live a life with no fear. I had been living under a shadow for 11 years, being afraid of what my friends and teachers would say if they knew I
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