United We Dream

Campaigns

• I stand with immigrant youth and DACA

  ***BREAKING: News reports say Trump may end DACA today. We will be delivering your signatures to Washington this week. Please sign and spread the word!*** More than 800,000 immigrant are protected by DACA—a vitally important program that, for the past five years, has given immigrants who came to this country as children a way to go to school, work, and support their families without constant fear of deportation. But despite the success of this program, right-wing extremists at nearly every level of government are trying to dismantle this program, putting the legal status of 800,000 immigrant youth in jeopardy. The attacks against immigrants and DACA are growing more and more intense and dangerous. Last month, attorneys general from ten states and the governor of Idaho sent a letter to the Trump administration calling on Homeland Security to phase out DACA completely. In their unseemly ultimatum to the federal government, they threaten to bring a lawsuit to challenge DACA by September 5. At the same time, immigration arrests have increased 38% in Trump’s first six months in office, with more than half a million people in detention centers awaiting immigration hearings. These arrests and deportations rip families and communities apart, and anti-immigrant rhetoric is only being more normalized. As a DACA recipient myself, I know how important this program is to our community and our families. I believe in our power when we stand together. A handful of cynical Republicans want to trade our dignity and respect for cheap political points, but I am hopeful that our community and our allies will stand with us. In the coming months, we’ll need everyone to stand together to support a country that includes us all. Will you stand with immigrant youth and defend DACA

  6,868 of 7,000 Signatures

  Created by Greisa Martinez
• ICE: Stop the Deportation of a Loving Father

  Erik Cortez-Sandeniz (A# 096-116-570) came to the United States from Mexico when he was nine years old. This is a letter from his oldest son, also named Erik. “My father grew up in Providence, Rhode Island and attended Central High School. He dropped out of high school to work and provide for his family at the age of seventeen. Since then, he has been the head of our household and has dedicated his life to taking care of his children and wife. He is now thirty-six years old and is in detention. My father grew up in a neighborhood filled with gangs. Like many other young people in his community, he became involved with the gang because that was what he knew. Despite his gang affiliation, he started working at the age of thirteen to provide for his family. One of his first jobs was helping in a local church. This country has been the only place my father has known. His whole family is here including his three U.S citizen sisters and U.S citizen mother and U.S permanent resident father, numerous of aunts and uncles and cousins, but most importantly he has his five U.S citizen children. I am his oldest son and I am nineteen years old. I just recently finished my first year at Brandeis University on a scholarship. His second oldest was recently accepted to Mass Maritime on a scholarship. Before being detained, my father saw his second son graduate high school but if he is deported he won’t see the rest of his children complete this important milestone. Two of his other children are in high school and his youngest just finished the 5th grade. He has been with my mother, his wife, for 20 years. If he does go back to Mexico, there's a possibility that he will be killed by rival gangs. He made mistakes, but I truly believe he has learned from them and moved on. He instilled in us the value of education that he learned from his experiences. My father grew up in circumstances that did not allow him to get an education, but he made sure that did not happen to us. He has two felony charges: one occurred when he was very young for leaving the scene of a car accident and the second for selling a gun to someone he thought was a friend and explained he needed a gun because his family was being threatened and was in danger. My father has provided and raised a wonderful family.” Please sign and ask ERO Assistant Field Office Director Todd Thurlow and DHS Deputy Assistant Secretary Esther Olavarria to release Erik from detention so that he can fight his case from home with his family.

  908 of 1,000 Signatures

  Created by United We Dream
• Release DACA-Eligible New Yorker Juan from Detention

  Juan de Jesus (A095-528-377) came to the United States from the Dominican Republic when he was two. Now, 27, Juan is a New Yorker with deep roots in New York and New Jersey. He graduated from Norman Thomas High School in August 2007, and worked at a bodega before his detention. His entire family is here, including his green-card holder mother Augustina, his four U.S. citizen siblings, and numerous aunts, uncles, and cousins. His U.S. citizen fiancé Alya Aboulhosn, whom Juan has dated since February 2013, attends all his court appearances and visits him in detention weekly. Juan is also a dedicated uncle to his two U.S. citizen nieces and U.S. citizen nephew. Juan has had a hard time getting good legal help. When he tried to regularize his status, an immigration “worker” Vincent Gonzales never followed up with his case. In July 2010, the NY Attorney General obtained a judgment of over $6.25 million against Mr. Gonzalez for engaging in the unauthorized practice of the law and defrauding thousands of immigrants. In August 2014, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detained Juan after he was convicted for drug possession. The criminal defense attorney who represented him was recently indicted for attempting to bribe Manhattan court staff. In September 2014, Juan’s attorneys appealed his conviction. Under immigration law, while the appeal is pending, the conviction (a felony for DACA purposes) is not “final,” and, as such, does not disqualify him from DACA. But ICE refuses to release him until the court decides the appeal, which could take up to two years. The DACA guidelines provide that while in ICE detention, Juan cannot apply for DACA though he fully qualifies. Juan also has three possession of marijuana New York violations: two carry maximum penalties of only a fine and do not count as misdemeanors for DACA; and one counts as a non-significant misdemeanor for DACA. These NY violations do not disqualify him from DACA. Juan started using drugs in high school. Becoming homeless after his mother (at the urging of her then-boyfriend) kicked him out of her apartment exacerbated his drug use. If Juan is released, he is determined to stay clean, and has already been accepted into a drug treatment program in New Jersey where he will live with his fiancé. Juan is also seeking asylum. His hearing was scheduled for June 2015, but because the judge assigned to his case retired, the court rescheduled for December 2015. Juan will have been detained for over a year and four months before his hearing. He has already been in detention for ten months. His attorneys filed a habeas petition in federal court on June 16, 2015, so that Juan may be released while he fights his case. That petition is pending. Please sign and ask ERO Field Office Director John Tsoukaris to release Juan from detention so that he can fight his case from home with his family.

  815 of 1,000 Signatures

  Created by United We Dream
• Stop the Deportation of My Loving Father

  Erik Cortez-Sandeniz (A# 096-116-570) came to the United States from Mexico when he was nine years old. This is a letter from his oldest son, also named Erik. “My father grew up in Providence, Rhode Island and attended Central High School. He dropped out of high school to work and provide for his family at the age of seventeen. Since then, he has been the head of our household and has dedicated his life to taking care of his children and wife. He is now thirty-six years old and is in detention. My father grew up in a neighborhood filled with gangs. Like many other young people in his community, he became involved with the gang because that was what he knew. Despite his gang affiliation, he started working at the age of thirteen to provide for his family. One of his first jobs was helping in a local church. This country has been the only place my father has known. His whole family is here including his three U.S citizen sisters and U.S citizen mother and U.S permanent resident father, numerous of aunts and uncles and cousins, but most importantly he has his five U.S citizen children. I am his oldest son and I am nineteen years old. I just recently finished my first year at Brandeis University on a scholarship. His second oldest was recently accepted to Mass Maritime on a scholarship. Before being detained, my father saw his second son graduate high school but if he is deported he won’t see the rest of his children complete this important milestone. Two of his other children are in high school and his youngest just finished the 5th grade. He has been with my mother, his wife, for 20 years. If he does go back to Mexico, there's a possibility that he will be killed by rival gangs. He made mistakes, but I truly believe he has learned from them and moved on. He instilled in us the value of education that he learned from his experiences. My father grew up in circumstances that did not allow him to get an education, but he made sure that did not happen to us. He has two felony charges: one occurred when he was very young for leaving the scene of a car accident and the second for selling a gun to someone he thought was a friend and explained he needed a gun because his family was being threatened and was in danger. My father has provided and raised a wonderful family.” Please sign and ask ERO Assistant Field Office Director Todd Thurlow and DHS Deputy Assistant Secretary Esther Olavarria to release Erik from detention so that he can fight his case from home with his family.

  59 of 100 Signatures

  Created by United We Dream
• Stop The Deportation of LGBTQ Activist Sulma!

  Sulma did everything she was supposed to (and more!) when she arrived in Austin, Texas six years ago. She began the process of applying for asylum, learned English and applied for work authorization. Years later, she opened up her own food truck business with her partner and applied for all the necessary permits. They had just paid 2 months rent on a space to park the truck when Sulma went in for a routine ICE appointment, something she had been doing every 3 months for years. But this time, rather than signing her name and leaving, ICE told her that her lawyer had not filed some paperwork correctly. With her car still parked outside, and her partner and business waiting for her, she was taken into ICE custody and eventually transferred to Eloy Detention Center in Arizona. Thanks to the community, she was released back to her family in Austin, Texas--- but the nightmare is not over as ICE wants to remove her this Thursday!

  2,419 of 3,000 Signatures

  Created by United We Dream
• HOUSTON YOUNG IMMIGRANT COULD BE DEPORTED, ACT NOW TO STOP HIS DEPORTATION!

  [Se repite en español abajo] Alejandro Durón came to this country at the age of 15 and has spent half of his life here. Since then, he has taken English as a Second Language (ESL) classes and has excelled at them. He quickly fell in love with his adopted country when opportunities opened up and he was able to obtain a stable job in a restaurant. A natural leader, he quickly was promoted to kitchen manager. His employer would like to sponsor him but Alejandro has a court date on Wednesday, March 19th where he could be deported. Three years ago, Alejandro was pulled over and charged with DWI. A strong believer in God, he has accepted his responsibility and payed all his fines. His faith is reflected through his involvement in his church youth group "Encuentros de Promoción Juvenil (EPJ)" where he is a leader. His dream is to become a US citizen and give back by studying Computer Maintenance and Networking. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alejandro Durón vino a este país a la edad de 15 años y ha vivido la mitad de su vida aqui. El ha tomado clases de inglés como segundo idioma, y ha sobresalido en ellas. Alejandro se enamoró de su país de adopción cuando las oportunidades se abrieron y obtuvo un trabajo estable en un restaurante. Un líder de naturaleza, rápidamente fue ascendido a gerente de cocina. Su empleador le gustaría patrocinarlo pero Alejandro tiene una cita en la corte el Miércoles, 19 de Marzo en la cual podría ser deportado. Hace tres años, Alejandro fue detenido y acusado de DWI. Un firme creyente en Dios, él ha aceptado su responsabilidad y pagado todas sus multas. Su fe se refleja por medio de su involucramiento en su grupo juvenil de la iglesia "Encuentros de Promoción Juvenil (EPJ)" donde él es un líder. Su sueño es convertirse en un ciudadano de los EE.UU. y contribuir más a este país estudiando una carrera en Informática.

  413 of 500 Signatures

  Created by Alejandro Duron
• Veronica, a loving single mom, is being deported for simply taking care of her son!

  In 2010, Veronica's son, Damian, accidentally broke his ankle while in the care of a babysitter. Like any mother would, Veronica immediately took him to the hospital for medical care. The police investigated both Veronica and the babysitter, and the babysitter wrongly accused Veronica of being responsible for the accident. Child Protective Services investigated the situation and found no evidence to press charges against Veronica. But due to the Secure Communities program, which is implemented in her home state of Texas, she was sent to a detention center by ICE anyway. After her family paid a $1,500 bond release, she began a long and arduous struggle to stop her deportation. In desperation, Veronica hired an attorney to defend her case whom she later found out has had his license revoked twice. Although she felt he was not representing her case effectively, her immigration judge denied her the right to hire another attorney. Veronica has lived since 2002 in San Antonio, Texas, where she is a valued member of the community, with strong ties in her church. She works hard as a waitress to provide a better life for her son, who has a speech delay and needs special treatment. Veronica has no criminal history and represents no threat to her community or to this nation. Veronica has received an order of voluntary departure from ICE with a deadline of August 1. If Veronica is forced to leave the country, she will be separated from her whole family and will have to take Damian to a country he doesn't know, away from their family and community in Texas, or risk never seeing her son again. Please sign and ask Norma Lacy, ICE public advocate in San Antonio, Franciso Venegas, deputy field office director, and Andrew Lorenzen-Strait, ICE public advocate, to grant deferred action and stop the deportation of Maria Veronica Ayala (A# A200595406).

  1,283 of 2,000 Signatures

  Created by United We Dream
• ICE: Stop the Deportation of a Persecuted Asylum Seeker

  Shixin Lu is a 43-year-old asylum seeker and a mother of a 13-year-old daughter, Yuening Li. She is in danger of being imminently deported back to China, where she is almost certain to be detained and tortured by Chinese authorities solely because of her peaceful religious beliefs. Shixin and her husband, Austin, are practitioners of Falun Gong, a peaceful spiritual practice outlawed in China since 1999. Tens of thousands of practitioners have since been detained and tortured. Shixin and Austin were both victims of this abuse in the early 2000’s, but following their detentions, they concealed their religious beliefs and built successful careers in China. In January 2014, Austin and their daughter traveled to the United States, joined by Shixin a few weeks later. Shixin was forced to return to China in February after receiving news that her father was ill. While in China, Shixin started to receive threats to her family’s well-being. In a panic, Shixin returned to the United States, where she was detained in ICE custody before applying for asylum. Her asylum claim was wrongly denied, despite the substantial proof of warnings from Chinese authorities. Shixin has been detained in county jail like criminal for more than one year in Calhoun County Jail although ICE has the power to parole ( release her) as she is neither flight risk nor danger to public and has legitimate asylum claim. ICE Field office should use proper discretion and free her now while asylum appeal is pending!

  13 of 100 Signatures

  Created by Ahlam Said
• Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners: Don’t bow to Trump. Protect immigrants in Miami!

  We’ve seen Trump’s deportation machine detain and deport 600 people in just a few days. The immigrant community in Miami-Dade county is now even more vulnerable to attacks since Mayor Gimenez gave Trump and his administration a green light to terrorize our community. If Mayor Gimenez has no backbone to stand up against Trump and his administration, Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners must intervene to protect our residents.

  1 of 100 Signatures

  Created by United We Dream
• Protect NY immigrants from Trump! Halt Broken Windows!

  Broken windows arrests have always disproportionately impacted poor communities of color, specifically Black people. But now under Trump, these prosecutions are having devastating consequences for our non-citizen community members. In fact, under the new Executive Order, just being accused of a crime could lead to deportation. The NYPD has stated its intention to cooperate with the federal government’s new enforcement regime and reiterated its continued commitment to broken windows policing. District Attorneys are the only people who have the power to halt these prosecutions by declining to prosecute these cases.

  1,274 of 2,000 Signatures

  Created by United We Dream