Today five courageous undocumented youth will take things to the next, they will demand an immediate end to Secure Communities and ask that the Obama administration stay true to its word.  The program has been responsible for countless deportations, in fact one of the participants own brother was detained last week for nothing more than a broken headlight.

Despite what President Obama tells us about stopping the deportation of certain people we know it isn’t true, we know every day people are being deported and nothing has changed.  We need to demand an immediate end to Secure Communities.

Please join the students virtually via live-stream: http://bit.ly/laicelive

You can also support the youth by making a donation, we don’t know yet if they are going to have a bail set but it is always nice to be on the safe side:

 

MEET THE STUDENTS:

Stephanie Hernandez was 9 years old when she came to the U.S. Excessively bullied in school and soon realizing she was different, she didn’t understand the impact of her status until her peers began discussing going to college. Upon graduation, she was forced to watch them begin new journeys while faced with the reality of her status. A student at San Bernardino Valley College since 2008, Stephanie hopes to become a police officer and eventually a homicide detective. Stephanie feels Secure Communities makes her community more insecure and unsafe, disproportionately targeting immigrant families and tearing them apart. Her younger siblings have been raised to fear the police, and that same fear has caused her to suffer in silence as a victim of crime herself. Inspired by the action of seven undocumented youth fighting back against Secure Communities on her campus last month, she wants to stand as an example that youth are better coming out about their status than staying in the shadows. Those without support are the ones who instantly disappear at the hands of ICE. “Young people have a lot of power, and we shouldn’t wait until someone close to us is about to get deported; we have to take action now.”

Ruben Barrera was brought to America at the age of one from Baja California. Growing up in the heart of Los Angeles, he saw a community that was economically challenged and struggling to prioritize the education of its children. “Being born in a different country has shaped who I am and never in my life will I regret where I came from.” A student at Edward Roybal LC, Ruben’s experiences only give him courage to continue his education, and he will never stop until he reaches his goal of becoming the first member of his family to attend a 4-year university. Last Wednesday, Ruben and his brother Isaac were pulled over in a traffic stop, and Isaac was arrested. He was put on an ICE hold and soon became a victim of the Secure Communities program. Ruben comes from a community where most people are undocumented, in which many families like his are victims of unjust programs like Secure Communities and 287g. By becoming active, he hopes to empower undocumented people in general to come out and take a stand against injustice. Ruben is tired of being afraid, and wants to show undocumented people that they are not alone in their fight against criminalization.

Alma de Jesus was brought to the U.S. at the age of 7 to be reunited with her parents, whom she had not seen in a year. Mastering English, she excelled in school, but was hit with the limits her status would place on her during her senior year in high school. Still she persevered, earning a Bachelor’s degree in History from Cal State University Northridge. She is now a proud mother of two, breaking stereotypes by completing her education, paying taxes and raising her children without the use of social services. Yet she dreams of being able to provide a better future for her children, one in which they are not discriminated against due to their background or the color of their skin. Alma has remained in the shadows for 21 years, and she feels that it is time to come out and make herself visible. The injustices faced by undocumented youth far outweigh the risk of taking a stand. She refuses to let her future be jeopardized any longer.

Luis Serrano came to America in the fall of 1995 to be reunited with his parents in Los Angeles. He grew up and attended school in San Fernando Valley, quickly adjusting to his new surroundings. After his parents’ divorce when he was 16, Luis quickly became financially responsible for himself, working multiple odd jobs and sleeping on friends’ couches, occasionally finding himself with no roof over his head. During this time, after much reflection, he decided to take his future back into his own hands. Luis returned to school for his GED, worked, and is now a student at Los Angeles Valley College. Luis feels Secure Communities is an underground threat to his community. Many people are not aware of it; most community members feel like being transferred to ICE even for a driving ticket is just part of the norm for immigrants and not an abuse of the system. Luis hopes that his story will reach youth who have felt alienated by not reaching the established standard set for undocumented youth. He is taking action to let them know that they can make a change; it starts with one person and it will pass on to someone else, just as it was passed on to him.

Miriam Vasquez began her life in the U.S. as a pre-schooler. Her entire grade school upbringing, from then through high school, took place in Los Angeles. Aware of her status, the experiences of her senior year in high school brought Miriam face to face with the struggles and effects of being undocumented. She felt her hopes and goals slip through her fingers as she filled out her first college application, unable to reconcile why her dreams for the future were deemed not as worthy as those of her peers. A month ago, Miriam’s sister Martha, also undocumented, was arrested while taking a stand against 287g and Secure Communities at San Bernardino Valley College. She knows that the continuation of Secure Communities will criminalize many innocent people, which is why it must be stopped. Inspired by the courage and risks taken by those seven youth, Miriam feels that she must take a stand against injustice, for herself, her sister, their family and their community. Currently attending Pasadena City College, Miriam feels the time is now, and she is committed to fight for the sake of her rights and her future.