FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
New York, N.Y. – The New York State Youth Leadership Council (NYSYLC) responds to President Obama’s speech on immigration held today, May 10th, in El Paso, Texas.
Immigrant communities across the country are under attack. Through enforcement programs such as 287g and Secure Communities, the Obama administration continues to enforce the apprehending, incarcerating and deportation of non-violent undocumented youth and their families. The Obama administration has been responsible for the greatest number of deportations in U.S. history — approximately 800,000 in a two-year period.
After a failed attempt to enact the DREAM Act, the 10-year old bill fell 5 votes short in the Senate, and thus, continued to leave undocumented youth in a legal limbo. These young immigrants grew up in the United States and are in every sense American, except on paper.
President Obama mentioned during his speech that America is the land where everything is possible, even crazy dreams. However, the dreams of undocumented youth continue to be suppressed due to no real path for legalization. We ask President Obama to use his administrative power to stop the deportation of undocumented youth across the country and to lead an honest and real effort for the enactment of a legalization bill, such as the DREAM Act.
In New York, the NYSYLC has taken action and started an aggressive campaign to pass the New York DREAM Act (S. 4179) a bill introduced by State Senator Bill Perkins (District 30) and State Assemblyman Guillermo Linares (District 72). The bill provides basic amenities to undocumented youth living in the State of New York, but does not place them on a path to citizenship or halt their deportation orders.
For media inquiries, contact Tania 646-354-0065
Exciting DREAM Act News
Today, Sen. Durbin joined 32 other senators in re-introducing the federal DREAM Act.
The National Immigrant Youth Alliance (NIYA) would like to invite you to a national call discussing the status of the Federal DREAM Act. Spots are limited. Please RSVP to join the call.
Speakers:
- Reyna Wences, Facilitator from Immigrant Youth Justice League.
- Senator Richard Durbin, (D-IL) lead sponsor of the DREAM Act
- Gregory Cendana, Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, AFL-CIO
- Frank Sharry, Executive Director of America’s Voice
- Two DREAM-eligible youth.
Stay tuned for more updates
