CPCC student facing deportation will be honored at vigil

Latino advocates will be hosting a vigil at St. Peter's Catholic Church Friday night for young illegal immigrants like Erick Velazquillo, a 22-year-old Central  Piedmont  Community College student facing deportation.

Velazquillo, who graduated from South Mecklenburg High, was featured in a recent Observer story on young people like himself who are part of a national push by young people to the front of immigration reform.

Velazquillo was arrested in October. The charges: failing to dim his headlights and driving without a valid license. The group is asking for the public’s help to petition lawmakers to have Velazquillo’s case deferred. He says his last court hearing is on July 19, when an immigration judge will decided whether he should be deported. The group will also be calling for passage of "the Dream Act," a legal change that would make it easier for young people to become U.S. citizens if they attend college or join the military.

Opponents of the Dream Act say students like Velazquillo should be confronting their parents instead of making demands on the American people.

"Every illegal immigrant who gets into college here is going to displace a U.S. citizen because there are not enough seats," said Ron Woodard, head of NC Listen, which advocates for greater immigration enforcement. "The right thing to do is not disenfranchise an American citizen."

The vigil will begin at 6 p.m. at St. Peter's Church on South Tryon Street. For more information on the vigil, call 704-281-9911.

Photo: Angelica Velazquillo and her brother, Erick. In the U.S. since he was 2, he faces deportation for a traffic violation. Kevin Ziechmann - kziechmann@charlotteobserver.com

Immigrant hangs hopes on 'Dream Team' to stay

FROM PRINT EDITION

Immigrant hangs hopes on 'Dream Team' to stay Young activists back CPCC student's deportation appeal.

By Franco Ordoñez
fordonez@charlotteobserver.com
Posted: Friday, Jul. 01, 2011

A 22-year-old Central Piedmont Community College student facing deportation has placed his future in the hands of a group of his peers - also young, also here illegally.

Erick Velazquillo says they're his last hope to stay in the country that's been his home since he was 2.

Velazquillo, who graduated from South Mecklenburg High, was arrested in October. The charges: failing to dim his headlights and driving without a valid license. He is now in the process of being deported.

On July 19, he'll ask an immigration judge and federal prosecutors to not send him back to Mexico.

He said two Latino organizations and several lawyers advised him not to fight for fear he would receive greater immigration penalties.

Instead, he turned to a statewide group of young activists, known as the "N.C. Dream Team."

The Raleigh-based group, whose slogan is "Undocumented and Unafraid," thinks it can help. Velazquillo's case is their first Charlotte initiative.

Inspired by the Civil Rights movement, the Dream Team is part of a national push by young people to the front of immigration reform.

They've confronted legislators, launched hunger strikes, and even announced their illegal status to draw attention to their demands.

They are calling for passage of "the Dream Act," a legal change that would make it easier for young people to become U.S. citizens if they attend college or join the military.

And they say they are fed up with established Latino advocates whom they accuse of botching earlier bipartisan support for the act.

"We've had enough," said N.C. Dream Team co-founder Viridiana Martinez of Sanford. "We know we're taking risks, facing arrest every time we come out. But we have to speak out for ourselves. Because if we don't do it, someone else is going to do it. And that has gotten us nowhere."

The group formed last summer during a 13-day hunger strike in Raleigh to draw attention to the Dream Act. The name stands for Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors.

Velazquillo learned of the group through his sister, Angelica. She attended the Dream Team's "coming out" rally in March, and shared her brother's story with the members.

The Dream Team plans to broadcast Velazquillo's appeal to their 1,100 N.C. supporters. But as many as 10,000 people are likely to learn about Velazquillo through the group's affiliated networks nationwide.

Erick Velazquillo, who is studying to be a nutritionist, said he's never been back to Mexico.

"It is scary," he said. "The only people I know over there are my grandmother who is 72 and my grandfather who is 74. ... What am I going to do?"

Discretion over deportation

The Obama administration has deported almost 800,000 people in the last two years. While the Dream Act failed last fall, the administration has made it clear that they don't want to deport college-age students who have not committed major crimes.

Some 800,000 established immigrants - including about 51,000 in North Carolina - would be covered by the act. But the bill has languished in Congress for 10 years.

Two weeks ago, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced it was encouraging agents to use "prosecutorial discretion" for young illegal immigrants who are seeking college degrees.

The authorities are now instructed to give "particular care and consideration" to individuals "present in the United States since childhood."

Team has allies, sees 'bully'

The Dream Team includes some U.S.-born allies.

Domenic Powell grew up in Charlotte and graduated from Hopewell High.

The 24-year-old, whose mother is Mexican-American, helps run the group's blog and media relations.

Powell, a UNC Chapel Hill graduate, said his reasons for becoming involved are simple: "I don't see how you can remain silent when this is happening to your friends."

In January, member Loida Ginocchio-Silva, 23, confronted U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan during a visit with constituents.

"Your vote against the Dream Act was a denial to our existence," she said in the exchange caught on video. "It was a denial to my future."

Hagan, a Greensboro Democrat, told Ginocchio-Silva that she supported the Dream Act, but as part of a comprehensive reform package.

Hagan did not answer specific Observer questions about the Dream Team. She was one of five Democrats who voted to block the Dream Act in December. But comments from her staff indicate a possible softening of her position.

"Her mind is open to any sensible, bipartisan initiative that moves the country and North Carolina forward," spokeswoman Stephanie Allen said. When state Rep. Dale Folwell, a Winston-Salem Republican, sought to collect immigration data on K-12 students, the Dream Team dubbed him "North Carolina's biggest school bully."

Folwell said the goal of the measure, which was dropped, was to show the costs of educating illegal immigrants.

"People get tired of the simplicity of this, but $1 spent on an illegal is $1 taken away from a law-abiding citizen."

Ron Woodard, head of NC Listen, which advocates for greater immigration enforcement, said the students should be confronting their parents instead of making demands on the American people.

"Every illegal immigrant who gets into college here is going to displace a U.S. citizen because there are not enough seats," he said. "The right thing to do is not disenfranchise an American citizen."

Team's success and arrests

The Dream Team has been inspired by recent successes.

The group led a campaign on behalf of Fredd Reyes, a Guilford Technical Community College student who was awaiting deportation in Georgia.

Reyes was released in November after federal officials received more than 3,500 emails in his behalf.

Some traditional Latino groups say they applaud the young people's drive but question their methods.

Maudia Melendez of Jesus Ministry in Charlotte said the students take too many risks.

"I don't want to see their future broken because of what they're doing," she said. "Once you announce you're undocumented ... they can come and get you."

In April, two members of the Dream Team were arrested in an Atlanta demonstration. Martinez and Jose Rico, a student at Wake Technical Community College in Raleigh, joined five other undocumented peers who sat down in the middle of a street and announced they were in the country illegally.

"We're not ashamed anymore," Rico, 21, told the Observer. "We need to tell everyone that we exist, that we're undocumented, and put a face to the issue." News researcher Maria David contributed.

Read more: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/07/01/2420335/immigrant-hangs-hopes-on-dream.html#ixzz1TyguAgfP

Students plan rally at Obama's Charlotte campaign headquarters

A Charlotte youth group affiliated with the Latin American Coalition is calling on President Obama to sign an executive order that would halt deportation of many college–aged illegal immigrants.

The United 4 The Dream youth group will be rallying Friday at 5 p.m. in front of Obama’s re-election headquarters on Elizabeth Avenue.

The Obama administration has said that congress should pass the Dream Act, which would allow some young illegal immigrants a chance at citizenship if they attend college or the join the military.

Advocates now want the president to use his authority to stop the deportations of certain groups, including students who would be eligible for the Dream Act.

For more information on the rally, call 704-941-2542 or visit www.latinamericancoalition.org.

Could N.C. be the toughest immigration state?

Five immigration enforcement bills gaining momentum in the N.C. General Assembly could, if passed, make the state one of the toughest places for illegal immigrants to reside.

One bill prevents foreign-born residents from using their home country’s IDs as legal identification. And another requires all businesses to check the legal status of new employees using a federal system called E-Verify.

The proposed measures would bring North Carolina in line with Arizona and Alabama, considered the states with the strongest immigration laws. 

Each of the N.C. bills have passed at least one house. If approved, they’d be sent to the governor’s desk for her signature.

Check the status of each bill:

House Bill 33 – Consular Documents Not Acceptable as ID
H36 – Employers/Gov. Contractors Must Use E-Verify
HB744 Safe Students Act

Senate Bill 205 – No Benefits For Illegal Aliens
S303 – Real ID Compliance/ Limited Duration Licenses

The apparent progress of the N.C. bills reflects similar efforts sweeping across the nation as some states seek to take more active roles in enforcing immigration restrictions. But immigration advocates, as well as President Obama, say the issue should be handled at the federal level. 

On Thursday, Alabama legislators appeared to take the title of toughest immigration enforcers from Arizona when the governor signed a new law, that among other things, makes it a crime to give an illegal immigrant a ride.

Most of the new immigration laws, whether those proposed in Alabama, North Carolina, or Georgia, are modeled after laws passed in Arizona last year.

More states could follow suit depending on the outcome of a Supreme Court decision on the most controversial aspects of the Arizona bill. The country’s highest court is expected to look closer at the Arizona law after a federal judge ruled some parts unconstitutional, including requiring police to check the immigration status of people detained if there is reason to believe he or she is in the country illegally.

Last month, the Supreme Court voted 5-3 to back another Arizona law that requires companies to check employee status that is similar to the E-Verify bill proposed in North Carolina.

File photo: Demonstrators supporting and opposing Arizona's Immigration policy (Annie Tritt/The New York Times)

Latino arts festival kicks off tonight

The Latino cultural festival "Con A de Arte" is returning to Charlotte this weekend.


Latino artists will be featured at a series of events, including tonight's South End gallery crawl and at the Gil Gallery/Coffey and Thompson Gallery on Morehead Street.


On Saturday, the work of more than a dozen painters, visual artists, and photographers, will be featured from 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the main Charlotte Mecklenburg Library in Uptown. 


These events are free and open to the public.

For more information visit, artsicharlotte.org.

Immigration game changer?

The Supreme Court backs Arizona on law that punishes businesses hiring illegal immigrants.

The 5-3 ruling is a victory for groups who support greater immigration enforcement at the state level. And it’s a blow to immigration advocates who say immigration enforcement should only be handled
by federal authorities.

Read the decision here.

Arizona passed the Legal Arizona Workers Act in 2007. It requires companies use free federal databases, such as E-Verify, to check the documentation of employees. It also gives the state the right to suspend the licenses of business that “intentionally or knowingly” violate those verification requirements.

"Arizona has taken the route least likely to cause tension with federal law," wrote Chief Justice John Roberts, who authored the decision. "In exercising that authority, Arizona has taken the route least likely to cause tension with federal law...it relies solely on the Federal Government’s own determination of who is an unauthorized alien, and it requires Arizona employers to use the Federal Government’s own system for checking employee status."

No doubt legislators across the country are going to now take a closer look at this bill. Many legislators, including those in North Carolina, have discussed or introduced bill that would give states greater authority in enforcing immigration laws.

Roberts was supported by his four conservative colleagues.

In dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor said permitting states to make E-Verify a mandatory program improperly puts states in a position of making decisions that directly affect expenditure and depletion of federal resources.

"Because state laws requiring use of E-Verify frustrate the significant policy objectives underlying this decision, thereby imposing explicitly unwanted burdens on the Federal Government," she wrote, "I would hold that federal law impliedly  preempts the Arizona requirement."

Are Latinos turning on Obama?

Are President Obama's public pledges and desire to pass immigration reform and/or the Dream Act enough for Latinos to vote for him in 2012?

It was interesting watching Obama ride the wave of support after a successful Bin Laden mission to El Paso, Texas this month to push again for immigration reform – a measure even some of the most staunchest advocates feel is not going to happen before the election.

Several pundits and editorials accused Obama of pandering to Latinos as he starts his campaign on what is expected to be a very highly contested election

The Latinos who count immigration reform as their most important issue are not likely going to switch over and vote for a Newt Gingrich, Mitt Romney or any other Republican candidate. However, those Latinos could certainly stay home on election day, which could prove costly.

The Latino vote was critical in the 2008 presidential election, Hispanics voted for Obama over Republican John McCain by a margin of more than two-to-one, 67 percent versus 31 percent, according to an analysis of exit polls by the Pew Hispanic Center. The Center’s analysis also found that 9 percent of the electorate was Latino, as indicated by the national exit poll.

And think about the prized 29 electoral votes in Florida, which many see as a potential game changer.

In 2008, Obama won 57 percent of the Latino vote in Florida, a state where Latinos have historically supported Republican presidential candidates. President Bush carried 56 percent of the Latino vote in Florida in 2004.

And many Latinos are disappointed in the president for failing to follow through with campaign promises on immigration reform.

“What I can guarantee is that we will have in the first year an immigration bill that I strongly support and that I’m promoting,” Obama said in an interview with the Spanish-language broadcaster Univision in 2008.

No doubt Obama’s handlers are thinking of these statistics as they scheduled speaking engagements advocating for immigration reform. But will they resonate with Latino voters?

Many advocates, including U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez, have been urging Obama to use his authority to act independently and stop deportations of some groups of illegal immigrants, including undocumented students and the parents of children who are U.S. citizens.

"When the president of the United States decided there was possibly going to be an act of genocide in Libya, he bombed Gadhafi's forces," Gutierrez told the Observer on a visit to Charlotte earlier this month. "He didn't call anyone in Charlotte or Chicago. He didn't call the Congress of the United States. ... He used his discretion."

So Obama caught the ire of some Latino advocates when he launched a new campaign ad pushing the Dream Act. The ad asks his supporters to give their email address and zip code. When they click on the button “I’m in” it takes them to Obama’s campaign website.

“Obama, END Our Pain before you start your campaign!,” the headline read on United We Dream.

The authors go on to write:

"We are tired of politicians either bashing us or praising us without ending our pain. After the president's speech we knew he was on campaign mode, but these ads just brought insult to our ever-growing pain of achieving the American Dream. Until Congress passes the DREAM Act, the President has the full authority to enable us to temporarily come out of the shadows, work and contribute to our country."