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On Tuesday, January 22, immigrant youth from all over NC will march to the NC Department of Transportation building to demand they overturn the ban on driver licenses for DACA holders. Click here for details. If you can’t make it tomorrow, you can help by signing the petition and making calls to NC DMV commissioner Eric Boyette. A sample script is included in the petition so you can leave the commissioner a clear message that you stand with immigrant youth. He has the power to fix this and should do so immediately. Having licensed drivers makes our roads safer and, in turn, our state. Immigrant youth who have been granted deferred action have been given a permit to work, let them drive!
Meet Jackie Aguilar, a dreamer from Raleigh and one of the organizers of today’s event. She’s protesting not just for herself, but for her friends as well.
“Many of my friends were already approved for DACA. We were given a permit to work, let us drive!” - Jackie
DREAMer Jackie Aguilar, Class of ’08
My name is Jackie. I’m a dreamer who grew up in Raleigh since I was 8 years old. I graduated from William G. Enloe High School in 2008 with honors. Even though I have had a difficult life after high school and struggled through a society that doesn’t accept me, I still hold aspirations of getting a degree and a job I deserve. To me, nothing is more important than an education and I have always demonstrated that to my younger siblings. I try to be the best for them. Getting a driver license will make my life easier. It will allow me the ability to drive to school and to work without fear of getting pulled over and arrested for driving without a license. Here in Raleigh, people are deported when they’re arrested for driving without a license. I helped organize Tuesday’s rally because, as Attorney General Cooper already clarified, DACA holders are entitled to a driver license. To the NC DMV: Stop holding our licenses hostage. We have been given a permit to work, let us drive! If you stand with us, sign the petition demanding we get our license back. You can help by making calls to NC DMV commissioner Eric Boyette too. Thank you!
Sign the PETITION to get our driver license back by clicking here!
La marcha sigue en pie! Nos vemos mañana, Martes, afuera de las oficinas del Departamento de Transportacion. Mas detalles:
Cuando: Martes, 22 de Enero a las 9am
Donde: 1 S. Wilmington St. Raleigh, NC
*Bring your banners, caps and gowns, and matracas.
**Parking: Street parking or on-site parking decks at 120 S. Wilmington St. and also 115 S. Wilmington St. ($2/hour).
Para mas informacion, favor de contactar a:
Jacki Aguilar: 919-395-8458
Jose Rico: 919-802-0508
After weeks of going back and forth on the recent change in policy by the DMV to not grant drivers licenses to immigrant youth that benefit from President Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), it has become evident that the NC Department of Transportation does not intend to change back its policy. They will continue to hold our drivers licenses hostage.
Only weeks ago, the DMV stated that they would stop issuing drivers licenses until they heard from the opinion of Attorney General Roy Cooper. Late last week, Cooper issued a statement explaining that DACA beneficiaries not only hold legal presence, but that the state is required to issue us driver licenses:
“It is therefore our opinion that individuals who have been granted deferred action under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy directive are lawfully present in the United States during the period of deferment. As such, N.C. Gen. Stat. 20-7(s), which states that DMV shall issue a drivers license of limited duration to person who present valid documentation demonstrating deferment and meet all other statutory requirements, requires that such licenses be issued.”
Following Attorney General Cooper’s clarification, US Citizen & Immigration Services (USCIS) also issued a formal statement in regards to driver licenses for DACA recipients:
“Deferred action is a discretionary determination to defer removal action of an individual as an act of prosecutorial discretion. For purposes of future inadmissibility based upon unlawful presence, an individual whose case has been deferred is not considered to be unlawfully present during the period in which deferred action is in effect. An individual who has received deferred action is authorized by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to be present in the United States, and is therefore considered by DHS to be lawfully present during the period deferred action is in effect.”
According to recent USCIS data, as of this month there are 14,777 immigrant youth that were given deferred action in the state of North Carolina.
However, it has become apparent to us that our state’s Department of Transportation does not care much for these clarifications. They continue to discriminate DACA youth and have given no sign of changing back the DMV policy that keeps us from obtaining a driver license. They have also found an ally in their bullying of immigrant youth with Lt. Governor Dan Forest.
A recent statement given by NC Lt. Governor Dan Forest expresses:
“A person entering the United States illegally should not be afforded the privileges reserved for US citizens..”
This is yet another attack on us. You and I have a choice to make: Will we remain silent or fight back?
Here at the NC DREAM Team, we have heard our community loud and clear. We have received your calls and read your emails and messages that: We NEED to fight back! We WANT to fight back! We WILL fight back!
Here’s what we need to do:
1. Sign the petition and make calls:
http://action.dreamactivist.org/northcarolina/license/
2. Come to the protest organized by local immigrant youth TOMORROW:
When: Tuesday, January 22 @ 9am
Where: 1 S Wilmington St. Raleigh, NC
*Bring your banners, caps and gowns, and matracas.
**Parking: Street parking or on-site parking decks at 120 S. Wilmington St. and also 115 S. Wilmington St. ($2/hour).
For more info on the protest please contact:
Jacki Aguilar: 919-395-8458
Jose Rico: 919-802-0508
See you there!
Despite the recent statement made by Attorney General Roy Cooper clarifying that DACA eligible youth meet the requirements to obtain a license, the DMV has refused to change its discriminatory policy!
We urge everyone to continue to make calls to the DMV demanding that they issue licenses again. If you haven’t signed the petition, sign it and spread it widely! http://bit.ly/licensenc
Call the NC DMV directly and tell them that Attorney General Cooper has clarified DACA holders possess legal presence. Tell him the DMV’s requirements to obtain a driver license should reflect this immediately!
Eric Boyette (NC DMV Commissioner) - (919) 861-3015
Sample script: “Hi, I am calling to ask that the NC DMV adhere to the statement made by Attorney General Cooper saying DACA holders have a right to obtain driver licenses by NC state law. I ask that this official statement be reflected in the DMV’s requirements for driver licenses immediately. Thank you.”
——————
Roy Cooper, abogado general de Carolina del Norte, ha declarado qué jóvenes indocumentados recipientes de la accion diferida cumplen con los requisitos para obtener una licencia. Pero el DMV se rehúsa a cambiar su póliza discriminatoria.
Es muy importante qué continúen sus llamadas al director del DMV exigiendo qué restituyan las licencias a los jóvenes ahora. Vuelva a firmar la petición y compartala! http://bit.ly/licensenc
Llamen al Comisionado del DMV Eric Boyette directamente - (919) 861-3015
Sample script: “Hi, I am calling to ask that the NC DMV adhere to the statement made by Attorney General Cooper saying DACA holders have a right to obtain driver licenses by NC state law. I ask that this official statement be reflected in the DMV’s requirements for driver licenses immediately. Thank you.”
For all media inquiries, email viridiana@thencdreamteam.org or call Cinthia at (919) 985-5868.
Attorney General Roy Cooper announced today that DACA holders do bear legal presence and are therefore entitled to obtain a driver license under North Carolina State law.
After public outcry and pressure from immigrant youth and our supporters, we will get our license back! We just got official notice from the office of Attorney General Roy Cooper:
“It is therefore our opinion that individuals who have been granted deferred action under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy directive are lawfully present in the United States during the period of deferment. As such, N.C. Gen. Stat. 20-7(s), which states that DMV shall issue a drivers license of limited duration to person who present valid documentation demonstrating deferment and meet all other statutory requirements, requires that such licenses be issued.”
This was problematic from the beginning as it is by North Carolina law that DACA holders can obtain a driver license. Let this be yet another example that when we stand up and fight back together, we can make clear demands to any government agency. We are our own voice! Somos nuestra propia voz! We are our own power! Nosotros tenemos el poder!
Now, we ask that this official statement from Attorney General Cooper be reflected in the NCDMV’s requirements to obtain a license immediately!
SIGN THE PETITION HERE!
It’s been stated by the NC Department of Transportation, that licenses will no longer be given to those who are DACA eligible and has revoked those that have already gone out. But that doesn’t mean we should give up or that we are powerless to change what’s happening.
A march is being planned for this Tuesday, Jan. 22 at the North Carolina Department of Transportation, 1 S Wilmington St., Raleigh, NC. There’s a Facebook event with all the details. Click here to confirm your assistance or to send immigrant youth in NC a message of support!
If you can’t make it, start an event in your city demanding this backwards policy be overturned. We’ve also created a petition with the numbers of those people who can make things right. Sign the petition, call as much as possible, and spread it widely.
Petition: http://bit.ly/licensenc
Attorney General Roy Cooper has the power to overturn this policy. In fact, the NCDOT is waiting for clarification from him that DACA holders do bear legal presence. Give him a call and ask him to give us our licenses back!
MAKE A CALL: (919) 716-6400
Sample script: “Hi, I am calling to urge Attorney General Roy Cooper to reverse the backwards policy of denying driver’s licenses to recipients of deferred action. According to NC state law, all it takes to get a driver license is legal presence. Please reinstate the issuance of driver licenses to DACA holders now.”
In the meantime, the NC DMV has changed their requirements to obtain a license, specifically excluding DACA holders (code c33). This is senseless as it keeps immigrant youth from driving to the same jobs they’ve been authorized to work at. Make one last call!
NC Department of Transportation - (919) 707-2800
Sample script: “Hi, I’m calling to urge NC Department of Transportation Secretary Tony Tata to reverse the backwards policy of denying driver licenses to recipients of deferred action. They have been authorized to legally work, let them drive!”
Believe us when we say, this is only the beginning if things don’t change, and FAST. We’re not letting this go without a fight, and neither should you.
Meet 9 year old Nayeli (R) and 7 year old Blanca (L). They’re fighting for their family to stay together this holiday season. Their mother, Maria Juana, is set to be deported to Mexico on December 27th. This could be their last Christmas together. All they want for Christmas is for their family to stay together. Will you help them?
SIGN the petition!
Senator Hagan, stop our mom’s deportation!
Their mother, Maria Juana, came to the US in 2000. She was caught at the border when she initially tried to cross and was deported. She crossed again days later and has lived in NC ever since. Because of her initial contact with immigration, ICE is refusing to stop her deportation.
On December 22, 2010, Maria Juana was stopped by Alamance County law enforcement and charged and arrested for not having a driver’s license. This is also the county that is under investigation by the Department of Justice for the racial profiling of Latinos.
Maria Juana’s request for prosecutorial discretion has been denied by ICE and they insist on breaking up this family just because of the previous deportation .
The reality is that many in our undocumented community find themselves in this same situation. In our determination to get to the US, if we don’t make it across the border on our first attempt, we will try again and again and again. It’s not about comitting a crime over and over and becoming a repeat offender. It’s about literal survival. There is no apologizing for that. As a single mother of three US Citizen children, the only bread winner in the household and no criminal record, Maria Juana needs to stay in this country.
Blanca and Nayeli are standing up for their mother and they have a Christmas wish that Senator Hagan can make come true. Senator Hagan has the power to put an end to their nightmare and stop their mother’s deportation.
Maria Juana hugs her young family that includes her three children.
In 2010 Senator Hagan voted NO on the DREAM Act stating that she was in support of a more comprehensive approach to immigration reform. Now is the time for the Senator to leave the talking points behind and actually support this family. With the recently released numbers of nearly 205 thousand deportations of parents of US Citizens, Senator Hagan must be accountable to Nayeli and Blanca who are only asking for help so that their mom can stay home with them. Senator Hagan needs to immediately call for an end to Maria Juana’s deportation and not let her fall through the cracks of this broken immigration system.
Please join Nayeli and Blanca in making 100 calls to Senator Hagan and ICE so that they end their mom’s deportation. Sign the petition and call Senator Hagan and ICE now. We will stand with Blanca and Nayeli, will you?
Sign the petition at http://bit.ly/ncjuana!
Let us know in the comments how the calls turn out.
Senator Hagan:
Washington DC: 202-224-6342
Greensboro: 336-333-5311
Sample Script: “Hi, I’m calling to ask that Senator Hagan support Maria Juana Perez Santiago (A 200-576-618) and stop her deportation set for December 27, 2012. Maria Juana is the sole bread winner for her family that includes three US Citizen children. In 2010, Senator Hagan killed the DREAM Act because she wanted Comprehensive Immigration Reform. We are holding the Senator accountable to that. The Senator has a responsibility to keep this family together. Maria Juana is a low-priority case and her deportation should be stopped immediately.
Call ICE - John Morton @ 202-732-3000 or 202-732-3100
Sample Script: “Hi, I’m calling to ask that ICE stop Maria Juana Perez Santiago’s (A 200-576-618) deportation. She is the mother of three US citizen children and a previous deportation order should not split this family apart. She is a low priority for deportation. Her children need her to stay here to be able to provide for them. Deporting Maria Juana threatens the future of her US born children.
Thanks for your support!
Have you made your call to Senator Hagan today? Nayely and Blanca’s mom is set to be deported in just 8 DAYS! Senator Hagan is her only hope.
Senator Kay Hagan
Washington DC: 202-224-6342
Greensboro: 336-333-5311
Sample Script: “Hi, I’m calling to ask that Senator Hagan support Maria Juana Perez Santiago (A# 200-576-618) and stop her deportation set for December 27, 2012. Maria Juana is the sole bread winner for her family that includes three US Citizen children. In 2010, Senator Hagan killed the DREAM Act because she wanted Comprehensive Immigration Reform. We are holding the Senator accountable to that. The Senator has a responsibility to keep this family together. Maria Juana is a low-priority case and her deportation should be stopped immediately.”
When you make a call expect to hear that the Senator can’t do anything. But she can. She has the power to do the following:
1. Issue a signed letter in support of Maria Juana Perez. The letter should specifically ask that Maria’s deportation be stopped and her request for discretion. The senator must take a position on Maria’s case.
2. Call John Morton, the director of ICE, directly and ask that he use his discretion. Senators in many previous cases have made this call.
3. Issue a private bill. Any senator can sponsor a private bill and as soon as one is issued it will put a hold on any deportation for the remainder of the congressional session.
Let us know what they tell you. And thank you for your support!
For media inquiries on the case of Lorena Yanez-Mata, contact Jose Rico at (919) 802-0508.
As of 4:30 pm this afternooon, an immigration judge in Charlotte signed an order to administratively close Lorena Yanez-Mata’s case. This would not have been possible without your petition signatures, emails, and calls. Thank you all for your support!
Time Warner Cable never put out a statement in support of Lorena despite the fact that they were the reason she and her daughter went through this nightmare. So before you switch to Time Warner Cable, think again! Send them one last email telling them to put out a statement in support of their illegal immigrant customers. Jack Stanley is the TWC Triad Region President: jack.stanley@twcable.com. Also email Susan Leepson, their communications representative: susan.leepson@twcable.com.
If you’re illegal, you could be the next Lorena. It’s up to all of us to hold companies, like politicians, accountable. We are the reason they have their millions and they need to treat us with the respect we deserve as consumers and human beings. Let this be an example for us all that just because we’re illegal and cannot vote, does not mean we are voiceless and powerless. We are our own voice. We are our own power. Never forget that.
Below is a letter from Jeff to Time Warner Cable in support of Lorena Yanez-Mata, immigrant mother now facing deportation after a company representative turned her in to the police after setting up and paying for cable service. If you think this is wrong, you too can pledge to unsubscribe from TWC. Send us your letters to TWC at dreamteamnc@gmail.com. Thanks for your support!
Dear Mr. Stanley and Ms. Leepson,
My name is Jeff Shaw, and earlier this week I found myself in one of those situations where the timing makes you wonder if something was meant to happen.
Currently, I have Frontier Internet. Their service is awful. On a good day I get 3mbps download speed, and those good days are few. Since Frontier took over from Verizon in Durham, I’ve been really displeased.
On Monday, my girlfriend and I finally decided we’d had it and were going to make the switch to Time Warner. I made the call. I gleefully anticipated download speeds approaching 30 mbps, not 3. Given that your two companies are my only two options, I felt it was a no-brainer — especially because the prices are comparable.
Then, I read this: http://action.dreamactivist.org/northcarolina/lorena/
Is it really Time Warner Cable’s policy to turn in undocumented people so they can be arrested and deported?
I think this incident is outrageous, especially since the outcome involves the likely deportation of a young mother who hasn’t committed any crime. This will split up her family and leave a seven-year-old motherless. I could get into the broader immigration policy ramifications, but the main thing is this: it seems that your company took the initiative in destroying this family’s life.
If this is not your policy — if it were the actions of a rogue employee — I would suggest TWC immediately move to condemn this deportation and discipline the employee. If TWC doesn’t send a clear statement in this regard, it will be difficult to prevent another such tragedy.
If this *is* your policy, please let me assure you that I’m not the only one who finds it reprehensible.
In conclusion, let me be clear: Your company has a better product at comparable prices. I am addicted to the Internet and slow download speeds are really frustrating for me. I was ready to make the switch.
But I’d rather put up with bad service and a poor product than support a company that wants to deport my friends and neighbors. Until Time Warner Cable takes steps to make this right, I can’t in good conscience use your service.
Sincerely,
Jeff Shaw
ATENCION ILEGALES: No Contraten Servicio de Cable con Time Warner - Los Van a Deportar!
Tell ICE that Lorena is a low-priority case that should be closed immediately because all she wanted was cable service!
Single mother Lorena Yanez-Mata (A# 205-214-279) could be separated from her 7 year old US citizen daughter tomorrow when she goes before an immigration judge in Charlotte. Yesterday, Time Warner Cable announced the company “has no interest in charges being brought against Ms. Yanez-Mata”. TWC remains responsible, however, for the deportation proceedings of Ms. Yanez-Mata. Lorena told Time Warner staff when signing up for cable over the phone that she did not have a legitimate Social Security number but the representative told her to use the false one she uses for work purposes and to come into the store to finalize the application. Sounds like a set up to us.
Time Warner Cable issued a statement saying it does not routinely turn over customer’s information to law enforcement. So, why is Lorena in deportation proceedings again?
Email Time Warner Cable at jack.stanley@twcable.com and susan.leepson@twcable.com and urge them to do the following:
- TWC should tell ICE to immediately close Lorena’s case because she should not be in deportation proceedings in the first place. TWC should release a statement of support for Lorena before her upcoming immigration court date on December 13th (TOMORROW at 8:30 am @ Immigration Court: 5701 Executive Center Drive, Suite 400. Charlotte, North Carolina 28212)
- TWC should also tell Senator Kay Hagan to intervene in the case of Lorena. Senator Hagan has the power to write a letter of support for Lorena addressed to ICE telling them to exercise favorable prosecutorial discretion.
Don’t forget to SIGN and SHARE the petition too!
Thanks for your support!
