The "DREAM Now Series: Letters to Barack Obama" is a social media campaign that launched Monday, July 19, to underscore the urgent need to pass the DREAM Act. The Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act, S. 729, would help tens of thousands of young people, American in all but paperwork, to earn legal status, provided they graduate from U.S. high schools, have good moral character, and complete either two years of college or military service.  With broader comprehensive immigration reform stuck in partisan gridlock, the time is now for the White House and Congress to step up and pass the DREAM Act!

Dear Mr. President,

My name is Saad Nabeel and I am writing to you from Bangladesh. Prior to my arrival in this nation, I lived in the United States for 15 years. My parents brought me to America at age three. It is the only home I know. I used to attend the University of Texas at Arlington with a full scholarship in Electrical Engineering. Through no fault of my own I was forced to leave my home, friends, possessions, and most importantly, my education behind.

November 3rd 2009 is a day I will never forget. My mother called me and told me that my father had been detained by ICE and that we needed to leave immediately to Canada to seek refugee status. Being an only child, I had to take care of my mother and go with her.

America's Voice sent out an action alert celebrating our victory with Ivan Nikolov and asking folks to do the same for Selvin Arevalo.  Sending a fax, and asking your friends to do the same, is probably the single most important thing you can do for Selvin.  It will also do a lot for the DREAM Act as the faxes will go to two key Senate votes, Republicans Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins.   

I'm so glad to share some more good news with you: After spending three months in jail facing deportation, Ivan Nikolov was released last week!

Now, Ivan's safe at home with his fiancée and stepdad, and it's all thanks to your help. Together, we sent nearly 15,000 faxes to the Department of Homeland Security and ICE, and another 2,800 faxes to Ivan's Congressional representatives in Michigan, sharing his story and urging his release. Our persistence paid off, and Ivan is back home with his loved ones in Michigan.

Now, another young man -- Selvin Arevalo -- urgently needs our help.

We've seen just how successful these campaigns can be. We helped save Ivan Nikolov in Michigan and Marlen Moreno in Arizona. Now Selvin Arevalo needs our help. Send a fax now to stop Selvin's deportation!

http://AmericasVoiceOnline.org/Selvin

The call for Selvin Arevalo on Tuesday went better than I could have imagined.  Below is the audio followed by two press releases, one in English and one in Spanish:



Leaders from the Religious, Child Advocacy, and Immigrant Communities Urge ME Senators to Intervene in Deportation of Selvin Arevalo

Call for Federal Action on DREAM Act this September as a Step toward Comprehensive Immigration Reform

Portland, ME - Immigrant and child advocates joined religious leaders from Maine on a call today to press Congress to pass the DREAM Act in September and to urge Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) and Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME) to intervene in the deportation case of Selvin Arevalo, an American student who may soon be deported to Guatemala.  Selvin's story is the most recent of thousands across the U.S. highlighting the need for federal action.

Opportunity for DREAM Act Could Make the Difference for Mainer

Advocates Ask Senators Snowe and Collins to Support Passage this September, Intervene in Arevalo Case

Portland, ME - Today, August 31st at 2:30 pm ET, immigrant advocates and community leaders will urge Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) and Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME) to intervene in the deportation case of Selvin Arevalo, an American student who may soon be deported to Guatemala, and to press their colleagues in the Senate to pass the DREAM Act this September.

The "DREAM Now Series: Letters to Barack Obama" is a social media campaign that launched Monday, July 19, to underscore the urgent need to pass the DREAM Act. The Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act, S. 729, would help tens of thousands of young people, American in all but paperwork, to earn legal status, provided they graduate from U.S. high schools, have good moral character, and complete either two years of college or military service.  With broader comprehensive immigration reform stuck in partisan gridlock, the time is now for the White House and Congress to step up and pass the DREAM Act!

Dear Mr. President,

My name is Lizbeth Mateo and I am undocumented. On May 17th, on the 56th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, I, along with Mohammad Abdollahi, Yahaira Carrillo and two others, became the first undocumented students to risk deportation by staging a sit-in inside Senator McCain's office in Tucson, Arizona, to demand the immediate passage of the DREAM Act. As a result of that sit-in we were arrested, turned over to ICE, and we now face deportation.

The "DREAM Now Series: Letters to Barack Obama" is a social media campaign that launched Monday, July 19, to underscore the urgent need to pass the DREAM Act. The Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act, S. 729, would help tens of thousands of young people, American in all but paperwork, to earn legal status, provided they graduate from U.S. high schools, have good moral character, and complete either two years of college or military service.  With broader comprehensive immigration reform stuck in partisan gridlock, the time is now for the White House and Congress to step up and pass the DREAM Act!

Dear Mr. President,

On July 20th, 2010 I was arrested in the office of Senator John McCain fighting for the DREAM Act.

I am one of the thousands of students who would qualify for this legislation. I was brought to the United States at the age of four and have been here ever since. I consider myself to be a good student and I always strive to be a good example for others. I have been waiting for the DREAM Act to pass since it was first introduced in 2001, and this year I decided that I couldn't stand by and wait another year. I decided to fight for my DREAMs.

The "DREAM Now Series: Letters to Barack Obama" is a social media campaign that launched Monday, July 19, to underscore the urgent need to pass the DREAM Act. The Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act, S. 729, would help tens of thousands of young people, American in all but paperwork, to earn legal status, provided they graduate from U.S. high schools, have good moral character, and complete either two years of college or military service.  With broader comprehensive immigration reform stuck in partisan gridlock, the time is now for the White House and Congress to step up and pass the DREAM Act!

Dear Mr. President,

My name is Carlos and I'm a 23 year old undocumented immigrant from Caracas, Venezuela.  I want to legalize my immigration status in this country through the passage of DREAM Act this year.  For too long have I lived in the U.S. without papers.  It has been over 20 years, now.  I want to legalize my immigration status in order to fulfill my dreams of becoming a young professional in architecture.

The "DREAM Now Series: Letters to Barack Obama" is a social media campaign that launched Monday, July 19, to underscore the urgent need to pass the DREAM Act. The Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act, S. 729, would help tens of thousands of young people, American in all but paperwork, to earn legal status, provided they graduate from U.S. high schools, have good moral character, and complete either two years of college or military service.  With broader comprehensive immigration reform stuck in partisan gridlock, the time is now for the White House and Congress to step up and pass the DREAM Act!

It's been one month since the DREAM Now Series started, and it's been far more successful than I had ever imagined.  DREAM Now Letters have been cross-posted and mentioned by a wide selection of bloggers.  Those blog posts, in turn, have been viewed, shared and retweeted tens of thousands of times.

The "DREAM Now Series: Letters to Barack Obama" is a social media campaign that launched Monday, July 19, to underscore the urgent need to pass the DREAM Act. The Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act, S. 729, would help tens of thousands of young people, American in all but paperwork, to earn legal status, provided they graduate from U.S. high schools, have good moral character, and complete either two years of college or military service.  With broader comprehensive immigration reform stuck in partisan gridlock, the time is now for the White House and Congress to step up and pass the DREAM Act!

[Note from Kyle de Beausset: Selvin wrote this letter right before he got into a minor car accident on April 9, 2010.  He was set to get his high school diploma in June but has been in detention ever since.  I have chosen reproduce Selvin's letter as I found it in his empty room, rather than polish his slight grammatical errors, to allow his character to shine through.]

Dear President Barack Obama,

From the bottom of my heart, I plead to my God that you and your entire family receive blessings from the highest God while you are reading this letter.  I admire and thank you for the great labor that you are fulfilling as a president in this big nation.  My name is Selvin Ovidio Arevalo.  I came to this country when I was 15 years old.  I came from Guatemala to this country to fulfill my dreams because I always have believed that this is a country of many opportunities for those whom want to succeed.

My client Ivan Nikolov is still being detained by ICE in Battle Creek, Michigan, for the crime of coming to the U.S. with his mother at the age of 11. Please take a moment to watch this moving video from Ivan's fiancee, Alanna, as she describes how she met Ivan, why he is being deported, and what you can do to help.

If Ivan were released from prison, he would be a candidate for the DREAM Act if it were to be passed by Congress. Ivan's case demonstrates that ICE is still trying to deport DREAMers. Please don't let Ivan be the public example that DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano and President Obama use to placate anti-immigrant voters in a misguided and ineffective effort to preserve Democratic majorities in Congress this fall. Let Democrats in Congress and the White House know they shouldn't play politics with the lives of Ivan and other DREAMers!

Please do the following to help Ivan:

1. Sign this petition to DHS
2. Send a fax to DHS
3. Call John Morton, Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (202-732-3000)
4. Call Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI) and ask him to continue to work on Ivan Nikolov's case until he is released from prison (202-224-6221)
5. Call Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and ask her to support Ivan Nikolov (202-224-4822)

When calling ICE please be very polite and say something like this:

I am calling to leave a message of support for Ivan (A#078-251-095) who is going to be deported any day now. I ask that Director Morton please step in to defer Ivan's deportation, he is an asset to this country. Thank you.