FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contacts: Juan (407) 602-8675, Flavia de la Fuente (949) 910-6362 media@thedreamiscoming.com

DETAINED in Arizona: Four Student Immigrant Leaders Peacefully Resist Current Immigration Law, Urge Passage of DREAM Act

As of 6:00 PM PST today, Mohammad, Yahaira, Lizbeth and Raul, an Arizona Resident, have been arrested and detained after their day long sit-in at Senator John McCains Office in Tucson, AZ. Tania, who was not detained, has been designated as spokesperson and will be relating the experiences/thoughts of the group during the action.
Senator John McCain offered the students a meeting in order to discuss the Dream Act, however, the students recognize that this is insufficient and that immediate action is needed to pass the DREAM Act!

Tucson, Arizona. May 17th, on the anniversary of landmark civil rights case Brown v. Board of Education, Arizona law enforcement arrested four undocumented leaders of the immigrant student movement in addition to Arizona native Raul Alcaraz. Lizbeth Mateo of Los Angeles, California; Tania Unzueta of Chicago, Illinois; Mohammad Abdollahi of Ann Arbor, Michigan; and Yahaira Carrillo of Kansas City, Missouri; were detained Tucson, Arizona, after staging a sit-in at Senator John McCain’s office. With this challenge to local and federal law, these youth hope to highlight the urgency of legislative action in Congress, and catalyze mass grassroots mobilization to pass the DREAM Act before June 15th.

These four leaders are risking deportation from the United States in the hope that this action will make a significant contribution to the fight for immigrant rights. In response to the onslaught of enforcement-based immigration law, they staged a sit-in at Senator McCain’s office, and urged congressional leadership to champion the DREAM Act and the values it represents: hard work, education, and fairness.

Lizbeth, 25, an organizer with DREAM Team Los Angeles, states, "There are already ten other states across the country considering immigration legislation similar to Arizona’s: legislation that is anti-family, anti-democratic, and anti-freedom. Police states and enforcement are quickly becoming the standard, and we are running out of time. We are going to pass the DREAM Act because it is based on freedom and equality."

Mohammad, 24, co-founder of DreamActivist.Org, a resource web portal for undocumented students, said in a statement: "Never in our history has it been American to deny people their civil rights. We have decided to peacefully resist to encourage our leaders to pass the DREAM Act and create a new standard for immigration reform based on education, hard work, equality, and fairness."

At least 65,000 undocumented immigrant youth graduate from high schools every year, and many of them struggle to attend institutes of higher education and the military. The DREAM Act will grant youth who traveled to the United States before the age of 16 a path to citizenship contingent on continuous presence in the country, good behavior, and the attainment of at least a two-year university degree or a two-year commitment to the armed forces.

"During the civil rights movement, African-American students were arrested for sitting down at lunch counters. We’ve been detained for standing on a sidewalk. We can't wait any longer for the DREAM Act to pass," said Tania, 26, co-founder of the Immigrant Youth Justice League, and immigrant rights organizer in Chicago.

All four are leaders in their own communities and have dedicated years to work for immigrant rights, legalization for undocumented immigrants, and the DREAM Act. “Dr. King spoke of a dream of equality overcoming fear. Well, the fierce urgency of our dreams has overcome any kind of fear we may have had before. We can’t wait,” concluded Yahaira, 25, a founder of the Kansas Missouri Dream Alliance.

National Press Conference 
Tuesday May 18th
9 AM Pacific, 11 PM Central, Noon EST
In front of Senator John McCain’s office:
407 West Congress Street 
Tucson, AZ 85701

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Para Distribución Inmediata
17 de Mayo, 2010
Contactos: Juan (407) 602-8675, Flavia de la Fuente (949) 910-6362, media@thedreamiscoming.com

PLANTON en ARIZONA: Cuatro estudiantes inmigrantes demandan el DREAM Act

A las 6:pm hoy, Mohammad, Yahaira, Lizbeth y Raul, un Residente de Arizona, han sido arrestados y detenidos después de su acción en la oficina de Tucson, Arizona, de el Senador John McCain. Tania, quien no fue arrestada, ha sido destinada la portavoz de el grupo quien dará ha conocer los detalles y sentimientos de el grupo durante su acción.
Se conoce que el Senador John McCain les ofreció una reunión a los estudiantes para discutir el Dream Act. Los estudiante reconocen que esto no es suficiente, y que necesitamos acción inmediata para pasar el Dream Act!

Tucson, Arizona, 17 de Mayo.
Cuatro joven líderes estudiantiles del movimiento migratorio; Lizbeth Mateo de Los ángeles, Tania Unzueta de Chicago, Mohammad Abdollahi de Ann Arbor, Michigan, Yahaira Carrillo de Kansas City, Missouri participaron en un planton en Tucson, Arizona, cuando fueron a la oficina del Senador John McCain para demandar el DREAM Act. Residente de Arizona Raul Alcaraz también fue detenido.
Desafiando las leyes locales y federal, estos líderes esperan iluminar la urgencia de acción legislativa en el Congreso, y catalizar el movimiento para convertir el DREAM Act en ley antes del 15 de Junio.
Estos cuatro líderes están corriendo el riesgo de nunca poder volver al país, esperando que esta acción contribuya a la lucha para los derechos de los inmigrantes. Mohammad, 24, el fundador de www.DreamActivist.org, un recurso para estudiantes sin documentos, dijo que han "decidido involucrarse en un acto de desobediencia civil para desafiar a nuestros legisladores y President y a convertir el DREAM Act en ley."
Por lo menos 65,000 joven inmigrantes sin documentos se gradúan de la preparatoria cada año, y muchos luchan para asistir a universidades y involucrarse en las fuerzas armadas, sin embargo no pueden realizar sus sueños por causa de su estatus legal. El DREAM Act le daría a jóvenes inmigrantes que llegaron al país antes de haber cumplido 16 años, y que han tenido una presencia continua en el país, que no tienen un record criminal, y cumplen con el requisito de completar por lo menos dos años universitarios o colegio comunitario, ó cumplir dos años de servicio militar, las posibilidades de poder cumplir sus sueños y tener un camino hacia la legalización.
"Todos los días veo a jóvenes en mi comunidad luchando contra las mismas barreras que yo tuve que superar - el proceso de postularse para la universidad, no poder viajar, y el miedo de vivir sin documentos," dice Tania, fundadora del Immigrant Youth Justice League.

Lizbeth Mateo, 25, fundadora de DREAM Team Los Angeles, comparte este sentimiento: "Nuestras familias y amigos entienden la urgencia de nuestros sueños. Queremos que esta acción impulse el crecimiento del nivel de urgencia para esta legislación."
Estos cuatro jóvenes son líderes en sus comunidades y han dedicado años de sus vidas trabajando por los derechos de los inmigrantes, la legalización para inmigrantes indocumentados, y el DREAM Act. “Impulsados por nuestras frustraciones y la urgencia de nuestros sueños, tenemos que tomar cargo de nuestros futuros,” dice Yahaira, 25, fundadora del Kansas Missouri Dream Alliance.

Rueda de Prensa
Martes May 18th
9 AM Pacifico, 11 PM Central, Noon EST

Al frente de la oficina del Senador John MacCain:
407 West Congress Street 
Tucson, AZ 85701

Indigenous Organizations against SB 1070 in AZ need your help: Protest for those attending NAISA and statement for those not attending NAISA
1) For those attending NAISA: There will be a protest against SB1070 co-organized by several indigenous organizations in AZ on Friday at 11am. We will meet in the Westin Lobby at 10:15 am. Details will be forthcoming. Contact person is Mishuana Goeman at mishuana@gmail.com
2) For those not attending NAISA:
If you are not attending NAISA to publicly support the economic boycott of AZ, please consider signing the statement below.
We are collecting signatures on behalf of several indigenous organization to utilize for their media and organizing strategy through 19 May 2010. This statement then will be released publicly as part of a coordinated effort to resist and repeal these legislative violations of human rights, including the public demonstration in Tucson on 21 May 2010 (in which NAISA members, many of our colleagues who reside in AZ or who live in the surrounding Tribal Nations will be participating).
Signatures can be emailed to nativeboycott@gmail.com
Please contact me if you have comments and questions about this statement and the efforts of scholars regarding these recent political actions in Arizona and forward to anyone else who know is not attending NAISA.
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INDIGENOUS AND NATIVE STUDIES
SCHOLARS OF CONSCIENCE STATEMENT
We, scholars in Indigenous and Native studies, vigorously protest SB 1070, its proposed amendment HB 2162, and HB 2281 now a law that prohibits ethnic studies. Because these Arizona laws instigate vicious attacks on the human rights of Indigenous, immigrant, and peoples of color communities, we seek to honor the economic boycott of the state of Arizona.
/signed/
Name, Institution and/or Community Affiliation, Date

Good news! The general manager of the Desert Diamond has agreed to provide shuttle service to/from the Westin, but they need an idea of how many people will need a ride. If you’re staying at the Desert Diamond and in need of transportation to/from the conference venue, please email me (aag27@cornell.edu). Once the details worked out, I'll email everyone with the schedule. Thanks!

Thanks Robert for opening this feature.

Dream Walkers. How Far Would You Walk for Your Dreams?
(See Georgia’s Hate Response):
http://trail2010.org/

A quick view into the Protest that occurred on May 1st, 2010 in Atlanta Georgia:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zY2ix3EswXk Atlanta

Interview with Shannon Rivers, Akimel O'Odham:
http://www.nahuacalli.org/Indigenous__Geography_.html

The Undocumented-Trailer (**Caution**: Contains photographs of unidentified dead border-crossers)
http://vimeo.com/10788818

La UNAM confirma que canceló su programa académico en Arizona
http://mexico.cnn.com/nacional/2010/05/06/la-unam-confirma-que-cancela-su-programa-academico-de-verano-en-arizona?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3a+cnnmexico%2fportada+(Noticias)&sms_ss=facebook

The Far-Right Movement Behind Arizona Copycat Bills:
http://www.colorlines.com/article.php?ID=713

Anti-Joe Arpaio Facebook Group Hits 50,000 Members in Less Than Three Months:
http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/valleyfever/2010/05/anti-joe_arpaio_fac...

Immigrants complete a 1,500-mile walk to call attention to their struggles in the United States:
http://amfix.blogs.cnn.com/2010/04/29/immigrants-walk-1500-miles-to-stop...

Huelga/Strike. Chicano - Struggle in the Fields - Part 1:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6weulYxNTo&feature=related (there are more parts of this documentary)

Several of us have cancelled our reservations at the Westin La Paloma and reserved rooms at the Desert Diamond - owned by the Tohono O'odham Nation (http://www.desertdiamondcasino.com/). The rates are less than the Westin and as a tax-free establishment, we save an additional 12% plus the $15/day resort fee. When I last checked, rooms were still available during the dates of the conference. Unfortunately, the Desert Diamond doesn’t provide shuttle service but I’ve been in conversation with one of the CEOs about special arrangements that might be made given the situation. But if not, I like to think that those of us with rental cars would willing to help provide rides to others needing to get to/from the Westin (about 15 miles away).