This article first published by Tim Paynter as “Tough Titty For Dream Student Steve Li” on Technorati S55Z3Z7ZW8TF
STEVE IS SCHEDULED FOR DEPORTATION MONDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2010. IMMEDIATE ACTION NEEDED. YES! CALL ON SUNDAY!
Steve Li on Facebook
Technorati code S55Z3Z7ZW8TF
A nation that prides itself as compassionate and a leader in human rights is slamming the doors on the fingers of a 20-year-old student who wants to devote his life to taking care of the sick. Without immediate intervention, nursing school student Steven Li will be practicing Spanish in Lima Peru, while his parents grieve the separation of parent and child. An unfair immigration system says tough titty to Steve Li.
“A 20-year-old City College student is not a threat to our national security,” Li’s attorney, Sin Yen Ling, said at a protest today.
Li, who lives with his mother in San Francisco, was picked up by ICE on September 15th, 2010 along with his mother, Maria. Li’s father was picked up shortly thereafter. Their request for asylum was denied five years ago and they are under a final order of deportation.
Subsequently, the parents were released from custody. China refuses to accept the parents back because they came here as political refugees from a one child policy and out of fear of their government.
Meanwhile, Steve was transferred to an ICE facility in Arizona and is now lost in the maze of public and private ICE detention facilities. It is possible the youth will not see his parents before authorities put him on a plane to Lima, Peru.
Li, who was a child during the original immigration proceedings had no say in a bad decision made early in the case by his parents. He was not even aware of the deportation order until ICE came to his door. He thought his tourist visa was adequate and his parents, wishing to spare him anxiety, had not been forthright about the removal order. Steve never had his day in court, since his presence was waived due to his age.
Read more: http://technorati.com/politics/article/tough-titty-for-dream-student-steve/#ixzz15HCdG6GD
"(ICE) Fugitive Operations says, ‘well, you had your court date. You had your due process, now you have to leave.’ But this is not adequate due process for Steve Li,” said his attorney Ling (since the parents appeared on behalf of their son, who knew little of what was happening.)
“He has no money, no clean clothes, how will he get by?” his mother Maria said with tears running down her cheeks.
Steve was born in Peru but left there as a child. He has no family, no means of support and nowhere to go once his plane touches down in Lima. What harm does a nursing school student pose to this nation in a time when there is a shortage of nurses?
In fact, the Board of Supervisors from San Francisco Community College passed a unanimous resolution in support of Steve Li saying he is a model student. "We don't pass many unanimous resolutions," said one member of the Board of Supervisors.
The family is faced with difficult decisions. The parents could apply for a visa for Peru, but there is no guarantee it will be granted. If not, they face being separated from their son for years. If the parents migrate to Peru, they will not be able to return to the U.S. for 10 years.
"Speaker Pelosi believes that Steve Li’s case is a textbook example of the pressing need for comprehensive immigration reform and passage of the DREAM Act,” a spokesman for Pelosi’s office said.
Steve’s Supporters have asked Senator Barbara Boxer to sponsor a private bill in a last ditch effort to halt Li’s deportation to Peru, scheduled for Monday, November 15th.
‘We ask that a miracle take place and that Steve’s mom and San Francisco can be happy again, that the heart and soul of what is morally right can overcome regulations,” Reverend Normal Fang said.
Read more: http://technorati.com/politics/article/tough-titty-for-dream-student-steve/page-2/#ixzz15HCr79av
BuzzNet Tags: steve li,dream act,deportation,ice raids,deports student to peru,city college,comprehensive immigration reform,cir,normal fang
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