President Trump is set to sign executive orders this morning, including one or more on immigration. Ohio immigrant rights leaders, allies, and two DACA-recipients are available for interview.
Manny Bartsch, a DACA recipient, Heidelberg University graduate, recent father, and long-time Ohio resident whose battle against deportation was covered extensively by state and national media in 2005 and beyond (read this 2012 profile in the Toledo Blade for more background on Bartsch’s story). DACA provided Bartsch a range of opportunities, as he explained in 2015: “Losing DACA would mean losing the tools I have to live life. Instead of being a contributing member of society, I would return to living in limbo. With no way to progress in life, I would become unable to provide for my wife. It would make everyday life a struggle, and I would constantly have to depend on other people. The biggest thing that would be the hardest pill to swallow would be not taking care of my wife.” Manny is available for interviews in English. Contact: Nicky Vogt, 202-331-2389, press@americasvoice.org
Jose Mendez, a DACA recipient and Cleveland Director, DreamActivist Ohio, who recently traveled to Washington, DC to represent Ohio immigrants at the Women’s March. Jose is available for interviews in both English and Spanish. Contact: Nicky Vogt, 202-331-2389, press@americasvoice.org
David Leopold, Founder, David Wolfe Leopold & Associates Co., LPA and consultant to America’s Voice: Leopold was previously the president of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, the premier bar association of immigration lawyers and professors. His diverse immigration, visa, and citizenship practice includes deportation defense and federal immigration litigation. He co-founded the American Immigration Council’s Litigation Institute, and has testified before Congress. Leopold has appeared on CNN’s Out Front with Erin Burnett among other TV spots, and been quoted in numerous national and international print publications. David is available for interviews in English. Contact: 216-272-1963; DLeopold@immvisa.com or Nicky Vogt, 202-331-2389, press@americasvoice.org
Lynn Tramonte, Deputy Director, America’s Voice; Director, Ohio’s Voice: Lynn Tramonte is the Deputy Director of America’s Voice, a Washington, DC-based immigration advocacy group, and the director of Ohio’s Voice, a state-based immigration project. She is a veteran of numerous legislative battles on immigration, including the comprehensive immigration reform debates of 2006, 2007, and 2013. She lives in Cleveland Heights. Lynn is available for interviews in both English and Spanish. Contact: Lynn Tramonte, (216) 586-4978; ltramonte@americasvoice.org; Nicky Vogt, 202-331-2389, press@americasvoice.org
