Earlier today we asked the question, “Why Deport Walter?”
Well, after a strong coordinated effort this week, led by Dream Activist.org and SEIU, to allow Walter Lara to stay in this country, we’ve scored an important victory. Walter was granted a one-year stay of deportation today. The 23-year-old honor student will now get to spend this Fourth of July watching fireworks with his family in Florida instead of waiting to be deported to a country he’s never known. Congratulations to everyone who worked to make this happen!
We share Walter’s joy and relief today, but we also know that Walter is just one of the 65,000 immigrant youth whose lives would be changed by the Dream Act.
Erin Rosa of Gabacha.com writes:
Clearly what happened here was that the federal government, being
pressured by a public opinion that saw the absurdity in sending a
talented young man back to a country he has never known for a the
“crime” of entering the country illegally when he was a toddler,
eventually did the right thing.This is all because we made the conscious decision to take targeted
and organized action. That’s what change is about my friends, and
again, thank you. It changed a man’s life today.SEIU is also organizing a “Thank Napolitano” if any of you feel inclined to sign that.
The battle is far from over. Only by passing progressive legislation
like the DREAM Act, can we stop more kids from succumbing to a
situation like Walter’s. It will be up for a vote in Congress soon, and
I look forward to reporting more on that here and at my blog.
As Kos, founder of Daily Kos, pointed out earlier today in “The absurdities of current immigration policy:”
Update: Just got word that Lara’s deportation was
delayed for one year by Napolitano. Great work for everyone who fought
hard for this kid. Fantastic news for him, but there are many more like
him in similar position. I look forward to legislation within the next
12 months creating a rational national immigration policy.
We share this sense of urgency with Erin, Markos, and the volunteers who put so much of their passion into running DreamActivist.org, and we will be working to ensure that Walter’s victory soon becomes a victory for all of the youth trapped within our broken immigration system.
For now, please take a moment out of your holiday weekend to celebrate with Walter and his family and support the Dream Act in any way you can.
If you want to make a donation to this work, check out the stellar fundraising widget over at DreamActivist.
