Paige Romsey

Immigration Rights
January 26, 2016

Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Facts about Immigration and Deportation
3. Activist - Katherine Tabares
4. Activist - Alex Aldana
5. Fighting Deportation
6. The Outcome of Separating Families
7. Conclusion
8. Works Cited

Introduction
Have you ever thought about moving to America for a better life but
have it all change in just a second? Many families have been separated
because of deportation. Deportation is
theactionofdeportingaforeigner
fromacountry.Parentsgetseparatedfromtheirchildrenwhentheyget
deportedandtheirchildrengrowupinafosterhome.Inthisarticle,Iwill
explainthefactsofimmigrationanddeportation,talkaboutsomeactivists,
fightsagainstimmigrationanddeportation,andtheoutcomeofseparating
families.

Facts about Immigration and Deportation

Did you know
the U.S. government has held approximately 400,000
people in immigration custody? People keep immigrating to the US for a
better life, but the government deports them and sometimes separates
families. Many families that have been separated protest against the
government and because of this some people get put into custody.
Deportations reached its highest, and many people went to prison without
even seeing a judge.

Activist- Katherine Tabares

Katherine Tabares, 18, moved from Columbia
to the United States in
2010. She has since rallied in Washington, D.C., fought for the New York
DREAM Act and worked to continue her education. Furthermore, she
received a Colin Higgins Foundation's Youth Courage Award. Katherine
identifies herself as "undocumented and unafraid, queer and unashamed."
She is one of three recipients of the Colin Higgins Foundation's Youth
Courage Award. After graduating as class president from International
High School in Queens in 2012. In addition, she hopes to become an
immigration lawyer. As Katherine claims, "I have seen my immigrant

community suffer because of negligence and want to be able to protect

them from being abused and oppressed," Katherine said. This quote
shows how she feels about her community and that she wants to help.
They moved in search of a better life. In 2011, her father packed up and
moved back to Colombia, leaving Katherine and her mother.

Activist- Alex Aldana

Last November, the Guardian profiled
Alex Aldana
, a queer immigration
activist. He was born in Mexico but came to California with mom and
sister on a visa. Chanting together as a group, they marched over the
border and presented themselves to U.S. Immigration and Customs and
Border protection agents, whom they asked for asylum. He was
separated from his mother, so they protested and marched toward the
turnstiles that separate Mexico and the U.S., chanting Yes we can, and
No human is illegal. In Alexs case, he traveled to Mexico voluntarily,
due to a family emergency. After ten years in California, Alex traveled to
Mexico three months ago to care for his ill grandmother. Now he wants
to return to La Quinta because his mother and siblings need him. As a
teenager in the U.S., Alex and his family faced severe domestic violence at
home at the hands of their father, who harassed him for being gay and
tried to stop him from going to school. For a time, he lived in shelters to
escape that abusive situation.

Fighting Deportation
More than 20 people, including seven youths were arrested outside the

U.S. Capitol Wednesday as they blocked an intersection to call for an end

to deportations. Chanting protesters wore red and white shirts with the
slogan "Stop Separating Families." Eleven-year-old Jorge Servin was the
youngest arrested, according to the Fair Immigration Reform Movement,
which helped organize the event. Jorge said he was protesting because "I
don't want more kids to have to grow up without the love of their parents."
Elias Gonzalez, 15, said he was protesting because his father was
deported to Mexico eight years ago, forcing young
Elias to step into a caretaker role with his younger
siblings. Elias said I'm protesting not just for me but
so that deportations don't continue separating other
families." Activists are keeping up a drumbeat of
protests around the Capitol.

The Outcome of Separating Families

An Emotional Plea from mother and daughter separated by Deportation.
As the number of deportations since 2009
reaches the 2 million mark
.

Activist Evelyn Rivera and her mother Yolanda, who was deported back to
Colombia over a minor traffic infraction, talked about
what its been like to
have been separated for the last 7 years.Hareth Andrade also spoke
about almost losing her father after he was detained for a traffic
infraction. For two months, she campaigned to stop her fathers
deportation and was ultimately successful.

Conclusion
As Franklin Roosevelt said Remember, and remember always, that all of
us, and you and I especially, are descended from immigrants and
revolutionists. I used to take things for granted sometimes, but now I
realize that Im very lucky in life. Some kids dont have families, food on
the table, a roof over their head or even an education. These activists
fight against deportation and immigration and you should too.

Worked Cited
Fighting DeportationLogo, Luis. Over 20 Immigration Activists Arrested During Protests to
Stop Deportation.
huffingtonpost.com.
01 May 2014. Web. 29 January

2016.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/01/immigration-activists
-arrested_n_5246473.html

The Outcome of Separating FamiliesCarolina Moreno. An Emotional Plea From Mother And Daughter
Separated By Deportation
huffingtonpost.com.
07 Apr 2014. Web 29
January 2016.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/07/obama-deportation-machin
e_n_5105190.html
Activist: Alex Aldana-

Francisco
Alvarado
.
Youth immigration activists cross the border to protest
deportations

http://www.sfbg.com/politics/2014/03/19/youth-immigration-activists-c
ross-border-protest-deportations
Activist: Katherine Tabareshttp://www.maketheroad.org/article.php?ID=3053
Facts about Immigration and Deportationhttp://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/10/02/u-s-deportations-of-

immigrants-reach-record-high-in-2013/
http://www.detentionwatchnetwork.org/resources