Mario’s story: fraternity brothers fight undocumented student’s potential deportation

From NPR’s “Tell Me More”.

Mario Perez, a 22 year-old mathematics and statistics major, is a senior at Stephen F. Austin (SFA) State University in Nacogdoches, Texas. He was brought from Mexico when he was five years old, but didn’t find out that he was undocumented until he began applying for college.  Last year Mario got picked up by ICE and placed in a detention center after not coming to a full stop at a stop sign.  His fraternity brothers paid his bail and have rallied around him; his next hearing is March 9.

Farah’s story: a young mother weighs options if fiancé is deported

Farah lives in Queens.  Her parents are from India and came to the US more than 20 years ago.  Farah was born in the US and has spent her whole life in New York.

Farah is engaged to be married but her fiancé does not have legal status.   In order for him to become a legal resident once they are married he will have to return to India for up to a year; because of errors in his legal process, he may end up with a ten year bar.  Last year they had a baby named Ryan and Farah fears that she may have to give up her studies to take a full time job, or multiple jobs in order to support her son.

Maricela’s story: undocumented student concerned about the future

Maricela Aguilar was 3 when she came to the US from Mexico.  Through high school she achieved much, and last summer she came out as an undocumented student as part of the campaign to pass the DREAM Act in Congress.  Now that the legislation is stalled, Maricela fears for what is to come.

Maricela’s story appeared in the New York Times

Emily’s story: husband Pedro remains in detention after more than a year

from StoryCorps

A conversation between 23-year-old Susannah Bales and Emily Nelson Guzman. Emily’s husband Pedro came to the U-S legally as a child, but a deportation order was made for him after his mother was denied permanent residency. Susannah prompted Emily to tell the story.

Anthony’s story: Indiana student supporting the struggle of undocumented DREAMers

Anthony Palma of Indiana stood with undocumented students last fall who went on hunger strike in support of the DREAM Act.  Listen to his story

Pamela Resendiz: Texas student on hunger strike for a DREAM

Pamela Resendiz is only 22 and is on the 21st day of a hunger strike. She is a Political Science major UT San Antonio but she is undocumented. She came to this country when she was 9. She is currently facing deportation after being arrested in Austin, accused of blocking a road at South by Southwest.

She was interviewed by Maria Hinojosa from Latino USA. Listen to her story below.

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Alina’s story: Texas student says “Let me serve!”

Alina Cortes came to the United States with her family when she was 9 years old.  She graduated in the top 5% of her high school class in San Antonio, Texas, only to find that her options for higher education were limited by her undocumented status.

Alina dreams of joining the military and becoming an officer in the Marines.  “I would love to serve the country that has served me,” she says.  Alina has also made a special appeal to Republicans in Congress who refuse to support the DREAM Act.   “I was raised as a conservative… I put my Republican leaders up on a pedestal, I hold them up as idols… and I’ve very disappointed that they have not stepped up yet.”

Listen to Alina tell her story:

Gaby Pacheco: a leader in the struggle for DREAM

Gaby’s parents brought her to the U.S. from Ecuador in 1993, when she was 7 years old. In the process of securing three education degrees at Miami Dade College, she has realized what she wants to do with her many talents and education: use music therapy as a communication tool to teach autistic children and adults.  In 2006, federal immigration agents raided her home, and Gaby’s family has been fighting deportation ever since.  Learn more about Gaby here.

Benito’s story: calling for family reunification after many years apart

Benito Valdes, a World War II veteran, tells his story of family separation.  Watch his testimony at a Seattle, Wa. rally of One America here or listen by clicking on the player below.

Maria Segura’s story: a husband’s mistaken detention

Maria Belen Segura from Chicago talks about how the detention of her husband, Hugo Mercado, has affected their family. On January 20 he was picked up by ICE in a mistake arrest.  You can watch her testimony here or listen below.

Blanca and Connie – “The Icing on the Cake”

From StoryCorps: Blanca Alvarez and her husband risked crossing the border to immigrate into the U.S. and then struggled to make ends meet. They hoped to shelter their children from these harsh realities, but Blanca’s daughter Connie reveals how much children can really see of their parents’ lives—and the inspiration they draw from their struggles.

Myrna’s story

Myrna is a young student at Rockhurst University in Kansas City.  Her mother fled Juarez, Mexico after two of her sisters were killed as part of the spate of femicides that began in the 1990s.  Myrna remains undocumented despite living in the U.S. for most of her life.  Listen to her interview:

Adoubou Traore: working on behalf of African immigrants

Adoubou Traore was born in the Ivory Coast and is currently a language teacher at Cañada College as well as project director of the African Advocacy Network, located in San Fransisco.  He originally came to the US with a Fulbright scholarship and after concluding his studies was granted permanent residency.  He began to volunteer as a teacher for different organizations that worked on behalf of immigrants and eventually developed an interest in working for non-profits.

The African Advocacy Network provides counseling and support for a wide range of clients, is very involved in community building amongst the broad African community, and also connects leaders from the African community with leaders of other immigrant and non-immigrant communities.

Saad Nabeel tells his story of being deported

Saad Nabeel was deported to Bangladesh in 2009 at the age of 18 after living in the US since he was 3 years old.  Read his story here or listen below.

Getachew Mengesha – an Ethopian taxi driver

“When I came to the United States, I thought I came to a free country… but when I get into this industry, I was like a volunteer slave.”

Getachew Mengesha came to the United States in the 1990s and received political asylum in 2002.  He was working in New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina hit in 2006.  He eventually lost his job and struggled to find work in the ensuing recession.  He moved to Maryland and found a job as a taxi driver but quickly realized that the industry was extremely exploitative.  He joined the Prince George’s County Taxi Workers Alliance and led an effort to update the county’s taxi code which proved successful through a unanimous vote of the county council last month.  Learn more about the struggle here and listen to Getachew’s story below.

Damaris: child of an undocumented family in Arizona

Because of constant raids by Sheriff Joe Arpaio, Damaris fears that her family will be captured and deported.  They have been forced to take refuge in their church numerous times in recent months.

Mark Cardenas: a veteran with immigrant parents

Mark Cardenas was born in the United States after his parents emigrated from Mexico.  He joined the military after high school and served in Iraq; while he was on duty his father – still not an American citizen despite living in the country since the 1970s – was picked up and nearly deported.  Listen to more of his story below.

Chicago Pastor on hunger strike to end deportations

José Sigfredo Landaverde is a priest at Our Lady of Guadalupe Anglican Catholic Church in South Side Chicago.  He started a hunger strike on June 17; days after doing this interview he collapsed while giving mass.  While he recovers at home others continue the hunger strike in Chicago.

“As a priest, it’s a moral value to be walking with the people who are suffering… because Jesus will be there with them.”

listen to the interview from day 12 of Landaverde’s hunger strike

Testimonio de Felipa

Felipa vive en Arizona y su familia ahora se encuentra en una situación difícil a causa de la nueva ley SB 1070.  En esta entrevista, Felipa habla del miedo de ser indocumentada en el clima de persecución contra inmigrantes que hay actualmente en Arizona.

Ana Sol Gutierrez, extended interview

Ana Sol Gutierrez was featured as one of our first “We Are America” video stories.  In this audio interview she goes into more details about her own personal story coming to to the U.S. from El Salvador and talks about what needs to happen to fix the immigration system in this country.