Mobilizing for Change

What It’s Like To Be College-Bound And Worried About Your Immigration Status

Chelsea Beck/NPR

Chelsea Beck/NPR

Mayte Lara Ibarra and Larissa Martinez had just finished their senior year of high school when they each decided to go public with their immigration status. Both Texas students came to the U.S. illegally, and they didn’t want to keep that fact a secret any longer.

Ibarra identified herself on Twitter as one of the 65,000 undocumented youth who graduate high school in the U.S. Martinez revealed her status in the commencement speech she delivered at graduation.

An anxious election season for DACA cardholders

Francisco Salcido, 22, is a typical student who holds down a job and attends college. But his life — along with thousands of others —could change dramatically after the November presidential election. He is an undocumented immigrant with a renewable two-year work visa and deportation deferral called Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA.

“I just can’t think of what would happen if my DACA got taken away,” he said.

Black Lives Matter joins the fight against the unjust immigration system

Black_Lives_Matter_protest_march_(23051729395)

The Black Lives Matter movement this week announced it has adopted a 10-point platform that includes a call to end all deportations. It could be a game changer.

Black Lives Matter, which started as a hashtag in 2013, has quickly evolved into a leading civil rights movement that until this week has mainly focused on policing issues that affect the black community. But on Monday the movement adopted a more comprehensive platform developed by the Movement for Black Lives, which has a list of demands, including a call for an “end to the war on Black immigrants.”

Asian Journal: AAPI communities urged to apply to DACA

There are more than 152,000 Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) who qualify for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

However, less than 15 percent of eligible AAPIs actually apply for the program. Moreover, nine out of every 10 AAPI who are currently eligible to request DACA have not done so.

ACLU Report Documents Struggle Of Deported Veterans

CR: ACLU

CR: ACLU

Enrique Salas, who served four years in the Marines and was eligible for citizenship, was deported to Mexico about a decade ago.

His mistake? After his brother was killed in a military training accident, Salas began to use drugs. He served a six-month sentence for possession of a controlled substance. In 2006, his criminal record led to his deportation.

POLITICO: Immigration reformers eye Gang of 8 revival

CHARLES DHARAPAK / AP

CHARLES DHARAPAK / AP

By SEUNG MIN KIM and BURGESS EVERETT

Lindsey Graham doesn’t sugarcoat his prediction: Republicans are going to get thrashed in the November election, especially among Latinos. And it’s going to trigger another run at immigration reform in Congress next year, the South Carolina senator says.