For Immediate Release
April 21, 2010
Contact:
HyunJoo Lee, NAKASEC, 323-937-3703
NAKASEC Applauds Senator Durbin and Senator Lugar for their Leadership to Stop the Deportation of Undocumented Students
(Los Angeles, CA) NAKASEC and its affiliates, the Korean American Resource and Cultural Center and the Korean Resource Center, applaud Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN) for their letter to Department of Homeland Security asking for deferred action of DREAM Act-eligible students facing deportation. The DREAM Act is a bipartisan legislation that is part of comprehensive immigration reform and would allow eligible undocumented students pathway to citizenship. It was introduced by Senator Durbin and Senator Lugar on March 26, 2009.
EunSook Lee, executive director of NAKASEC said, “The current system is unbearable and unacceptable. We welcome this letter from Senators Durbin and Lugar which shows that bipartisanship is possible. As we work towards urgent reforms that will change our immigration laws, we urge the DHS to take decisive action immediately to stop the deportation of DREAM-eligible students.”
Dream-eligible students were brought to the U.S. as young children, grew up and studied here, and have dreams of graduating, working, and fully participating in American society. Because of their undocumented status they face real challenges – they have no access to financial aid or employment and for some, deportation from the country they consider home.
Judy Kim, a college student from Chicago, stated on behalf of NAKASEC affiliate youth group members: “I hear about the deportation of students like Rigo Padilla, Laura Perez and Herta Llusho and I wonder when it will happen to me. I am a full-time college student in Chicago and was brought to the U.S. when I was 9 years old. I am also a DREAM student. The letter by Senator Durbin and Senator Lugar really gives me hope that there are people out there, including our elected officials, that see that we need to fix our broken immigration system and do something so that students, who grew up here and want to give back, are not deported. I truly hope DHS responds to their letter and grants deferred action to DREAM students. This will bring comfort to thousands of families who came here for their children, including my family.”
