El Magonista | Jan. 23, 2024 | Vol. 12, No. 2

Dear Profe,

I hope you are doing well. This is Carla Villagomez from the DSAP Winter 2023-2024 program. I hope you recall our interaction on the flight back from Mexico to LA, where I was initially uncertain about securing a seat but eventually had the privilege of sitting next to you.I want to express my deep appreciation for the insightful conversation we shared.

Thank you for sharing your life story with me, and thank you for your longstanding commitment to our immigrant community and Dreamers like myself!
 
Participating in the DSAP program was a transformative experience for me.

It provided a sense of belonging and understanding that I have been searching for. Exploring Mexico's rich history and engaging in meticulously planned activities were highlights that added immense value to my journey. 
 
In light of the profound impact the program had on my life, I am more eager than ever to give back to our community.

I am asking for your insight and guidance on potential avenues for meaningful involvement, and opportunities to pay it forward for other Dreamers. Once again, I want to extend my sincere gratitude to you and everyone involved in orchestrating the program. Your dedication and efforts have truly changed and enriched our lives.
 
Saludos desde San Francisco,
 
Carla Villagomez

En el 24 de febrero del 2022, se abrió un nuevo y peligroso frente de confrontación geopolítica en Europa, la devastadora guerra convencional de carácter interimperialista centrada en Ucrania, entre Rusia, por un lado, con apoyo logístico chino, norcoreano, e iraní, y la alianza militar de la OTAN (31 países) por el otro, liderada por Estados Unidos.

La ofensiva rusa, que combinó una aparatosa invasión militar con el brutal bombardeo de muchas ciudades, fue rotundamente condenada a la semana de su empiezo (marzo 2) en la Asamblea General de las Naciones Unidas, con 141 países votando por una resolución que exige que Rusia retire “inmediata, completa e incondicionalmente” sus fuerzas militares de Ucrania.

Estados Unidos y la Unión Europea, imposibilitados por el veto ruso de pasar resoluciones vinculantes en el Consejo de Seguridad de las Naciones Unidas, adoptaron tres medidas con el objetivo de repeler la agresión y degradar el aparato militar ruso: impusieron severas sanciones económicas a Rusia; mandaron un torrente de pertrechos militares de punta al frente de guerra - más de 90 mil millones de Euros o $100mmd a la fecha -; y abrieron sus fronteras a más de 6.2 millones de refugiados ucranianos, además de mandar ayuda humanitaria a los más de 5.1 millones de... READ MORE

The Supreme Court ruled for the Biden administration in a 5-4 vote Monday and said Border Patrol agents may cut barbed wire installed by Texas authorities that prevents the agents from patrolling areas along the Rio Grande.

The justices set aside an order handed down by the 5th Circuit Court that prohibited Border Patrol agents from “damaging, destroying, or otherwise interfering with Texas’s concertina wire fence in the vicinity of Eagle Pass, Texas.”

Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel A. Alito Jr., Neil M. Gorsuch and Brett M. Kavanaugh dissented.

U.S. Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar had appealed to the Supreme Court on behalf of the Department of Homeland Security and argued that the Constitution gives federal agents, not state officials, the power to enforce the law along the border.

“Federal law unambiguously grants Border Patrol agents the authority, without a warrant, to access private land within 25 miles of the international border,” she said in Department of Homeland Security vs. Texas.

Prelogar said that Texas has responded to “increased border crossings” by placing “rolls of concertina wire (a type of coiled razor wire) in numerous locations, including as relevant here along a 29-mile stretch of the riverbank in Eagle Pass, much of which is private land,” she said.... READ MORE

There are nearly 600,000 beneficiaries of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program nationwide. For the last 11 years they have been allowed to work, go to school and drive.

But their DACA permit must be renewed every two years, and increasingly some say renewals are not being processed in time, leaving people at risk of losing their livelihoods.

Thirty-three-year-old DACA recipient Ana Cristina Arce balances her job with raising five children, and her life may be about to get a lot harder as her work permit and driver's license are set to expire Friday.

"I'm frustrated, I'm scared but what can I do? I can't go around screaming. I pray a lot," she said.

Like most DACA recipients, the U.S. is all Arce knows; she was brought here when she was 2 years old. This is the fifth time she's submitted a renewal, which she did online in mid-September 2023. But despite multiple phone calls, requests to have her case expedited, and even intervention from her congressman, she's still waiting.... READ MORE

Nearly a decade after the Republican-led Senate Majority Coalition Caucus unveiled its REAL Hope Act to support education opportunities for Washington’s "Dreamers” – people who were brought into the United States illegally as minors – the Senate today unanimously passed a measure by state Sen. Nikki Torres, intended to better serve these young people.

"Washington ranks among the top ten states for DACA recipients,” said Torres, R-Pasco. "These Dreamers are people who went to school with our children. They played on the same softball teams, attended the same church services, and volunteered at the same food kitchens and shelters.

"This bill simply takes steps to make sure that they can easily access the resources and tools they need to achieve the American dream.”

Senate Bill 5631 would require state agencies to clearly identify programs and services that accept applicants with federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) status. 

"This information may be warehoused on some government website, somewhere, but why not include it in an easily accessible location on the website of the relevant agency?” Torres asked. "If a DACA-eligible individual is looking for the requirements to obtain a driver’s license, the relevant information should be on the Department of Licensing ... READ MORE

Wisconsin desperately needs nurses, and Pamela Rubalcava is planning to graduate in the spring with a degree in nursing from Carroll University.

But Rubalcava might not be able to get a license because she is a DACA recipient. 

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals provides protection from deportation to people like Rubalcava who came to the United States as children. It also allows them to get a driver's license, serve in the military and go to college if they renew their DACA status every two years.  

However, in Wisconsin, licenses granted by the Department of Safety and Professional Services are off limits to people like her.

But that could change soon.  

There are four bills in the state Legislature that aim to help DACA recipients get jobs, in-state tuition and a small tax credit.  This comes at a time of record low unemployment, where employers in virtually every industry are struggling to find workers.

DACA  And Law Enforcement Bill Awaits Senate Action

A bill allowing DACA recipients to serve as local law enforcement officers passed the Assembly 95 to 4, and is waiting to be voted on in Senate. Law enforcement agencies around the state have felt a need for more officers for the last several years.

Three other bills in the Assembly would allow DACA recipients to get professional licenses to serve as nurses, teachers and any other credential administered by the state.  

“I feel like my future is not in my hands,” Rubalcava said. “It’s up to whoever wants to make that decision. That’s where we’re at right now.”... READ MORE