Read full newsletter here: https://mailchi.mp/ef893f95fd86/urgent-call-for-approval-of-84-dreamers-study-abroad-advance-parole-applications
CMSC’s Urgent request for approval of 84 Dreamers Study Abroad travel permits to DHS Secretary Mayorkas and USCIS Director Renaud
DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas
USCIS Director Tracy Renaud
USCIS Director’s Chief of Staff Felicia Escobar Carrillo
USCIS Deputy Director Larry C. DeNayer
USCIS Chief Counsel A. Ashley Tabbador
March 18, 2021
Re: Urgent request to expedite approval of Educational Advance Parole applications for 84 Dreamers and the CMSC’s National Campaign to Restore DACA’s Advance Parole
Dear DHS Secretary Mayorkas and USCIS officials,
My name is Prof. Armando Vazquez-Ramos, President and CEO of the California-Mexico Studies Center, Inc. (CMSC), a California-based educational and cultural non-profit organization leading the National Campaign to Restore DACA’s Advance Parole since 2019. I am hereby respectfully requesting for USCIS to expedite the approval of 84 DACA recipient applications for Educational Advance Parole whom our organization accepted into our Winter 2020 Dreamers Study Abroad Program. Since USCIS has failed to approve these applications since their filing in August 2020, we need their approval with the new travel dates proposed (May 1 to July 31, 2021).
Notwithstanding that more than 8 months have lapsed since the filing of most of our program’s Advance Parole applications, including 2 months under the Biden Administration, all 84 applications are in limbo and we plea for expedited approval since the program and Dreamers’ travel is scheduled for May 15, 2021 and our program participants still cannot make travel plans.
Therefore, we respectfully request that USCIS schedule a Zoom meeting with me and our CMSC Staff composed of 5 Dreamers to 1) review our request for expedited approval of the 84 applications for Educational Advance Parole of our Winter 2020 Dreamers Study Abroad Program, and 2) modify the applications travel period requested for May 1 to July 31, 2021 (92 days), instead of the original time period requested in their pending Advance Parole Application.
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House passes HR-6 bill providing pathway to citizenship for Dreamers and TPS holders
By Oriana Gonzalez, Axios – March 18, 2021
The House on Thursday voted 228-197 to pass the American Dream and Promise Act as part of Democrats' first effort at immigration reform under the Biden administration.
Why it matters: Nine Republicans joined Democrats to support the bill that creates a pathway to citizenship for about 2.5 million immigrants living in the U.S. The pathway would be available to those who were brought into the country illegally as children and those who have come for humanitarian reasons.
- Under this bill, the Homeland Security Department and the Justice Department would provide permanent resident status to people who meet specific qualifications.
- It would provide a path to citizenship to immigrants who arrived in the U.S. before Jan. 1, 2021, were under the age of 18 at the time, and meet other criteria.
- The bill would also offer a pathway to citizenship to immigrants with Temporary Protected Status (TPS), a designation given to those who come from countries in crisis... Read Full Article
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More than 200 "dreamers" prepare for a trip to Mexico to rediscover their roots
By: EFE Agency – March 12, 2021 (originally published in Spanish)
More than 200 young "dreamers" anxiously await the approval of a special permit to travel to Mexico in order to complete an academic program, visit relatives they have not seen for years and reconnect with their roots.
Divided into five groups, the young beneficiaries of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, wait for the federal government to approve their reentry permits, known as “Advance Parole”, to travel in the program organized by the California-Mexico Studies Center (CMSC).
For Mayra Garibo, a young Mexican DACA recipient, this trip marks an important closure in her life and has deep emotional motives. Mayra was preparing to travel on a similar course at the end of 2017 when the government of then-President Donald Trump suspended the Dreamers program and consequently did not grant ‘advance parole’ travel permits. In January 2018, Mayra's father died in Mexico and despite insistent requests, the young woman did not obtain a permit to travel, neither to the funeral nor later to tend to her ailing grandparents... Read Full Article
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Más de 200 “soñadores” preparan viaje a México para redescubrir sus raíces
Por: Agencia EFE, Yahoo Noticias – 12 de Marzo de 2021
Más de 200 jóvenes “soñadores” esperan ansiosamente la aprobación de un permiso especial para viajar a México con el objetivo de realizar un curso académico, visitar familiares a los que hace años no ven y reencontrarse con sus raíces.
Divididos en cinco grupos, los jóvenes beneficiarios del programa Acción Diferida para los Llegados en la Infancia (DACA), esperan que el Gobierno federal apruebe sus permisos anticipados de reingreso, conocidos como “Advance Parole”, para viajar en el programa organizado por el Centro de Estudios California-México (CMSC).
Para Mayra Garibo, una joven mexicana beneficiaria de DACA, este viaje significa un importante cierre en su vida y tiene profundos motivos afectivos... Leer Artículo Completo
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15th Commemoration of Marco Antonio Firebaugh’s passing, the Godfather of Dreamers
Professors Gonzalo Santos and Armando Vazquez-Ramos in downtown LA, carrying Marco A. Firebaugh's casket at the 2006 immigration march.
March 21st, on the first day of Spring, marks 15 years since the lamented passing of Marco Antonio Firebaugh at the age of 39, and he is being timely remembered by the California-Mexico Studies Center for his landmark Assembly Bill 540 legislation, and numerous accomplishments during his trailblazing career.
While Marco Antonio Firebaugh's legacy reflects a wide range of undertakings, foremost was his dedication to serving the most vulnerable and the underrepresented, and above all, he stood up for immigrants and working families.
Marco was born on October 13, 1966 in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico, migrated to the U.S. as a young boy and never forgot his humble beginnings. After being diagnosed with liver disease in 2003, he died on March 21, 2006 from severe complications. He was survived by his two children, Tlalli Ariana and Nicolas Andres Firebaugh.
Though he died at a young age, his legacy lives on today in particular through his AB-540 bill, signed into law on Oct 12, 2001 by Governor Gray Davis, allowing undocumented students in California to pay in-state tuition, at public colleges and universities rather than the out-of-state rate for non-residents. A historic breakthrough precedent in U.S. higher education, now replicated by several states that benefit the growing student population now often referred to as Dreamers.
We invite you to mark his passing with a moment of silence and prayer, to reflect upon his legacy, after you watch the following documentary produced by the CMSC to keep his memory alive!
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California adopts Ethnic Studies Curriculum
By NINA AGRAWAL, LOS ANGELES TIMES – MARCH 18, 2021
Ending years-long and often divisive debate over ethnic studies coursework in California’s K-12 schools, the State Board of Education on Thursday unanimously approved a model curriculum to guide how the histories, struggles and contributions of Asian, Black, Latino and Native Americans — and the racism and marginalization they have experienced in the United States — will be taught to millions of students.
The new curriculum embraces an approach to ethnic studies that focuses on the four core groups but evolved to accommodate a breadth of experiences, including lessons on the Jewish, Armenian and Sikh communities in the U.S... Read Full Article
Read full newsletter here: https://mailchi.mp/ef893f95fd86/urgent-call-for-approval-of-84-dreamers-study-abroad-advance-parole-applications
