DREAM Activists in Florida Petitioning for a Future

Written by Glenn Hutchinson

Some students face a separate and unequal path to college. Take Florida, for example.  Citizens born in the Sunshine State and who graduated from Florida high schools may not have the same rights as others for in-state college tuition.  Why?  They must prove the immigration status of their parents.

So, someone who was born in Miami, grew up here, and graduated from high school will have to pay 3 times more for college if their parents can’t prove they are documented.

This practice goes against the 14th Amendment that guarantees all people born in the United States have “equal protection of the laws.”

The Southern Poverty Law Center has filed a lawsuit… Read more

UAE Youths Removed from Flight Due to Fellow Passenger’s “Fears”

Written by Glenn Hutchinson

The skies weren’t too friendly in Charlotte, NC, on Thanksgiving.

Eight college students were identified as possible terrorist threats and taken off flight 1768 in Charlotte, which was headed for Washington DC. The students were going to a Conference called “Today’s Students, Tomorrow’s Leaders,” which was meant to help them prepare for their future careers.

However, according to news reports, one passenger on the plane worried that these students could be terrorists and alerted the flight crew.

So, the flight was delayed as security entered the plane and asked the students about their country of origin and whether they had any military training. The students were from the United Arab Emirates, and after… Read more

Charlotte, NC: Community Rallies, Rodrigo Cruz Ambrocio Saved from Deportation

Written by Glenn Hutchinson

When a community comes together, deportations can be stopped, and such was the case recently in North Carolina.

Originally from Mexico, Rodrigo Cruz Ambrocio has lived in Charlotte, North Carolina, since he was 10 years-old. He is 16 now and a sophomore in high school.

Rodrigo was arrested on January 3, 2011, after being accused of shoplifting at the mall. Although the criminal charges were dropped, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) planned to deport him to Mexico, a country that is no longer his home.

Rodrigo wants to attend college and study international relations and franchise management. He wants to continue contributing to his community. He has been a Boy Scout for the last four… Read more

A Quick Look at the Arrests in North Carolina

Written by Glenn Hutchinson

This week in Charlotte, NC, undocumented students bravely spoke out against a system that discourages education and creates fear against the immigrant community.

On Tuesday, September 6, members of the NC Dream Team held a rally on the campus of Central Piedmont Community College. North Carolina has made it very difficult for undocumented students to pursue an education.  They have to pay out-of-state tuition and also wait until the last day of registration to sign-up for classes, which leaves them with very few options.

After sharing their stories on campus, the NC7 marched and held a sit-in at one of the busiest intersections in downtown Charlotte.  People gathered in support with signs, cheering on… Read more

Lies, Lies, & More Lies: 5 Misconceptions about US Immigration

Written by Glenn Hutchinson

Last month, I wrote about Erick, a 22 year-old student who may be deported because he was driving with an expired driver’s license in North Carolina.  Last week, the judge issued a continuance, which means that he’ll have to go back to court in September to find out his fate.

When I’ve talked to people about Erick’s case, I’ve discovered that many of us, myself included, have been taught many wrong things about immigration.

Regular readers of Imagine 2050 know that anti-immigrant groups, part of the Tanton network, work tirelessly to spread myths and lies about immigration. And now there are so many myths that we have to number them.

A friend… Read more

Immigration

Help Students and the American Dream

Written by Glenn Hutchinson

We need more dreamers in America, not less.

We need dreamers like Erick.   He came to the United States from Mexico when he was 2 years old.  He grew up here, went to school here, and was taught the American dream.

Immigration

Georgia’s HB 87 On Your Mind?

Written by Glenn Hutchinson

Georgia, oh Georgia, why do you want to be Arizona?

I said, Georgia, why this new law, HB 87?  It’s about as bad as Arizona’s SB1070.

Your governor, Nathan Deal, tried unsuccessfully for years to end birthright citizenship when he was a Congressman in D.C.  Now he’s won a victory in making you a state likely to be boycotted.

Here’s the bill:

  • Under HB 87, Georgia police will ask a person’s immigration status if they suspect that the person is illegal when stopping them for a “criminal violation.”  (Of course, what makes a person look “illegal”?)
  • Give a ride to an undocumented immigrant?  You could get a $1,000 fine and jail time.

Politics

Bigots on the Radio

Written by Glenn Hutchinson

“They say you better listen to the voice of reason
But they don’t give you any choice ’cause they think that it’s treason
So you had better do as you are told
You better listen to the radio . . . “ – Elvis Costello “Radio, Radio”

Elvis Costello sang about the commercialization of radio back in the 70’s, but in 2011, I was tuning into my NPR dial and guess what I hear?

Commentators with ties to white nationalism talking about immigration.

Two weeks ago, Diane Rehm invited Dan Stein of FAIR (Federation of Americans for Immigration Reform).   Although the program included other guests, why invite a representative of… Read more

Immigration

The Race Exhibit

Written by Glenn Hutchinson

Race is a myth, but we persist in believing.

That’s one lesson from Race: Are We So Different?, a national touring exhibit sponsored by the American Anthropological Association.   There is no biological difference between races.  “All skin colors, whether light or dark, are due not to race but due to adaptation to life under the sun,” according to biological anthropologist Alan Goodman.

We’ve been brainwashed into believing we are different from one another.

Readers of this blog are well aware of the anti-immigrant movement’s belief in race-based breeding or eugenics.  John Tanton’s Federation for Immigration Reform (FAIR) received money from the Pioneer Fund, whose mission was “to [promote] the genetic stock… Read more

Immigration

Keep the Classroom Door Open

Written by Glenn Hutchinson

50 years ago, 4 students in Greensboro sat down at a lunch counter and helped spark a movement across North Carolina to end segregation in our state.  Let us be inspired by their courage.

Students can make a difference.

But there are those today in our country who want to close the classroom door.

In North Carolina, we are trying to send a message to the sponsors of a bill that attempts to ban undocumented students from college, HB11: in 2011, do not shut the classroom door.  Keep it open.