June 28th, 2011
Domenic Powell
(704) 281-9911
domenic@theniya.org
6 Undocumented Youth Arrested at Capitol Demanding Change in Immigration Policies
Local high school students arrested while protesting near the State Capitol
(Atlanta, GA) – Six undocumented students have been arrested in after an act of civil disobedience near the state capitol building. The youth aimed to take a stand against HB 87, a recently passed law modeled after Arizona’s SB1070 that would severely restrict and isolate the immigrant community within the state.
“It is time for undocumented youth across the South to come out and fight against injustice,” said Dulce Guerrero, one of the students participating in the action. “My dreams and my family are under attack.”
Dulce Guerrero, 18; Jessica Vasquez, 18; Rolando Zenteno, 16; Nataly Ibarra, 16; Felipe Baeza, 24; and Leeidy Solis, 16; have all been arrested by capitol police. All are current high school students except for Guerrero, who graduated earlier this month, and Baeza, who received his Bachelor’s degree from The Cooper Union in New York in 2009. All are Georgia residents except for Baeza, who lives in New York.
The protest is the second of its kind this year in Atlanta, following a similar action which took place on the campus of Georgia State University in April. The arrests took place after the students attempted to block an intersection nearby the State Capitol. Protest organizers vow to continue taking action until states stop attempting to persecute undocumented immigrants and the federal government lays out a pathway to legal status.
Acts of resistance like the one today are part of a rising trend in undocumented youth using direct action to advocate for themselves and their families. As undocumented youth grow impatient with Washington games and increased criminalization, we will continue to step out of the shadows and into the streets.
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The DREAM is Coming project is a collaboration between multiple organizations, including the New York State Youth Leadership Council, the Immigrant Youth Justice League, Dream Team Los Angeles, Kansas Missouri Dream Alliance, Arizona Dream Act Coalition, the North Carolina DREAM Team, the Orange County Dream Team, DreamActivist Virginia, and DREAMActivist.org.