Jesus Cruz, 21, left, walks alongside Dulce Guerrero, a youth organizer with DreamActivist Georgia, at a rally on his behalf Thursday. Cruz is facing deportation after being pulled over for driving without a license.
Photo by Geoff Folsom
Photo by Geoff Folsom
Praying, holding candles and waving signs in support, 20 people had a vigil for Jesus Cruz, 21, outside the school on Old Alabama Road Thursday evening. Cruz came to the country illegally with his mother in 2002, and is now facing deportation back to Mexico.
Cruz, who graduated from Pebblebrook in 2010, said he wants to go to college and study to be an immigration attorney, but can’t afford it because illegal immigrants aren’t eligible for in-state tuition.
“It’s important because I want to be a better person,” he said. “I want to pursue my dream, and, mainly because this is my home. I don’t want to go back to a country I’m not familiar with anymore.”
Dulce Guerrero, a youth organizer with DreamActivist Georgia, said her organization is trying to apply pressure to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to use “prosecutorial discretion” with Cruz because he would be eligible for the proposed DREAM Act, which would provide a path to citizenship for certain immigrants who attend college or serve in the military and don’t have a criminal record. President Barack Obama and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano have said that deporting DREAM Act–eligible young people is not a priority, though Congress has never passed the bill.
“It’s kind of like a form of relief,” Guerrero said of prosecutorial discretion. “They’re able to stay in the United States and drive legally.”
Cruz said his deportation ordeal began after he was found driving without a license, a license he can’t get because of his immigration status. He has a deportation hearing scheduled for Monday at federal immigration court in Atlanta.
Guerrero said several things could happen Monday, including deportation or dropping the case against Cruz.
“We’re hoping they will go ahead and clear his case,” she said.
Anti-illegal immigration activist D.A. King, founder of the Cobb-based Dustin Inman Society, said that “DREAM Act–eligible” has become an excuse for non-enforcement. Though given a choice, he said he would rather see illegal immigrant parents deported instead of children.
“Does anyone remember that the DREAM Act has failed 10 times in the U.S. Congress and is not the law?” he said. “But if it was, it would obviously be one of the immigration laws that was enforced … I predict that candidate Obama’s office will direct that he be allowed to stay.”
Cruz said he has been living with his sister. He said his mother is in Los Angeles, while he doesn’t know his father’s whereabouts.
While some of those at Thursday’s vigil know Cruz well, others just came to support him.
Angela Flores, 27, of Marietta, said no one should take comfort in cases like Cruz’s.
“Even as citizens, we are all less safe,” she said. “We can’t let immigrants and the children of immigrants be left so vulnerable and taken from the place they call home so easily.”
Other young illegal immigrants have gone to court to try to get the DREAM Act passed. On Tuesday, three people announced they will sue the U.S. Senate for using filibuster rules to block the legislation, despite support from 55 senators.
Cruz said being in the United States has allowed him to have a better life and learn a new language.
“That’s a cool thing,” he said.
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But what this Brainiac is NOT taking into account is that You can't become a lawyer even IF you pass the bar cuz you Are ILLEGAL...duh...Has anyone heard the phrase throwing good money After BAD...!!!
And he wants the community to back him.
Wrong, he should have been held in jail until he was deported.
And how many of his supporters were illegal???
I do sympathize with the children who's parents put them in this situation, but we can't allow the public to support this non-sense any longer. It is only going to get worse.
I have a simple solution that would benefit the citizens, the government, and the illegals brought here illegally as a child or those who can't afford to legally become a citizen. Let these people who claim to love being here and love our country gain citizenship through military enlistment. Have these kids join the military for 4 years and work for their citizenship. If not this, then sorry go home because your DREAM ACT is not benefitting the majority of us...it just allows more people to break the law and it gives them an excuse.
Slowly, but surely,.. America will be gone!
South Cobb is already 3rd world!
These are the offenses according to Cobb County Criminal Court against Jesus Herberto Cruz Alegria:
1. Theft by receiving;
2. Driving under the influence;
3. Attempting to flee to elude officer;
4. Driving without a license;
5. Disregard stop sign;
6. Open container;
7. Left ctr/improper lane;
8. Traffic-general;
9. Disregard stop sign (there were 2 of these)
Ms. Flores, you are exactly right that we are less safe, with half a million illegal criminals causing mayhem on our roads. Deportation proceedings take too long.
These "kids" illegally received the benefits of American citizens. While the mantra of DREAM Act proponents is that their illegal presence is through no fault of their own and they didn’t have a choice in coming the United States, I cannot help but ask why the parents aren’t being held responsible. The parents had a choice and they chose to break the law, putting their children in this compromising position. The American taxpayers should not be forced to take on the responsibility of other people’ s bad decisions. Send him and his family back home to Mexico, he can attend college there.
Any politician who supports the Dream Act Amnesty is working against the security of our nation and the well being of our citizens and needs to be removed from office. Millions of illegal aliens whose true identities, backgrounds, citizenship, affiliations and intentions are unknown and unknowable pose a threat to our country and our citizens.
Hypocrites!
Jesus Cruz you stole a free U.S.grade school and High School education courtesy the American taxpayers now leave!
All of you illegal foreigners LEAVE! The United States belongs to the CITIZENS.
There is no Illegal alien exception to the equal application of the law. These people continue to spin the facts and argue that there should be one exception after another.
Angela Flores, are you a citizen; or, are you just another Hispanic whom has come here to colonize this country rather that to assumulate?
It appears to me that illegal immigrants don't start trying to change their status or apply for citizenship UNTIL they are caught breaking the law. Then they start telling us all that is wrong and why they need to go to the head of the line. Many children suffer for the mistakes of their parents and I don't mean just illegals.
And there cannot be an "IF" clause in the law that says if your parent brings you to the U.S. illegally when you are a child, then you are exempt from the immigration laws. That law would be even worse than the one that grants citizenship to ANY child born on U.S. soil, even if the neither one of the parents are U.S. citizens. That one needs to be changed/repealed also. It would stop a lot of the illegals from coming across the border. We need to do away with the incentives for the Illegals to come here ILLEGALLY.
There is a correlation to wanting a law changed- Many young people do not think it is right that the law makes them wait until they are 21 to drink alcoholic beverages LEGALLY, yet they can die for their country as a soldier. BUT that is the law.
Illegals only start trying to change their status after they are caught. They go about their plight backwards.