Magdaleno

Now that the proposal has been proposed by the GANG OF EIGHT Senators we now have an opportunity to enter into this historic debate.

The initial language has a lot of amending that needs to be done to make it better and more realistic. But it will take a lot of work and our willingness to get involved and to stay involved. This is a most historic and unique point in history and we must take advantage of this moment. . HISTORY CAN’T WAIT; we must take action now!!!

Please participate by taking time to call, to march, to call and to march some more.\\

NOW FOR MY VIEW OF THE NEWS

a.    Support Boston buy a shirt
b.    Deported veterans
c.    Piojo or grey hair
d.    Immigration conference in Washington state.
e.    Time for planting jalapenos

The BOSTON MARATHON BOMBINGS

We have all become most concerned about these radical acts that have hurt so many hearts and minds. And at the same time it has given additional fuel to some politicos who want to turn this horrific event into another wedge against the president, immigration, Muslims, and people of color.

The images were painful to see but at the same time there were so many good individuals who helped and continue to help others affected by this event. one such act of kindness is being done by Rick Roth of Mirror Image.  I am enclosing a note he sent to the Prosthetics Outreach Foundation. And I want you to purchase these shirts and support this action of the heart.

“I put up a page and this week we will start selling shirts  that say Boston We Stand Together. I’ll be sending Limbs for LIfe half of what we take in and the other half to Prosthetics Outreach Foundation. Its bostonwestandtogether.org   People can also just directly make donations at that page.”Rick Roth Guillermo Suarez M. abogadodeldiablo@att.net

Deported U.S. Veterans Want To Return Home, Many Find Safe Haven Near Mexican Border

Banished Veterans, Deportations, Deported Us Veterans, Immigrants, Mexican Veterans, Undocumented Immigrant, Undocumented Us Veterans, Undocumented Veterans, Veterans Deportations, Veterans Deported, Latino Voices News
Fabian Rebolledo still finds it hard to believe that he may never be allowed to enter the United States, a country he fought for when he served in the U.S. Army. He was deported last year.

“I was deported to Mexico, a country I don’t know, without any clothing, “money or a place to go,” said the 37-year-old veteran who had been living in the U.S. since he was 13 years old.

Deported veteran desired to become an American soldier

Rebolledo became interested in joining in the military in 1994, the same year he became a permanent resident through a petition his father filed to adjust his immigration status.

“I started to think like a real American,” he told VOXXI, describing how he felt before enlisting. “Growing in my heart and my mind was the hope that at least one member of my family could become an American soldier.”

Rebolledo was 23 years old when he enlisted in the Army in 1997 and served as a paratrooper. He had just gotten married in 1999 when he was sent to Kosovo where he served for a few months. In 2000, he was honorably discharged and began working in construction.

Four years later, he received a letter in the mail, notifying him that he had to renew his residency. He was confused because a military recruiter had told him that serving in the military would automatically lead to U.S. citizenship. He applied for citizenship but was denied due to probation for a previous DUI.

Then, in May 2007, Rebolledo was detained and charged with fraud for attempting to cash a $750 check he said he got for doing a stucco job. He showed the judge proof of the job, but was given probation.

He was arrested again three months later, this time for driving with a suspended driver’s license. After serving more than eight months in prison, he was released and turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

“I stood before the Immigration judge and told him that I am a U.S. veteran, but my service didn’t matter to him,” he said.
Rebolledo lost his case and was ultimately deported in 2012, leaving behind his family, elderly parents and U.S.-born son, who is now 12 years old.

Rebolledo now lives less than 30 miles south of the U.S. with about a dozen other veterans who were also deported. They are part of an organization called Banished Veterans, founded by Hector Barajas, another deported veteran.

Together, the group started the Deported Veterans Support House located in Rosarito, a beachfront in Tijuana, Mexico. The house serves as a safe haven for deported veterans. It provides them with shelter and food. It even helps them communicate with their family members in the U.S. and helps them make the transition to living in Mexico easier.

“As deported U.S. veterans, we understand that when a veteran is deported, that person faces immense fears and numerous obstacles,” said Rebolledo, who is a board member of Banished Veterans.

It’s unclear how many veterans have been deported because the federal government doesn’t keep track of that number. About 70,000 non-citizens served in the U.S. military between 1999 and 2008 and tens of thousands of them have been deported, according to an upcoming documentary that tells the stories of several deported veterans.

Once deported, these veterans don’t have access to the educational and medical benefits given to individuals who are honorably discharged from the military.

Deported veterans have no legal avenue to come back

Several members of Congress have attempted to address the issue and allow deported veterans to come back, but none have been successful.

During an immigration hearing held March 20 before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) expressed concern about immigrants, including veterans, who have been deported.

“Longtime legal permanent residents, with a U.S. family, a history of steady employment, and who have even served honorably in the armed forces, can be and are deported for any of a litany of relatively minor offenses that qualify as aggravated felonies under the immigration code,” Coons said in his opening statement.

The recently introduced bipartisan immigration reform includes a provision that would allow some undocumented immigrants to come back.The bill states that individuals who were deported for non-criminal reasons would be able to come back to the U.S. and apply for provisional legal status. To qualify, they must have been living in the U.S. before Dec. 31, 2011 and either be the spouse or parent of a U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident. Dreamers would also be eligible for this.

Rebolledo had been living in the U.S. since 1989 and has a son who is a U.S. citizen. But because his fraud charge is considered a serious crime under immigration law, he wouldn’t qualify to come back under the immigration reform bill.

“I feel very bad, sad and disappointed that I will not be able to benefit from the reform bill,” he told VOXXI, adding that it is also “very frustrating.”

For now, he plans to stay in Mexico until Congress changes current immigration laws to allow him and other deported veterans to come back.

Originally published on VOXXI as Deported veterans want an opportunity to come home

Do I have piojo or just grey hair

WHILE in New York I was brushing my hair and saw all these white specks on my head. I was in shock thinking that head lice or piojos had laid hundreds of eggs and attached them to my hair.  I took a closer look and noticed that it was grey hair popping up everywhere. Now while the beard on my chin has been going white I did not have canas or grey hairs on my head and now I must decide if I should begin dying my hair..or else you will see me with a head of white hair ..

IMMIGRATION REFORM CONFERENCE IN WASHINGTON STATE

The Washington Hispanic Media Association (WAHMA) and Edmonds Community College invite you to the Immigration Reform Conference. This event will be held on May 11, 2013 from 12 to 4PM at the Edmonds Community College Campus’ Woodway Building Conference Room 202.

The goal of the conference is to have a dialogue on the future of Immigration in the United States.  Experts from across the state will discuss the following topics: education, families, workers and enforcement.

The Keynote Speaker will be David Bacon, a former union organizer and a fellow at the Oakland Institute, also author of Illegal People and the forthcoming The Right to Not Migrate, as well as author of several articles, photographer and chronicler of immigrants stories in the U.S. and beyond (the following is a link to some of his articles published by The Nation magazine

http://www.thenation.com/authors/david-bacon

We hope to count on your presence at this important free event. Please feel free to distribute this invitation to all your contacts.

For more information contact Maru Villalpando at maru@wahma.org.

MY MINI GARDEN AND JALAPENOS

I have again started my mini garden have planted my jalapenos, tomatoes, squash, bell peppers, tomatillos, strawberries, blueberries, cucumbers, and the potatoes just keep coming up on their own.

If you can grow some of your own vegetables but if you can’t then please purchase your vegetables and fruit at a farmers market.

We need to eat more fresh products and cut down on red meat. Plus it might help if we walked a bit more or rode a bicycle or some type of physical activity. We must all live longer so that we make more positive changes for this world of ours.

Smiling in Seattle
leno