The youth were protesting the new law banning undocumented immigrant youth from accessing higher education in Georgia. In a statement issued through TheDreamIsComing.com, one of the protesters, Georgina Perez, said, “We had a simple request of the president; do not comply with the ban on undocumented youth. Instead of hearing us out, when trying to deliver a letter [on April 5], the door was almost shut on us.”

While ICE agents interviewed the youth at the beginning of their detention, ICE did not move to place them in deportation proceedings.

“We wanted to challenge the system and the system completely broke down,” said Viridiana Martinez, one of the protesters. “It was a victory in that it proved that even in the South, in the state that holds the biggest detention center, undocumented youth took a stand and faced deportation and the system broke down.”

When asked about the connections between the struggles for immigrants rights in North Carolina and Georgia, Martinez told Fight Back!, “We came into this understanding the connections with North Carolina and Georgia. This is the South which historically has oppressed people of color and continues to oppress people of color.”

Martinez continued, “The immigrant youth movement needed to take a stand and to make that statement here in the South. You hear all this stuff about Arizona, but you rarely hear about North Carolina, South Carolina or Georgia. And things are only getting worse after the DREAM Act failed. There’s been no relief for our community, just more enforcement.”

Martinez emphasized, “Fear is the biggest weapon of the anti-immigrants,” and urged other undocumented youth to come out of the shadows and take a stand.

With bans on education pending in the North Carolina legislature – HB 11 and HB 343, introduced by Rep. George Cleveland (R-Onslow) – the struggle to demand justice for undocumented youth will escalate in the coming weeks and months. Martinez concluded, “It’s no longer about advocates speaking for us, but it’s about acting – taking a stance through actions. That’s what we’re bringing back home.”

#AtlantaGA #ImmigrationAndCustomsEnforcementICE #DREAMAct #NCDreamTeam #TheDreamIsComing #RepGeorgeCleveland

Raleigh, NC – Over 80 people gathered here, Feb. 1, outside the North Carolina General Assembly to voice strong opposition to HB11. Undocumented students are already faced with the burden of paying out-of-state tuition. This bill, proposed by Rep. George Cleveland, would go further in barring undocumented students from having access to any community colleges and universities in the state. Because of North Carolina's new Republican-majority legislature, the bill is likely to pass.

But those who took part in the vigil and organized the rallies across the state are determined to stop the passage of HB11.

Protesters held signs that read, “Don't let HB11 get to debate,” and “We don't want another Arizona!” while several powerful speakers talked about their experiences being undocumented and struggling for their right to education. Rep. Paul Luebke of Durham also spoke and denounced the draft bill as “mean-spirited.”

The vigil in Raleigh was one five actions that took place across North Carolina. Other rallies took place in Asheville, Greenville, Greensboro and Charlotte. The vigils also honored the 51st anniversary of the historic 1960 Greensboro sit-ins, which helped lead the path to de-segregation in the 1960s.

The Raleigh vigil was organized by the Adelante Education Coalition, with the presence of the North Carolina DREAM Team and El Centro Hispano, among other progressive groups.

Mauricio Castro, with the North Carolina Latino Coalition, closed the rally by stating, “We have a lot of work to do, but we shall overcome. History is on our side, and the future is waiting for all of us.”

The vigil ended with chants of “Education not deportation!” and, “What do we want? Education! When do we want it? Now!”

#RaleighNC #DREAMAct #HB11 #AdelanteEducationCoalition #NCDreamTeam #NorthCarolinaLatinoCoalition #ElCentroHispano