Alabama Arrests Undocumented Parents and Children In Historic Civil Disobedience Act

NY Board of Regents Supports NY Undocumented Youth, While Alabama Arrests Undocumented Parents and Children In Historic Civil Disobedience Act

Four parents join dozens of undocumented youth in demanding HB56 author—State Senator Beason— stop the hate

MONTGOMERY, Ala.—12 undocumented immigrants participated today in an act of civil disobedience in front of the Alabama State Capitol. They publicly declared their undocumented status in defiance of HB 56, which is considered to be the harshest anti-immigrant bill in the country.

The New York State Youth Leadership Council, the only undocumented youth-led organization in New York, stands in solidarity with the undocumented immigrants who took part of this action, and we remind our federal and state elected officials that we need humane regulations that respect the dignity of immigrants and their families. In a time when the federal government has failed to act and states are implementing divergent policies affecting immigrants, New York must lead and take a stand. California has established that undocumented youth deserve equal opportunity by passing the California Dream Act while states like Georgia and Alabama are undermining  the right to education by barring undocumented children from school.

“We want to remind the immigrants of this state that they have a voice and it’s time to use it,” said Belem Rebelledo, an undocumented mother of three.  “We are here to stop Alabama from once again trying to turn the power of the state against those who live in it.”

Participants of today’s event came together from all over the country to stand in solidarity with the community in Alabama. “What happens to one of us affects all of us regardless of where we live” said Alma Diaz, an undocumented immigrant who arrived in the U.S. at the age of 22.  Now 30 Alma fights for her community and is taking this risk, knowing she could be arrested and deported, because doing nothing is no longer an option. “What has hiding in the shadows gotten us? We must fight back; it is the only way to end the pain we see in our communities.”

The participants were: Martin Unzueta, 55; Belem Rebelledo, 39; Alma Diaz, 30; Jaime Guzman, 25, of Portland, OR; Catalina Rios, 19, of Detroit, MI; Ernesto Zumaya, 25, of Los Angeles, CA;  Myasha Arellano, 18, of San Fernando Valley, CA; Krsna Avila, 23, of Oakland, CA; Fernanda Marroquin, 22, of Philadelphia, PA; Cesar Marroquin, 21, of Philadelphia, PA; and Cynthia Perez, 27, of Indianapolis, IN.

Take a stand, because we are all Alabama!

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