Teen earns diploma as he fights to stay in U.S.

Teen earns diploma as he fights to stay in U.S.

Youth thanks town for helping him fight deportation
Sunday, May 21, 2006

PANDORA, Ohio (AP) — Five months ago, when he was in jail facing deportation, Manuel Bartsch didn’t know whether he would make it to his high-school graduation.

Friday night, the 18-yearold German whose immigration case rallied private citizens and politicians across the state lined up with the rest of his 42 classmates at Pandora-Gilboa High School southwest of Toledo to receive his diploma.

"To me the American dream means to be able to stand up for what I believe is right," Bartsch said. "This community did exactly that, and for that I want to thank each and every one of you."

Bartsch learned he was in the country illegally in December when he was jailed for 16 days after trying to find out his Social Security number so he could take a college-entrance exam.

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http://www.dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/05/21/20060521-B6-03.html

people trying to help this guy stay in the US, and rightly so I might add.

Well his ass is going back to Germany AND FAST!