Bios of the six DreamAct youths arrested yesterday in GA

Here's the story per the AP:

6 Illegal Immigrants Arrested in Georgia Protest

Updated: Wednesday, 29 Jun 2011, 9:12 AM MST
Published : Wednesday, 29 Jun 2011, 8:43 AM MST

By KATE BRUMBACK , Associated Press

ATLANTA - Six young illegal immigrants were arrested Tuesday after they sat down and blocked traffic near the Georgia state Capitol to publicly declare their status and to protest state policies targeting people who are in the U.S. illegally, the latest in a string of such "coming out" events in Georgia and other parts of the country.

The young people were protesting a policy that bars Georgia's most competitive state colleges and universities from accepting illegal immigrants and they were opposing strict new state legislation. A federal judge on Monday blocked two key provisions of that law. The young people, who decided to risk arrest and deportation for their protest, say that's not enough.

Federal judges have now blocked parts of similar laws in Arizona, Utah, Indiana and Georgia from taking effect. Civil liberties groups have pledged to sue to block others in Alabama and South Carolina.

"It's time to stand up and let the world know that we need to fight for what we believe in," said Nataly Ibarra, a 16-year-old high school student.

http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/dpp/news/immigration/6-illegal-immigrants-arrested-in-georgia-protest-apx-06292011

Here are the kids' bios:

Dulce Guerrero was 2 years old when she came to America. Determined to go to college, her hopes were shattered at the banning of undocumented students from Georgia’s top 5 universities, and again when she was told college was financially out of her reach. Now 18, Dulce came to a realization: she could no longer afford to wait for her situation to change, for while she waited, legislators were busy passing hateful legislation like HB 87. Working with the Georgia Undocumented Youth Alliance, Dulce uses a powerful weapon – her personal story – to empower other youth to come out of the shadows and take a stand.

Jessica Vasquez came to the United States when she was 10 years old to be reunited with her mother, and is now 18. Growing up in Georgia, Jessica worked hard in school, earning awards and honors. In high school, she came to the realization that her future would be drastically different than those of her peers because she was undocumented. Searching for help, Jessica found other youth who were organizing in her community, and knew she was not alone. Tired of waiting for change and being banned from pursuing her dreams, Jessica is taking a stand for herself and for other undocumented youth who may be living in fear.

Rolando Zenteno was brought to the U.S. at the age of 7, following his parents’ pursuit of a better life. His family came with no material possessions, but with plenty of ambition. Now 16, he considers Georgia to be his home, having made many memories and friends there. Yet he feels ostracized by the same state that has been made him who he is today, a state that is now denying him attendance to its top universities. Rolando would rather take action than sit back and wait, and is asking other undocumented youth to do the same.



Nataly Ibarra was 5 years old when she was brought to the U.S., and is now 16. Her parents wanted her to have a brighter future, and growing up, she felt no different from other kids. Once she realized she wouldn’t be able to get a driver’s license or a job like her peers, she began to come to terms with being undocumented. Meeting other youth of the Georgia Undocumented Youth Alliance, she saw that she was not alone in her struggle. Coming from a mixed status family, she wants to use her unique perspective to give a face and voice to the undocumented youth community, in the hopes of enabling more youth to share their stories.

More

http://www.thedreamiscoming.com/georgia-6/

After all, when the entire middle-class is a paycheck away from economic ruin, you have to have someone to blame. If not for some darkskinned illegal immigrants to point to and blame, the middle-class might be more inclined to target the crooks and scumbags who legislated the economic transfer of wealth from the middle-class to the top 5%.

Immigration has been flat since two years before the crash. And if anything, these folks add to the economy, they don't subtract from it.