VICTORY! 19-Year-Old Julio Martinez Released from Detention!

by Alex DiBranco · 2010-04-02 07:50:00 UTC
Topics:

Julio Martinez has been released from detention today, according to his lawyer, "as a direct response to the tremendous pressure that has been put on ICE by supporters of Julio, including elected officials." Supporters like the Change.org members who signed the petition asking for a stay of removal for the 19-year-old student who spent his birthday in detention facing imminent deportation. Hat's off to you!

Though Julio was deemed a fugitive by Immigration and Customs Enforcement for missing a hearing date, he had no control over the incident, as he was seven years old at the time. If not for the intervention of concerned people like you, Julio would have been automatically deported back to Honduras, to be homeless and separated from his family, including a U.S. citizen younger brother. Now he has a chance to return to his home and school, and to argue that he should be allowed to stay in America.

Julio isn't completely out of the woods yet: his case still needs to be reviewed by an immigration judge. Assistant Secretary to ICE John Morton can grant him a deferred action, or Senator Jim Bunning (R-KY) or Rep. Ben Chandler (D-KY) can introduce a private bill in his favor. If you haven't already taken action, you can still sign the petition asking these decision-makers to act on Julio's behalf.

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) also proved to be a great ally of Julio's while he was detained in Chicago. Durbin has been quoted, "“If I never do another thing in the rest of my senatorial career, I’m going to pass that Dream Act.” A round of applause for Sen. Durbin, please! Julio is one young person who has been temporarily saved -- but to protect and provide a path to legalization for all the hard-working, bright young students continuing their education in the U.S., we'll need to pass that Dream Act.

Photo credit: D Sharon Pruitt

Alex DiBranco is a Change.org Editor who has worked for the Nation, Political Research Associates, and the Center for American Progress. She is now based in New York City.
PREVIOUS STORY:
White House Plans to Shutdown Rogue ICE
NEXT STORY:
Community Members Fight Detention of High School Graduate with a Mental Disability

COMMENTS (3)

    Comment Policy

    · All fields are required to comment.

    [X]

    Comments on Change.org are meant for further exploration and evaluation of the campaign on Change.org. To that end, we welcome constructive comments. However, we reserve the right to delete comments which, as determined solely in our discretion: (1) are offensive, abusive, or off-topic; (2) include content solely intended to personally attack the campaign creator, (3) are designed to subvert or hijack comment threads rather than contribute to them; and/or (4) violate our terms of service and/or privacy policy. Repeat offenders may be permanently removed from the site at our discretion. Please also be advised that: (A) we do not actively curate and/or monitor in any manner whatsoever the comments made on the Change.org platform, and (B) the creator of each campaign on Change.org may remove any comment at her/his/its discretion.