Miami Valedictorian Could Be Deported

[OmahaBlueDog]

Source: ABC News via Yahoo!

North Miami High School senior Daniela Palaez has a 6.7 GPA, the valedictory nod from her classmates, a brother in the U.S. Army and deportation papers to Colombia.

In a hearing on Monday a federal immigration judge ordered the 18-year-old Palaez, in the U.S. since she was 4 years old, to voluntarily leave the the country for her native Colombia by the end of the month after her request for a green card was denied.

"Everything I've worked for, it's, like going down the drain in a matter of days," says the aspiring surgeon who has already applied to a number of Ivy League colleges. "I consider myself an American. [Deportation] would mean I'd leave a country and go back to a country that I don't remember, a country [where] I don't feel at home, and I don't even graduate high school,"

Flanked by American flags and backed by chants of "justice for Daniela" from the thousands gathered Friday outside her school, Miami Dade Superintendent Alberto Caravalho upped the ante, saying "over my dead body will this student be deported," to roaring approval by the students.



Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/miami-valedictorian-could-deported-173903986--abc-news.html

[Comrade Grumpy]

1. This is so sad and stupid.

And this is why we need comprehensive immigration reform, including regularizing the status of people like this young woman. This is the one thing Rick Perry, bless his pointy little head, was right about: People who would deport this young woman don't have a heart.

Bush got it, too. Maybe it's something about being a border governor. He tried to pass comprehensive immigration reform in his second term, but the "secure the border" types and the nativists blocked that. Sad to say, there was significant opposition to it among Democratic ranks, too.

Obama needs to push this through.

[Snake Alchemist]

4. the question is what age is the cutoff

To be an automatic citizen. And it you're am automatic citizen, does your family get to stay too.

[roody]

33. This article is about deportation, not citizenship.

[Snake Alchemist]

35. So you get to be a 2nd class citizen? nt

[Ron Obvious]

2. A 6.7 gpa?

It's been a while since I've been in school, but in my day 4.0 was straight A's and the highest you could get.

Must be grade inflation.

[Rhiannon12866]

3. That's the way I remember it, too...

A 4.0 was as high as you could go...

[obamanut2012]

5. Certain classes, like AP classes, are given higher "points"

So, if she;s taken alot of AP classes and scored A's in all of them, that would do it That's actually been going on for decades.

[Bladian]

22. Only to a 5.0, however.

I just graduated from high school two years ago. Maybe it's different around the country, but as far as I know if you take all AP classes and get A's in ALL of them, the highest you're getting is a 5.0.

[obamanut2012]

23. I graduated WAY before you

And my best friend was valedictorian, and she had a 5.8 (I just texted her to know for sure).

[OmahaBlueDog]

8. Could be a typo. Could be AP classes.

I know in Broward County (Ft. Lauderdale/Hollywood/Pompano -- next county north from Miami-Dade), they overweight grades for AP classes, so you can end up with a GPA > 4,0.

[Occulus]

12. AP courses have been able to raise the GPA above 4.0 since forever

[itsrobert]

15. Yup, and it is really rediculous

n/t

[tawadi]

28. 4.0 must be the new "C"

[CreekDog]

31. AP and Honors classes counted for an extra grade point when I was in high school

and that was in 89!

certainly not new in California.

[grattsl]

6. The real question ...

If she were a straight C student, would we know or care about her situation? This happens all over the country, to all types of individuals, from all types of backgrounds. Rushing to show disgust over her deportation is a slap in the face of the unreported masses. Where is the principal to declare "over my dead body" for the countless others here by no choice of their own, but facing removal from the only country they call home. This is a bigger problem than one very well qualified young lady. I'm not suggesting to ignore her, or to not try to help. All I'm asking is don't rally to save her from deportation, and pat yourself on the collective back for doing something important, only to ignore others who deserve the same indignation over a horrible public policy.

[csziggy]

7. Often cases like hers are used as "poster children" to promote changes for all affected

So I think people should rally around this young woman. If an exception can be made for her, that sets a precedent for others in the same circumstances to have exceptions made for them.

Welcome to DU!

[OmahaBlueDog]

9. While I grant the point, only real dumbasses would deport a Straight A student

Hell - who'd want smart people who are bilingual with great college prospects in their country.

Oh wait..never mind.. Rick Santorum said only snobs want their kids to go to college. Forget what I said. Ship her back.

(I shouldn't need to do this but )

[treestar]

11. I agree, even the DREAM ACT limits to college and military people

What about individuals who grew up here but aren't college material? It's not fair to them either. Maybe one could say it is easier for them to adjust to life in whatever country it is, as you can be a blue collar worker anywhere. But there is still separation from family and friends.

[Comrade Grumpy]

19. That's why we need comprehensive immigration reform.

[treestar]

10. Why was her request for a green card denied, is the real question

Why would she be denied? If she was eligible for a green card, there has to be some reason for the denial. Like a criminal record or something.

[Occulus]

13. Oh, OBVIOUSLY it's something like a criminal record.

Jesus.

Jesus Christ.

[treestar]

14. Well, it's got to be something

Why would the request be denied? Maybe she just applied without being eligible?

The laws are not always the way you think they are. Learn about them before you condemn people for asking questions. You just assume you know it all.

[cstanleytech]

16. You are ignoring a very valid and interesting question treestar raised.

I am not saying she commited a crime either nor is treestar saying she did but the question still remains of why did they say no? What was their reasoning method for deciding she or others like her dont qualify?

[Comrade Grumpy]

20. The article in the OP makes no mention of any criminal record.

It appears she was denied because she remained in the country illegally as a four-year-old.

From the article:

Palaez was 4 years old when she arrived in the U.S. with her family from Columbia on a tourist visa. Her residency application was denied in 2010. Her mother returned traveled to Columbia five years ago to get treatment for colon cancer and now can't return to the U.S. Palaez's brother is in the U.S Army and just returned from a tour in Afghanistan. Her father received permanent residency through Palaez's brother, but she is stuck.

[OmahaBlueDog]

21. It doesn't appear to be criminality on her part

Better article: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/03/01/v-fullstory/2670105/north-miami-students-protest-valedictorians.html

Pelaez came to the United States at age 4 with her family from Colombia on a tourist visa, which they overstayed. Her application for residency was denied in 2010.

This appears to be the main reason. The parents illegally overstayed a tourist visa.

Her situation echoes the plight of Juan Gomez, a Killian High School grad who was picked up by immigration agents and threatened with deportation in 2007. Gomez and his brother Alex were spared deportation to Colombia.

But the climate has since changed. A new policy started under the Obama Administration last summer gives more leniency to immigration trial attorneys when it comes to undocumented immigrants like Gomez and Pelaez.

The policy lessened the focus on undocumented immigrants with no criminal record or who are caring for a sick child, who have been victims of domestic violence or crime, or who arrived in the country as children. Instead it turned the focus on the detention and deportation of dangerous foreign criminals and foreigners deemed threats to national security.

This section of the article strongly implies, but does not state that she is not being denied for crimes she committed.

As a practical matter, I don't think she's going anywhere. Congress critters Ros-Lehtinen and the Brothers Diaz-Balart will raise Hell in DC, and I'm imagining the WH will look to use their influence with the State Department to make this problem go away.

[cstanleytech]

24. "It doesn't appear to be criminality on her part" Its a good thing I didnt claim it was then.

Still in the end if as you theorize certain members of congress will step in it does nothing to address the question of why they denied her specifically nor for that matter would it prevent this from happening to someone else.
Imo our government should really take a look at a all the steps to immigration and do what reform is necessary to assist those willing to work at applying for citizenship in the future.

[OmahaBlueDog]

27. No article I've seen addresses "why" specifically.

The closest I can come is the Herald article indicating that the parents illegally overstayed a tourist visa.

My intent was not to imply that you'd indicated she'd done anything criminal.

[Posteritatis]

17. "Ordered to voluntarily leave." Uh. (nt)

[cstanleytech]

25. It means so they dont have to waste the governments time and money by having to arrest her

I assume and then having to deport her back to her country.

[Jkid]

18. She can't just leave

She has been culturally naturalized in this country and sending her back to Columbia is basically sentencing her to poverty. Her high school degree will be worthless in Columbia.

Not to mention that Columbia is a narco state.

[cstanleytech]

26. Is being " culturally naturalized" on the books as far as for allowing her to stay?

If not then she might sadly be sol.

[amandabeech]

29. Perhaps the armed services would offer her a route to stay here.

I hate to recommend it, but we are out of Iraq and will soon wind down in Afghanistan. She's female, so she wouldn't be in the worst areas for getting killed.

Perhaps there's even an ROTC-like program that would get her through college and then to the armed forces medical college.

She wouldn't be the first young person to use the armed services as a path to college or permanent residency. Her brother has taken that route.

In addition, I recently read that Smith College in Massachusetts takes a large number of internation and/or diversity students. Perhaps there are other private college, perhaps one that would extend private financial aid to her.

I hope that she doesn't just give up.

[cstanleytech]

30. Ya know thats really very well thought out, congrats as I totally forgot about that option.

[JonLP24]

40. Depends on the job

Things like transportation, MP, EOD, etc. go to the worst areas for getting killed.

[roody]

34. If her parents had a tourist visa,

they are not poor.

[alp227]

32. she'll contribute more to society than Paris Hilton, Kim Kardashian, and other Lucky Sperm members

so what the hell is ICE thinking? why the freak does the US deport even those illegal immigrants who were brought to the US as children? do they expect the children to just run back over the border? funny how conservatives have this authoritarian attitude over children that parents must have the final say of what the children do but expect children brought here illegally to be just as responsible as the parents, that attitude i've seen during the dream act debate. Palaez deserves to stay if she lacks a criminal record other than this deportation order and even deserves the DREAM Act path to citizenship.

[Snake Alchemist]

36. Makes sense. Let her stay and just deport her parents for getting her into this mess. nt

[Neue Regel]

37. Actually, no she wouldn't.

Because she is here illegally, she is not legally authorized to work in the United States. Assuming she were to go to college (with her being valedictorian, I'd say that's her plan), after graduating with her degree she would not be able to work at any US employer that follows the law. All employers are required to have their prospective employees fill out an I-9 form (also known as the Employment Eligibility Verification Form) where that person attests, under penalty of perjury, that they are legally authorized to work in the US. In addition, they have to present acceptable forms of ID as supporting documentation. This girl would go to college - likely on grants or a scholarship - and then not be able to work in the US. It would be better to allocate those scarce resources, i.e. a spot in college and scholarship/grant funding, to someone who would be able to contribute to the US economy upon completion of their college education.

[alp227]

38. i mean, if she got legal residency she would be a constructive member,

just to clear up any mis understanding. it was late at night when i was typing that post up.

[LanternWaste]

39. certainly do seems to trump many non-imaginary qualities.

Those imaginary red and black lines on maps certainly do seems to trump many non-imaginary qualities.

But, as we hold the magical-thinking and the imaginary as the basis for our lives, I suppose we will continue to judge the future of a person's life base on the happenstance of where we are born.

[Eugene]

41. Reuters: Florida honors student wins reprieve from deportation

Source: Reuters

Florida honors student wins reprieve from deportation

(Reuters) - A Miami high school honors student who faced imminent deportation to Colombia has won a two-year reprieve after 2,000 fellow students took to the city's streets to protest her removal from the United States, federal authorities said on Wednesday.

The plight of Daniela Pelaez, 18, a North Miami High School senior and valedictorian, has put a spotlight on U.S. immigration policy like few other individual cases in recent history.

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency said it would defer action for two years in potential removal proceedings against Pelaez, who was born in Colombia and brought by her parents to the United States when she was 4.

[font size=1]-snip-[/font]

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/08/us-usa-florida-student-idUSTRE8261KA20120308