VivirLatino

20 year old San Francisco City College student Steve “Shing Ma” Li is scheduled to be deported to Peru tomorrow, Monday. In Peru he knows no one. That’s because Steve’s family is Chinese. He was born in Peru before being brought to the U.S. by his parents.

Li’s parents, who face their own removal order, immigrated to Peru from China in the 1980s, partially to help Li’s aging grandparents and partially to escape China’s one-child policy. And there Li was born, before his family immigrated again in 2002 to the U.S. to escape political instability in Peru. His family filed for political asylum in the U.S. but were denied. A judge put out a removal order for their family in 2004, which Li’s parents quietly tried to ignore, all unbeknownst to Li.

On September 15th, ICE arrested Li and placed him in a detention center in Arizona where he has been ever since.
Since the announcement of the final deportation order, there has been an outpouring of support including rallies and petitions. On Friday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s spokesman said that she was working with other members of Congress to “recommend that (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) grant deferred action in this case.” However on Friday afternoon, Li’s lawyer, Sin Yen Ling, received a fax that denied deferred action.

“The last paragraph said deportation is always hard on family and friends and the community but unfortunately the application for Steve does not rise to the level that warrants deferred action status,” she said.

It looks like California Sen. Barbara Boxer can step in to issue a private bill on Steve’s behalf.

Meanwhile, friends, supporters and organizations continue to fight on his behalf and wait if Li will turn into another person deported under the Obama administration and under a Congress that has refused to enact Comprehensive Immigration Reform or the move the DREAM Act or if Li and his parents will be able to stay in the U.S. as a family.

You can send a fax on behalf of Steve here gracias to America’s Voice.

Via / Immigration Prof Blog y Colorlines

Image Via / San Francisco Gate