Ivan's Fiancée to DHS: It's Cruel to Send Him to Russia

by: americasvoice

Thu Aug 19, 2010 at 17:39:45 PM EDT

Yesterday afternoon, local and national advocates held a media call to highlight Ivan Nikolov's struggle to remain in the country he knows as home, and call on DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano and Immigration and Customs Enforcement chief John Morton to prevent his deportation.

Ivan Nikolov's story is compelling. He has been held in a detention center since May and is facing imminent deportation to Russia, despite the fact that he didn't even know he was undocumented until he was 15, and he barely speaks Russian. His only "crime" was having missed a court date ten years ago - when he was only 12 years old. His mother has already been deported, despite being married (legitimately) to a US Citizen.

If his deportation goes through, he will be forced to join the Russian military, even though he is an American in every way but paperwork.

Not long ago, your faxes made a difference and helped stop an aspiring Arizona preschool teacher named Marlen from being deported. Today, you can do the same for Ivan -- please fax DHS and tell them to keep Ivan at home with his fiancée. Local DREAM activists will be delivering letters to DHS in Washington, D.C. this afternoon, so please do your part.

Here's a quick twitter recap of yesterday's media call:

• Ryan Bates, Director of @RI4A Michigan - says Ivan's case makes the need for #dreamact & immigration very clear, introduces Ivan's fiancée

• Alanna, Ivan's fiancée, describes how Ivan & his mom applied for asylum, how she met Ivan in 2007, hopes to marry him ... Alanna: it's cruel to send Ivan to Russia."I hope to have #dreamact passed, that Ivan can be one of the last people this has to happen to"

• Macomb County Commissioner Irene Kepler, says Ivan's family shouldn't be separated over this unfortunate paperwork error .. Says, "Right now we're seeing the consequences" of failing to solve immigration.

• Rev Charles Williams, Pastor, King Solomon Missionary Baptist Church, "I'm here to voice unwavering support for Ivan & Alanna... This is a future family being broken up, and there's nothing we support more than family. It's a basic human rights issue."

• @LizbethMateo: Ivan is 1 of thousands who would benefit from DREAM Act, call on @DHS to release Ivan from detention -it's inhumane.

• Frank Sharry: There's no objective served by holding a promising young man in detention & deporting him to a country he barely knows ... DHS has discretion to immediately release Ivan, Michigan reps should push 4 his stay, and Congress should pass the DREAM Act.

Alana Woodley, who Is engaged to Ivan Nikolov, was on the call, along with Ryan Bates, Director, Reform Immigration for America (Michigan); Irene Kepler, Macomb County Commissioner (Roseville); Reverend Charles Williams, Pastor, King Solomon Missionary Baptist Church, and President, National Council of Community Empowerment; Lizbeth Mateo, Co-Founder, Dream Team, LA; and Frank Sharry, Executive Director, America's Voice. Advocates explained how Alanna and Ivan's story shows the need for congressional action on the DREAM Act this year.

As Ivan's fiance says:

"My fiancé, Ivan, has called America home since the age of 11 and is an American in every way, except for a piece of paper," said Allana Woolley. "He is the perfect example of why the DREAM Act should be passed - he's worked hard and wants to contribute to our community. Secretary Napolitano and ICE Director John Morton should listen to the community and let Ivan fix his papers and stay with his family, here in Michigan. Talented immigrant youth are assets to this country and should be realizing their potential instead of languishing in jails across America."

Watch Alanna describe how she met Ivan and how difficult this is for her:

Please fax DHS and tell them to keep Ivan at home with his fiancée.