A Queer Desi: Archive

Support SB 285 - Private Immigration Bill for Sopuruchi Victor Chukwueke

His petition is here.

Victor Chukwueke was born in Nigeria on February 10, 1986. During his early childhood, he developed a benign tumor caused by Neurofibromatosis, which grew on his frontal and right facial area, subsequently resulting in a very significant facial deformity. Growing up in Nigeria where he could not get medical treatment for his condition, Victor was the subject of much ridicule from his peers and faced a life-time of hardship as a result of his medical condition.

When he was merely 15, Victor was brought to the United States for medical treatment. Since then, he has had seven major surgeries. Unfortunately, Victor fell out of immigration status while he was 16 and undergoing a painful surgery. He did not have the help he needed at the time to navigate the complexity of the immigration system.

Despite huge obstacles and a life-threatening medical condition which rendered him blind in one eye, Victor Chukwueke graduated from Wayne State University and received admission into medical school, only to be told that he could not attend because he did not have a green card. Refusing to give up, Victor sought the help of Senator Carl Levin’s office, which introduced a private immigration relief bill for him.

His private immigration bill got through the Judiciary Committee, sailed through the Senate with bipartisan support and now needs your help in passing through the House.

Now we need to get the House leadership on board to pass his private immigration bill. Click here: http://bit.ly/victorchukwueke

Jul 27, 20126 notes

#NF #neurofibromatosis #health #immigration

Jul 24, 2012226 notes

Jul 24, 201255 notes

Take Action: 10 Urgent Deportation Cases That Need Your Help – Detained for 8+ Months at Broward

We have 10 deportation cases we are hoping you can help us out with, if you think you can help just click the link for each case and take a minute to sign the petition and to make a phone call. Each of these detainees are being held at the Broward Detention Center and all of them are low-priority cases, the same cases President Obama, through John Morton, promised to stop deporting.

Claudio Rojas originally from Argentina has been living in Florida for over 12 years. Claudio has been detained since February 10th, 2012. Claudio has no criminal record, he was detained after he was called to pick up his son who had been stopped at the convention center. On Thursday, July 19th, Claudio’s Stay of Removal was rejected.

Cesar Leon originally from Venezuela has been living in Florida for over 13 years. Cesar has been detained since April 20th, 2012. Cesar has no criminal record, he was detained after his asylum case was rejected. ICE has already attempted to put Cesar on a plane once, his time is running out.

Maria Leon originally from Venezuela, has been living in Florida for over 5 years. Maria is married to a United States citizen, her marriage application has already been approved and her interview is supposed to be on Wednesday, July 25th, however ICE still refuses to release her. While living in Venezuela Maria worked as a flight attendant on the presidential plane, she worked for President Chavez.

Mohammed Sooknanan, originally from Guyana, has been detained since December 6th, 2011, over 9 months ago! Mohammed has no criminal record, he was detained for driving with an expired tag. Mohammed’s marriage application is pending, he has never been deported before and is not a flight risk yet Judge Rex refuses to release him.

Charles Rodriguez, originally from Nicaragua, has been living in Florida for over 15 years. Charles has no criminal record, he’s been detained since May 9th, 2012. Charles was detained while going to work, he was asked for an ID at the stadium he was working at and a few hours later police showed up to detain him.

Samuel Soto, originally from Honduras, has been living in Florida for over 14 years. He has four children who miss him very much, all four of his kids are currently undergoing therapy because of their fathers detention. Samuel has only been pulled over for driving without a license. Samuel’s daughter, Eda, is having surgery on her left ear on August 8th. Samuel has been detained since May 16th, 2012.

Gelmino Turra, originally from Uruguay, has been living in Florida for over 13 years. In 2002 Gelmino was nearly murdered. He has since filed for a U-visa, given to victims of serious crimes, however Judge Rex Ford refuses to release him. Gelmino has been detained since December 19th, 2012. Gelmino’s 7-year old son has threatened suicide over his dad’s detention.

Luis Villanueva, originally from Mexico, has been living in the United States for over 10 years. Luis has no criminal record and yet he has been detained inside of the detention center since before Thanksgiving (November 7th, 2011)! Luis is a day laborer, he was picked up in front of Home Depot without being given any warning or anything. Luis’ father has been murdered and he is currently being sought out by the same people.

Maximino Hoz, originally from Mexico, has been living in Flordia for over 19 years. He has 6 children who miss him and want him home. Maximino’s 9-year old son has been diagnosed with depression because of his dad’s detention since December of 2011, over 9 months ago! In 2003 Maximino was charged with a DUI, however he took care of it, paid all of his fines and has never been in trouble since.

Omar Ramirez, originally from Guatemala, has been living in Florida for over 12 years. He has no criminal record yet he has spent the last 9-months, since November of 2011, in detention at the Broward Transitional Center. Omar was profiled by local police and found to have no license. Omar’s 10-year old son suffers from Asthma and has hearing problems.

For each day someone is detained at the Broward Transitional Center the facility is making on average $166. At some point these detainees are becoming just another dollar for the GEO company. We need to hold ICE and President Obama accountable for what they are doing to our communities. Unless we take action these 10 families are going to become just another statistic.

Can you sign each petition, make a call and share it with a friend?

Claudio Rojas, detained since February of 2012. No criminal record.

Jul 23, 201272 notes

#immigration #immigrant rights #ICE #detention #deportation #deferred action #dreamact

Ten Things You May Not Know About Deferred Action

Ten Things You May Not Know About Deferred Action

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Jul 23, 201215 notes

#dreamact #dream act #immigration #deferred action #deportation #immigrant rights

soooexotic:

Now this is something that most people agree you have to experience to really get, and while this is true, I’m gonna do my best to break it down

oh and btw? It’s not because brown people are any more homophobic than any other race. While prejudice has a role in this, this issue is a bit more nuanced than that.

For one, the gay community is racist. It’s rare that South Asians are depicted as queer in the media, and the stereotypes surrounding them and the stereotypes surrounding queer people are at odds, so the two are usually not thought of together.

South Asians are generally not thought of as ‘the type’ to be queer, so the thought of gaining information on queer South Asians and providing special resources for them just doesn’t occur to people. There is a huge, huge lack of data on them, although they obviously exist, and the gay right movement fails to acknowledge intersectionality anyway, and is not a safe space for any gay person of color. So naturally, queer South Asians are less likely to want to come out.

The South Asian adult community is made up mainly of professional immigrants who fought tooth and nail to get to the US for one reason: jobs. The idea of their children risking job security and safety for anything is unfathomable to a lot of them, because it’s been their top priority.

While there is absolutely heterosexism in the South Asian community, as there is everywhere, a lot of the hush-hush mentality regarding queerness is not simply because of that, but also due to a misguided attempt to protect their children. Most Indians, Pakistanis, etc. grow up being told that financial stability is important, a high paying job is important, safety is important. A lot of their parents grew up without those things, so they’re higher on their list of priorities and risking these things for anything, including personal happiness a lot of the time, is considered irrational. Not to mention in a racist country like the US, it seems unreasonable to these parents to allow their children to become any more marginalized.

There has yet to be any sort of frank discussion about sexualities other than straight, or sexuality in general really, in the South Asian community, and there is no prominent figure advocating queer South Asians.

There are important, outspoken queer figures for most racial communties. I can not name any that are South Asian. Personally, I don’t think that any advocate even needs to be queer or if they are, they don’t need to be out of the closet. They just need to say, out loud like queer activists for so many other ethnicities have, that it’s okay to be South Asian and gay. I know people are uncomfortable with the thought of a person in a position of privilege over them speaking for them, and I’m not saying that’s what is needed. I’m saying that someone, regardless of sexuality and race, needs to bring up this topic, not as a spokesperson but as an ally, because it is very difficult for queer South Asians to do so. It is dangerous for queer South Asians to do so, or even be out of the closet. And someone has to start this discussion. Which brings me to my final point:

People of color are widely ignored when oppression of any kind is being discussed these days, and anyone who doubts this just needs to look at the “Gay is the new black” crowd.

Race issues are regarded as being things of the past, the US is thought to be a post-racial society. As a result, the special issues that people of color face, whether they’re queer or straight, are more or less ignored. Unsurprisingly, this results in many people of color, particularly South Asians who are stuck in their model minority roles and restricted by their community’s unspoken rule about Never Discussing Homosexuality, along with the racism coming from the widely known gay rights movement, to stay in the closet out of self-preservation. And this isn’t even the end of it. I’m sure there are things I’ve forgotten, because this situation goes far beyond the usual reason given, which is “brown people are just backwards homophobes”.

Jul 23, 201290 notes

#south asians #desi #queer #queerdesi #racism

I Need Queer Desis!

jazzmademegay:

Seriously I know I can’t be the only Desi Dyke in Texas. :( I really need some in my life for realz! *sings “I’m am so lonely”*

Representing! Though I am in Washington D.C., thought I should holler

Jul 23, 201210 notes

#queerdesi

Jul 22, 20122 notes

#refugee #satire #immigrantporn #asylee #boat people #australia #oz

I wrote this 30-minute drivel after Colorlines asked me to last week. I’m pleasantly surprised that most people have responded positively.

Jul 15, 20129 notes

#undocumented #illegal #immigration

Would working under a false ss# and a fake name affect me in any way with the the policy change?

If you are committing fraud, as in you intentionally stole someone else’s number, yes. Usually, no, because you buy such things off the streets from shady vendors so you’ve no way of knowing whose number you are using and whether they are even a real person. In other words, working without authorization is usually not a crime for the worker — a different matter for the employer.

Jul 11, 2012

Biggest lesson from being undocumented?

That we’ve to live as openly and honestly as possible in order to go from surviving to thriving. And that a few committed open and honest individuals can throw a monkey wrench into the U.S. immigration/political system without breaking a sweat.

Jul 11, 20121 note

Jul 6, 20125 notes

arielnietzsche:

Back in the day, folks had their difference over undocumentados; but, life – and politics – wasn’t ruled by populist ideologues and bigot sloganeers.

Being civil to a gentle old man who dedicated his life to his state and his naturalized country used to be a natural part of life. Gone, now; but, not forgotten.

The wife and a friend of former Arizona Gov. Raul Castro are calling for changes in Border Patrol procedures after agents recently detained the frail 96-year-old in 100-degree heat for more than a half-hour…

Castro said he was traveling from his home in Nogales, Ariz., to celebrate his 96th birthday in Tucson when his vehicle triggered a radiation sensor at the Border Patrol checkpoint on Interstate 19 north of Tubac.

Castro said agents sent him to another inspection area and continued to question him outside his vehicle for 40 to 45 minutes even though he explained that he had undergone hospital testing on his pacemaker the previous day, likely triggering the sensor…

The Mexican-born Castro was governor of Arizona from 1974 to 1977. He was the state’s first and only Hispanic governor. He and his wife retired to Nogales after he served as U.S. ambassador to Argentina. He also served as ambassador to Bolivia and El Salvador in the 1960s.

Castro is America’s oldest living former governor. The Arizona Tea Party need’t worry. No chance of anyone born in Mexico becoming governor of The Mississippi of the West, again, nowadays.

Jul 6, 201227 notes

I read your article on DreamActivist about folks who have a social security # because of their work permit could possibly sign up for state health insurance exchanges. Do you know where we can get more info on that? I had no idea that you could receive those benefits with just a work permit social, thanks again!

Look at the requirements in the state you live. Some states just need you to have an SSN and state ID for medicare benefits. I get medicare and unemployment in D.C. simply because I’ve work authorization, and through that, a state ID. It differs in each state so you need to do your research with regards to where you live.

Jul 6, 2012

Hey, I talked to my lawyer and he said that I'm not eligible because I am not currently in deportation proceedings. I was given a deportation order 5+ years ago so I do not qualify now but may be likely to qualify in August? Ugh, I wish I can consult with you!

There are divergent points of view on this. The LAC advisory from the American Immigration Council tells people to wait even if they have a final deportation order from a while ago. My lawyer seems to think otherwise, given that is precisely what he has been doing for several years now — getting deferred action for Dreamers with final deportation orders. In any case, there doesn’t seem to be harm in waiting.

Jul 6, 2012

hi, i'm gonna be a 1L at GW Law starting from the fall. where do you go to law school? will you still be there this year? you seem really awesome btw. i'm desi too, so def looking for a community at GW once i get there because i've grown up in majority white areas for most of my life. it gets a little tiring.

Hi! I’m a 3L at GW. Not sure I’ll be around much this year, since I’m usually full-time employed. GW is also as white as it gets and probably in the most stuck-up part of DC (next to Georgetown), but there are pockets of desi-ness around. All the best.

Jul 2, 20122 notes

Tough day at work. Pissy ICE Assistant Counsel called and snapped at me. I was especially cheerful with her. I’m getting my client out of detention and getting his green card back so she can snap all she wants.

Jul 2, 20125 notes

This is not a question.. but I just wanted to tell you how awesome I think you are! All of your work do go unnoticed or unappreciated :)

Thanks dear.

Jul 2, 20123 notes

Why are you so jaded, disillusioned?

Do you mean to ask me why I’m always right?

Jul 2, 20126 notes

I was given a deportation order 10 years ago, do I call 1-855-448-6903 or wait it out til August?

Call. You are eligible if you didn’t leave the country.

Jul 1, 20121 note

A Queer Desi

July 2012

20 posts