Fighting for a $15/HR Minimum Wage
In the midst of the challenges with the new executive order, working families have been participating in another battle: Fighting for a $15 per hour minimum wage. Fast Food chains are the number one target Fight for 15 would like to see raise their employee hourly wages. One of the worst chains is McDonalds, known for not prioritizing the needs and lives of their employees. Recently, McDonalds has beenreceiving negative media towards McDonalds disregarding employee safety.
LUChA, Living United for Change in Arizona, has organized community members to petition at fast food chains such as McDonalds and grocery stores like El Super. Leading the organized groups is Antonio Valdovinos, a young community organizer fighting for worker rights. Most of the participants in the demonstrations are low income, working families, after all it is the crowd being affected.
Capitol Media: 'Dreamer' protesters show up as Brewer lights Capitol dome
By Howard Fischer Capitol Media Services | Posted: Friday, February 15, 2013 10:17 am
Gov. Jan Brewer lit the dome on the historic Capitol building Thursday night after protesters tried to drown out her comments.
Several dozen people chanted "Let the Dreamers drive,'' a reference to her directive not to issue licenses to those in the "deferred action'' program announced last year by the Obama administration. Brewer contends they do not meet the requirements of Arizona law that they are "authorized'' to be in the country.
Brewer avoided the entrance to the outdoor event, allowing her to bypass the protesters.
"We are here to celebrate the lighting of the dome,'' she told Capitol Media Services.
"I appreciate the fact they came and participated,'' Brewer continued. "You know, we're all Arizonans.''
But the governor balked when asked why, if they are "all Arizonans'' they do not deserve state licenses to drive.
"Well, well,'' she said, walking off.
The dome lighting capped the year-long celebration of Arizona's 100 years as a state.
http://m.ahwatukee.com/mobile/news/article_c73d2e6a-7793-11e2-8873-0019bb2963f4.html
Links to LUCHA DREAMers in the News
AZCENTRAL.COM: Dreamers disrupt statehood fest: Young people protest for the right to get Arizona drivers licenses
http://www.azcentral.com/video/2166058802001
TELEMUNDO: INTENTAN ABLANDAR EL CORAZON DE LA GOBERNADORA
http://www.telemundoarizona.com/videos/Intentan-ablandar-el-corazon-de-la-gobernadora-191338831.html
TELEMUNDO: FLORES PARA LA GOBERNADORA
http://www.telemundoarizona.com/videos/Flores-para-la-gobernadora-191133421.html
azcentral.com: Dreamers disrupt statehood fest
View the video below
http://www.azcentral.com/video/2166058802001
VOXXI: Dreamers tell Gov. Jan Brewer: Be our Valentine and let us drive
Gov. Jan Brewer was surprised on Valentine’s Day with roses and balloons from dreamers who want her to let deferred action recipient get driver’s licenses. (VOXXI/Griselda Nevarez)
Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer was surprised on Valentine’s Day with roses and balloons from dreamers who want her to open her heart and let deferred action recipients get driver’s licenses.
“We want her to change her heart and let us drive,” said Abril Gallardo, a 22-year-old Dreamer and member of Living United for Change in Arizona (LUCHA), the group that organized the event.
Gallardo was among the nearly 50 dreamers and activists who crowded Brewer’s office on Thursday to deliver the gifts along with more than 1,000 Valentine’s Day cards. Each card had a message for Brewer. One of the cards was written by a 7-year-old girl who wrote, “Let my big sister drive! I am a 2nd grader!”
The group also requested a meeting with Brewer. This is the third time members of LUCHA have requested a meeting with the governor since she issued an executive order on Aug. 15 barring deferred action recipients from getting driver’s licenses. So far, they haven’t been successful in scheduling a meeting with her.
“We’ve been trying to meet with her to get a real answer from her on why she is denying us driver’s licenses,” Gallardo told VOXXI.
Jan Brewer won’t change her mind
Brewer argues that deferred action recipients are not eligible for driver’s licenses because the federal program doesn’t grant them a lawful status. She says that under Arizona law, only individuals who have a lawful status are able to get driver’s licenses in the state.
But according to the Arizona Department of Transportation, Arizona law requires residents to submit proof that their presence in the United States is “authorized under federal law” to be eligible for a driver’s license.
The federal government clarified about a month ago that undocumented youth who have received deferred action are “authorized by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to be present in the United States” and are “considered by DHS to be lawfully present during the period deferred action is in effect.”
Still, Brewer announced this week that she is standing by her order to not allow deferred action recipients to get driver’s licenses, making Arizona one of the few states left that still deny this state benefit to deferred action recipients.
Attorney: Deferred action recipients qualify for licenses
Jose Penalosa, an immigration attorney, said in a statement that Gov. Jan Brewer and her attorneys “know very little about immigration law.” He said deferred action recipients do qualify for driver’s licenses because they are authorized by the federal government to be in the country.
Penalosa is confident that the plaintiffs in the Arizona Dream Act Coalition v. Brewer federal court case, which challenges Brewer’s executive order, will win.
He added that having Brewer issue the executive order on the same day that the federal government began accepting requests for deferred action “really convinces me that her heart is hardened.”
“If her heart is so touched by the Dreamers, you, Governor Brewer, should give the Dreamers a great Valentine’s Day gift and allow them to have licenses,” he said.
ASU State Press: Immigration demonstrators offer protest Valentines to Gov. Brewer
Second year psychology doctoral student German Cadeñas, founder of the Arizona DREAM Act Coalition. Cadeñas is making a point by saying that Brewer is targeting DREAMers so that she can sustain her political power. (Photo by Abhiram Chanrash)
Immigration activism groups left Valentines at the Governor’s Office on Thursday in response to Gov. Jan Brewer’s denial of driver’s licenses and state identification to deferred action residents and DREAMers.
Living United for Change in Arizona, the group that hosted the demonstration, assists deferred action residents in their efforts to achieve U.S. citizenship or pursue improved quality of life.
In June 2012, President Barack Obama signed a memo that instituted the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. DACA grants lawful residence to applicants brought to the U.S. when they were younger than 16 who have pursued education or military service.
Despite the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s assurance that DACA recipients are lawful residents and are able to obtain driver’s licenses and state identification, Brewer will not allow it. Last August, Brewer signed an executive order that prohibited DACA recipients from receiving licenses.
Luis Dominguez, a 26-year-old volunteer for LUCHA, said access to a driver’s license is very important for anyone who wants to obtain a job or safely travel.
“It’s better to have someone be able to drive legally,” Dominguez said. “If you get stopped by the police, how can these people identify themselves?”
Dominguez, a DACA recipient, attended a Summer Bridge program at West campus, but could not afford to continue his education at ASU. He attends Glendale Community College and said he hopes to eventually study engineering at ASU. DACA recipients cannot pay in-state tuition.
“We are trying to make a difference,” he said. “We just want people to be more aware.”
The demonstrators, many of whom were dressed in red, held pink and red balloons and carried Valentines addressed to Brewer. They filed into elevators and rode to the top floor, where Brewer’s office is located. Dominguez helped lead them in chants such as “Let the DREAMers drive!”
“This is a decision that she is making herself,” Dominguez said. “She’s not asking the public. She won’t give a reason.”
This is the third time LUCHA has attempted to reach Brewer, but the group has not been able to elicit a response. In October 2012, LUCHA invited Brewer and members of the Arizona Motor Vehicle Division to a similar demonstration, but both invitations were declined. In December 2012, LUCHA held a demonstration in which they compared Brewer to the Grinch who stole Christmas.
Dominguez said they will not be deterred and will continue to make such efforts.
“We are LUCHA, which means ‘fight’ in Spanish,” he said. “We will keep on fighting.”
Brewer spokesman Matt Benson met the demonstrators and encouraged them to relay their message for the governor through him. Several protestors read letters to the governor and asked her to reconsider her approach to DACA recipients.
In response to Brewer’s August executive order, the Arizona DREAM Act Coalition joined with the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona and filed a lawsuit against her.
Dulce Matuz, president of the Arizona DREAM Act Coalition, said the ongoing lawsuit was one reason she was participating in the demonstration. An ASU alumna, she represented the Arizona DREAM Act Coalition and delivered a speech at the demonstration.
“Gov. Brewer is singling out and harassing DREAMers,” Matuz said. “She’s out of touch, and she’s wasting resources.”
Psychology doctoral student German Cadeñas said Brewer is targeting DREAMers so she can sustain her political power.
“She’s choosing to discriminate against a segment of the population,” Cadeñas said. “She’s impacting thousands of people’s lives.”
Cadeñas was accepted into his doctoral program as an illegal immigrant but has since gained permanent residence. He is one of the founders of the Arizona DREAM Act Coalition.
“We were hoping to make a strong statement and we knew that we were taking a risk,” Cadeñas said. “That was really empowering to see we weren’t the only ones being discriminated against.”
Also present at the demonstration were members of the Queer Undocumented Immigrant Project, which advocates for gay rights as well as immigration reform.
Molecular bioscience senior Steven Montoya said gay rights are ignored in the issue of illegal immigration.
“I am here for two reasons,” Montoya said. “One, to advocate for marriage equality and two, to oppose Jan Brewer’s decision.”
Currently, illegal immigrants are not able to have civil unions. Even if their partner is a U.S. citizen, they do not have a path to citizenship.
The demonstration ended with every participant releasing a balloon into the air that was tied to a paper replica of an Arizona driver’s license.
Reach the reporter at jwthrall@asu.edu or follow him @jthrall1
DREAMers Ask Jan Brewer To Change Her Mind And Let Them Have Driver's Licenses
Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer was surprised on Valentine’s Day with roses and balloons from dreamers who are asking her to open her heart and let deferred action recipient get driver’s licenses.
“We want her to change her heart and let us drive,” said Abril Gallardo, a 22-year-old dreamer and member of Living United for Change in Arizona (LUCHA), the group that organized the event.
Gallardo was among the nearly 50 dreamers and activists who crowded Brewer’s office on Thursday to deliver the gifts along with more than 1,000 Valentine’s Day cards. Each card had a message for Brewer. One of the cards was written by a 7-year-old girl who wrote, “Let my big sister drive! I am a 2nd grader!”
The group also requested a meeting with Brewer. This is the third time members of LUCHA have requested a meeting with the governor since she issued an executive order on Aug. 15 barring deferred action recipients from getting driver’s licenses. So far, they haven’t been successful in scheduling a meeting with her.
“We’ve been trying to meet with her to get a real answer from her on why she is denying us driver’s licenses,” Gallardo told VOXXI.
Jan Brewer won’t change her mind
Brewer argues that deferred action recipients are not eligible for driver’s licenses because the federal program doesn’t grant them a lawful status. She says that under Arizona law, only individuals who have a lawful status are able to get driver’s licenses in the state.
But according to the Arizona Department of Transportation, Arizona law requires residents to submit proof that their presence in the United States is “authorized under federal law” to be eligible for a driver’s license.
The federal government clarified about a month ago that undocumented youth who have received deferred action are “authorized by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to be present in the United States” and are “considered by DHS to be lawfully present during the period deferred action is in effect.”
Still, Brewer announced this week that she is standing by her order to not allow deferred action recipients to get driver’s licenses, making Arizona one of the few states left that still deny this state benefit to deferred action recipients.
Attorney: Deferred action recipients qualify for licenses
Jose Peñalosa, an immigration attorney, said in a statement that Gov. Jan Brewer and her attorneys “know very little about immigration law.” He said deferred action recipients do qualify for driver’s licenses because they are authorized by the federal government to be in the country.
Peñalosa is confident that the plaintiffs in the Arizona Dream Act Coalition v. Brewer federal court case, which challenges Brewer’s executive order, will win.
He added that having Brewer issue the executive order on the same day that the federal government began accepting requests for deferred action “really convinces me that her heart is hardened.”
“If her heart is so touched by the Dreamers, you, Governor Brewer, should give the Dreamers a great Valentine’s Day gift and allow them to have licenses,” he said.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/15/dreamers-petition-jan-brewer-drivers-license_n_2694353.html