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| Sen. Chris Dodd Introduces Private Bill Preventing Scheduled Deportation of Juan and Alex Gomez | March 5, 2009 |
| (Miami, March 5, 2009) – The plan of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to deport brothers Juan and Alex Gomez to Colombia on March 15th, has been postponed thanks to a private bill filed on their behalf in the U.S. Congress by Senator Christopher Dodd, (D-CT). The filing of the bill, S.517, allows the brothers to remain in this country – where they have resided since Juan was 2 and Alex 3 - for the term of this Congress. “We are hoping that the lifeline this bill provides will be enough time for the Congress to pass the Dream Act,” said Cheryl Little, Executive Director of Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center – the non-profit law firm that represents the Gomez brothers. The Dream Act would offer legal status to students who attend college or enlist in the U.S. military. “It is past time for our nation to take this moral and honorable action,” Little said. “For too long, we have held the threat of deportation over the lives of more than 65,000 young people throughout the U.S. whose only offense was to respect their parents and accompany them in their quest for freedom.” The Gomez family fled Colombia in 1990, seeking political asylum in the U.S. After their request for asylum was denied, the brothers’ parents and grandmother were deported in October 2007. Juan is currently studying finance at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., and Alex is a student at Miami Dade College. About Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center (FIAC) is one of the nation’s largest non-profit agencies providing immigration legal services. FIAC is dedicated to protecting and promoting the basic rights of immigrants of all nationalities. Since its founding in 1996, FIAC’s multilingual and multicultural staff has closed more than 70,000 cases. FIAC has influenced national policies; successfully litigated or otherwise challenged patterns of abuse; and taken a leading role in educating the public about the impact that immigration laws and directives have on our communities. FIAC is nationally recognized as a powerful advocate for immigrants’ rights. **** | |