Grassroots Organizing Stops Deportation of Community Leader!!!

Posted Tue, 07/16/2013 - 2:23pm

Dear friends and supporters,

Today we heard from ICE that Danilo's application for a Stay of Removal was approved and that he can stay! Our grassroots movement stopped his deportation!

Thanks for all your work!

A message from Danilo:

"I feel very fortunate to have so much support---in particular from my community of farmworkers who told me: 'We've got your back. We'll fight with you'. Then, there was the thousands of petition signatures. Hundreds of people took time to make phone calls to ICE. We launched the 'Stop Danilo's Deportation Video Project' and w held a big regional protest at the ICE headquarters joining the national 'Not One More' deportation' movement. We organized to get letters of support, not just from our Governor and Congressional delegation but from dozens of Vermonters."

Danilo continued, "And remember the lesson, the first time we asked permission for prosecutorial discretion through ICE's process and we lost. But now, after a big public campaign, contstant pressure, and powerful community organizing--DEMANDING to stop the deportation--we won. Now, we see how we can change the world we live in."

Your petition signatures, letters of support, and mobilizing all paid off!

With public pressure and organizing we pushed the envelope, convincing ICE to grant Danilo a Stay of Removal--allowing him to stay until July 2014.

All of our collective efforts have advanced the immigrant rights movement proving that public pressure and grassroots organizing works and setting a precedent that we can in fact hold ICE accountable to our movement!