Herta Llusho Still Needs Your Help

Herta Llusho was supposed to be deported to her native Albania in August. Ridiculous that a girl who came to America at the age of 11, became totally Americanized, is an honor student currently enrolled at the University of Detroit studying electrical engineering and wants to stay here, should be sent back to Albania on a technicality isn't it?. But that is what was about to happen until websites like Citizen Orange and Dreamactivist. org got involved. Her fellow Americans on and offline rallied around Herta's cause. I wrote this in August. The pressure worked and Herta was granted an extension till November 9th. But she's not out of the woods yet and she still needs your help.

How You Can Help Herta

The Dreamactivist website has posted a very complete list of instructions on who to contact and how to do it. Here are some of the more important ones. Check the link above for a more complete list.

1. Call Janet Napolitano, Director of Department of Homeland Security, and leave comments of support for Herta and also ask that DHS stop her deportation: 202-282-8495 **note this is an answering machine, once it is full it is out of commission for day. Fill it up now with Herta calls.
2. Call Assistant Secretary to ICE, John Morton and leave a message urging him to take action and defer Herta’s deportation: 202.732.3000 **Note this is a live comment line, i.e. a human being will pick up and take your message.** Be very polite “I am calling to leave a message of support for Herta Llusho who is being deported tomorrow, . I ask that Director Morton contact the Michigan field Director and defer Herta’s deportation, she is an asset to this country.”
3. Call LaSal Austin, director of the local DHS in Michigan, at 313-259-8562. Urge him to take legislators’ (Senator Carl Levin and congresswoman Kilpatrick) leads and take immediate action to defer the deportation of Herta Llusho.

Be sure to join the Facebook group and to check it regularly for updates. You might also like to see Herta's heartfelt thank you in the video below. You'll see when you watch it what a really cool, very American girl she is. Let's not let her get deported. Let's keep her here at home where she belongs.

Why Is DHS Deporting Herta Llusho?

What is up with the Department of Homeland Security? Nineteen year old, Herta Llusho, is going to be deported to her native Albania in just two more days. She doesn't want to go and on paper, at least, she looks like just the sort of person America was made for. Is there something we don't know or has DHS just gotten mired down in the paperwork again?

Herta is the personification of the American Dream. An eleven year old middle schooler when she arrived in Michigan with her mother and siblings,she took to America like a duck to water. In high school she was a popular honor student who also excelled in sports. She graduated with a 4.05 grade point average, and was elected to the National Honor Society-- not bad for a kid who spoke no English when she arrived.

She is now studying electrical engineering at the University of Detroit. In two years or less she will have her bachelors degree. She is a bright, hardworking, motivated, typical American girl. English is her first language, and American culture is her culture. She is one of us for sure. Why wouldn't we want to keep her here? What on earth would make DHS want to send her back to Albania?

What really makes this hard to understand is that there is a bill moving slowly through congress right now that would make it possible for Herta to stay in America when it becomes law, but not if she is deported before it passes. The Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act (The "DREAM Act") will make it possible for Herta to have permanent residency, but not if she has already been deported when it is signed into law.

"The Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act (The "DREAM Act")is a piece of proposed federal legislation that was introduced in the US Senate, and the US House of Representatives on March 26, 2009. This bill would provide certain illegal immigrant students who graduate from US high schools, are of good moral character, arrived in the US as children, and have been in the country continuously for at least five years prior to the bill's enactment, the opportunity to earn conditional permanent residency. The students would obtain temporary residency for a six year period. Within the six year period, a qualified student must have "acquired a degree from an institution of higher education in the United States or [have] completed at least 2 years, in good standing, in a program for a bachelor's degree or higher degree in the United States," or have "served in the uniformed services for at least 2 years and, if discharged, [have] received an honorable discharge."

source:Wikipedia


Here's What You Can Do

1. Join the facebook group for immediate updates: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=111108019510
2. Sign petition which will be hand-delivered to targets: http://www.change.org/actions/view/stop_deportation_of_dream_student_herta_llusho
3. Use SEIU Click to Call Action Tool to call DHS: http://call.seiu.org/9/hertadhs
4. Call Senator Carl Levin at (202) 224-6221. Urge him to a) introduce private bill for Herta, and b) write letter to DHS asking them to stop Herta's deportation.
5. Call Senator Stabenow at (202) 224-4822. Urge her to a) introduce private bill for Herta, and b) write letter to DHS asking them to stop Herta's deportation.
6. Call Congresswoman Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick at (202) 225-2261. Urge her to a) introduce private bill for Herta, and b) write letter to DHS asking them to stop Herta's deportation.

You can read more about Herta, including what she has to say about herself at dreamactivist.org I hope you'll take the time to do that.

Then I hope you will use the power of the internet to do what you can and spread the message around. Time is short so don't delay.

Let's get that deportation order postponed until after the DREAM act becomes law so that Herta Llusho can have her shot at the American dream. It seems only fair.



source& photo credit: Citizen Orange