After Supreme Court Loss, Illinois Immigrant Advocates Vow To Fight On

Gerson Quinteron of Washington yells during a demonstration on immigration, Thursday, June 23, 2016, outside the Supreme Court in Washington.
Evan Vucci / AP
Gerson Quinteron of Washington yells during a demonstration on immigration, Thursday, June 23, 2016, outside the Supreme Court in Washington.
Evan Vucci / AP

After Supreme Court Loss, Illinois Immigrant Advocates Vow To Fight On

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Illinois Immigration advocates are vowing to fight on after a split Supreme Court decision blocked President Obama’s efforts to slow deportations.

In November 2014, Obama issued orders to delay deportations of some undocumented residents whose children were born in the U.S. Obama’s plan also would have put off the deportation of some people who came to the U.S. as children. Justices listened to arguments for months, but with the nation’s highest court still down one justice, the case ended in a deadlock.

The 4-4 decision leaves in place an appeals court ruling blocking a plan to slow deportations,placing the futures of millions of undocumented immigrants at risk.

Outside the US Immigrant and Customs Enforcement office in Chicago yesterday, immigrant advocates were defiant yelling, “Yes we can…si se puede”.

Undocumented High School Junior Valentina Moreno was one of them.

She says she has no choice but to fight for her rights— her deportation would endanger her siblings, who were born in the US.

“What will happen to them if they deport us…how are they supposed to look after themselves?”

Moreno says her best hope now is that the next president appoints a Supreme Court Justice who is sympathetic to the plight of undocumented immigrants.

Nayoung Ha, the organizing director for the Korean American Resource and Cultural Center, says Asian-Americans need to work to make sure that happens.

Ha said Korean Americans in particular, need to join the immigration fight.

“This is not just a Latino, Latina issue, this is a Korean-American issue too.” Ha said. “One out of six Korean-American immigrants are undocumented, so it’s a huge population.”