Continued deportations under Obama denounced

• More than two million undocumented immigrants deported since Obama took office

• Most were deported for minor infractions

Protesters above joined hundreds in San Francisco Friday as part of a national day of action to encourage President Obama to end deportations. NEW AMERICA MEDIA PHOTO

SAN FRANCISCO, California — Protesters marched April 4 to denounce the continued deportation of thousands of undocumented immigrants. More than two million people, two-thirds of them for minor infractions, have been deported since President Obama took office in 2008.

“My family is always in stress and we never know at what moment they can separate us,” said protester Gloria Esteva. “We are protesting at the national level for the two million who have been deported. The president declared he won’t deport workers and separate families, but that’s what’s happening.”

Liz Lucas, 21, was also among the protesters. An undocumented student and mother, she immigrated to the United States from Mexico at age four. Her family experienced the impact of deportations after her uncle tried to cross the U.S. border from Mexico and was never heard from again.

Lucas supports Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which allows immigrants who entered the country at age 16 or younger to live and work in the country for two-year renewable periods.

But she also sees its limitations. “DACA excludes a lot of people. I’m eligible, but because I was arrested for shoplifting at age 15, my case is being processed very slowly,” she said.

Ana Chavez Fisher teaches Early Childhood Development at City College of San Francisco. She says there are different factors why some don’t sign up for DACA.

“Many are scared. Even though they grow up here, many have felonies or minor incidents … [they] are hesitant because they don’t know what they are getting into,” Chavez said.

Olga Miranda is president of SEIU Local 87 and one the organizers of Friday’s event. “We lost 800 members in 2011,” she says.

As for the protest, Miranda says she is “hoping [the message] will resonate, and that our voices will be remembered in November.”

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