Change.org is a petition website through which people can garner attention and support for various issues. Over the past few years, Change.org has gathered millions of signatures on petitions that have enacted change in subjects ranging from criminal justice to environmental protection.
Given recent headlines on federal immigration laws, Bold decided to take a look at how issues surrounding immigration have resonated on smaller scales. We checked out deportation petitions on Change.org to better understand the challenges immigrant families are currently facing.
Guatemalan-Canadian Family Successfully Stays Together
When an Edmonton, Canada family was informed they’d be split up and deported to Guatemala, they turned to Change.org for help. The Canadian residents had fled Guatemala after experiencing gang violence, and felt their return to the country would be deadly. The family’s petition gathered 15,000 signatures and helped ensure their stay in Canada — at least for the next two years.
Father of Three Fights to Stay in U.S. and Provide for Family
Francisco Javier Gonzalez has lived in the United States for twenty years, but currently faces deportation to Mexico. The Palm Beach restaurant manager and father, who could have been deported as early as last week, was granted a three month extension following a Change.org campaign. He is still hoping to ensure a permanent stay in America.
Father Detained, Government Wants To Deport Him To Parent’s Home Country
Nearly a year ago, Chamroeun Phan was taken into custody during a routine immigration office check-in. Since then, Chamroeun, who spent his entire life in the United States, has been detained by authorities who want to deport him to Cambodia. According to his sister, Chamroeun had never set foot in the country, as he was born in a refugee camp in neighboring Thailand. Her petition for his return has gathered over 5,000 signatures.
Parents Call for “Deferred Action” Status to Provide Son with Life-saving Surgery
Three-year-old Noe’s parents have called on the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to grant them “deferred action” status, arguing that this status is required for them to take care of Noe, who suffers from a form of spina bifida. Noe is scheduled for a life-saving kidney surgery in August, but cannot have the operation if his parents are not granted permissions to be in the United States.
North Carolina Mother Hopes to Stop Deportation and Stay with Three Sons
Minerva Cisneros Garcia is fighting her deportation to Mexico through a Change.org petition. The mother of three is a North Carolina resident who journeyed to the United States after her son’s cancer rendered him blind. Minerva has expressed concern that if she is deported, her sons “will not be safe” or “free.”
You can check out the progress of these petitions and add your support to thousands of others on Change.org.
