Student's Prize Is a Trip [To Atlanta for Natationals] Into Immigration Limbo

[Spikey]

I think I should share this story with everyone, he's not from my team, but it is an interesting story. Just goes to show you how lucky some of us are, and how tough it can be for some teams and individuals.
From the NYTimes

Student's Prize Is a Trip Into Immigration Limbo

By NINA BERNSTEIN
Published: April 26, 2006
A small, troubled high school in East Harlem seemed an unlikely place to find students for a nationwide robot-building contest, but when a neighborhood after-school program started a team last winter, 19 students signed up. One was Amadou Ly, a senior who had been fending for himself since he was 14.

The project had only one computer and no real work space. Engineering advice came from an elevator mechanic and a machinist's son without a college degree. But in an upset that astonished its sponsors, the rookie team from East Harlem won the regional competition last month, beating rivals from elite schools like Stuyvesant in Manhattan and the Bronx High School of Science for a chance to compete in the national robotics finals in Atlanta that begins tomorrow.

Yet for Amadou, who helps operate the robot the team built, success has come at a price. As the group prepared for the flight to Atlanta today, he was forced to reveal his secret: He is an illegal immigrant from Senegal, with no ID to allow him to board a plane. Left here long ago by his mother, he has no way to attend the college that has accepted him, and only a slim chance to win his two-year court battle against deportation.

In the end, his fate could hinge on immigration legislation now being debated in Congress. Several Senate bills include a pathway for successful high school graduates to earn legal status. But a measure passed by the House of Representatives would make his presence in the United States a felony, and both House and Senate bills would curtail the judicial review that allows exceptions to deportation.

Meanwhile, the team's sponsors scrambled to put him on a train yesterday afternoon for a separate 18-hour journey to join his teammates from Central Park East High School at the Georgia Dome. There, more than 8,500 high school students will participate in the competition, called FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) by its sponsor, a nonprofit organization that aims to make applied sciences as exciting to children as sports.

"I didn't want other people to know," Amadou, 18, said, referring to his illegal status. "They're all U.S. citizens but me."

Most team members learned of his problem only yesterday at a meeting with Kristian Breton, 27, the staff member at the East Harlem Tutorial program who started the team, inspired by his own experience in the competition when he was a high school student in rural Mountain Home, Ark.

Alan Hodge, 18, echoed the general dismay. "We can't really celebrate all the way because it's not going to feel whole as a team without Amadou," he said.

Amadou's teammates have struggled with obstacles of their own. When Mr. Breton called a meeting of parents to collect permission slips last week, only five showed up. One boy's mother had a terminal illness, Mr. Breton learned. Another mother lived in the Dominican Republic, leaving an older sibling to manage the household. One of the six girls on the team said her divorced parents disagreed about letting her go, and her mother, who was willing to approve the trip, lacked the $4 subway fare to get to the meeting.

But Amadou's case stands out. As he tells it, with corroboration from immigration records and other documents, he was 13 and spoke no English when his mother brought him to New York from Dakar on Sept. 10, 2001. He was 14 when she went back, leaving him behind in the hope that he could continue his American education.

By then, he had finished ninth grade at Norman Thomas High School in a program for students learning English as a second language. But his mother left instruction for him to take a Greyhound bus to Indianapolis, where a Senegalese woman friend had agreed to take him in and send him to North Central High School school there.

"It was the same thing when I was in Africa," he said, describing a childhood spent shuttling between his maternal grandmother and the household of his father, a retired policeman with 12 children and three wives.

The woman in Indiana, who had four children of her own, changed her mind about keeping him after his sophomore year, and he returned by bus to New York in the summer of 2004. "I had to find a way to help myself for food and clothes, and to buy some of my school supplies," he said, recalling days handing out fliers for a clothing store on a Manhattan street corner. "I ended up living with another friend — I'm under age and I can't live alone."

Taking shelter with a taxi driver, a friend of the family who could sign his report cards, Amadou enrolled in 11th grade at Central Park East. Under Supreme Court decisions dating to 1982, children have a right to a public education regardless of their immigration status, and in New York, as in many other cities, a "don't ask, don't tell" approach to legal status has prevailed for years.

But after the 9/11 attacks, practices around the country changed. On a rainy highway in Pennsylvania on Nov. 7, 2004, Amadou met a very different attitude when he had the bad luck to be a passenger in a car rear-ended by a truck. The state trooper who responded questioned his passport and school ID, and summoned federal immigration officers, who began deportation proceedings.

There is no right to a court-appointed lawyer in immigration court, and though Amadou's friends hired one for him at first, records show that the lawyer soon withdrew. "We really couldn't afford to pay," Amadou explained.

By the time the case was finally sent to a special juvenile docket in federal court after several adjournments, Amadou had already turned 18, closing off some legal options that can lead to a green card for juveniles, said Amy Meselson, a Legal Aid lawyer who took on the case last week.

At this point, she said, his best chance is probably a long shot: a measure included in an amendment to many Senate immigration bills, known as "The Dream Act," which offers a path to citizenship to young people of good moral character who have lived in the United States for five years, been accepted to college, or earned a high school diploma or the equivalent.

Opponents say the measure will encourage illegal immigrants, and subsidize their education at the expense of American children and their taxpaying parents.

But mentors for the team that calls itself "East Harlem Tech" seem to have no ear for such arguments.

"He's been a hard-working and diligent student with mathematical ability and a scientific mind," said Rhonda Creed-Harry, a math teacher at Central Park East. But though he has been accepted at the New York City College of Technology in Brooklyn, he said he could not attend because he does not qualify for financial aid.

Ramon Padilla, a team mentor who stopped a year short of a college degree himself and now works in the audio-visual department at Columbia University, called the news that Amadou faced deportation "overwhelming."

"I'm telling you, he's a great kid, a very talented kid," he said, adding that Amadou played an important role in building the robot, with help from Frank Sierra, a buddy of Mr. Padilla who repairs elevators. Starting from a standard set of parts, each team had six weeks to design a robot that could move down a center line and throw balls into a goal. In the last round of the competition, Amadou helped his team form a winning alliance with teams from Morris High School in the Bronx and Staten Island Tech, which both advanced to the finals as well.

Mr. Breton, who made last-minute trips to the Bronx to gather parental permissions, said he was determined not to leave Amadou behind. "I started with 19 people, and I want to take 19 people to Atlanta," he told the student. "I want to make sure that everybody has the full opportunity, because I feel you've earned it."

Amadou returned the compliment. "Because of him, it happened," he said.

Yet on the train to Atlanta, accompanied by another staff member, Amadou was still worried. Bloomberg L.P., which is underwriting the full cost of the team's trip to Atlanta, plans to display its robot at the company's headquarters in New York and invite the team up to celebrate their achievement. He said he was afraid that he might be turned away for lack of the right ID to enter the building.

[sanddrag]

so wait, you can go to high school in this country while being in this country illegally? I learned something new. Sounds like a terrible flaw. There has to be some section of the "rule book" for dealing with situations like this, no?

[KenWittlief]

wow! what an incredible story and situation.

It really underscores the twilight limbo world that illegal immigrants live in. They come here hoping they can pull themselves up and make something of their lives

but if they succeed too well and they end up with public attention then they risk deportation.

This is a real FIRST underdog-Cinderella team story!

What can we do to keep Amadou here legally, and to get him into college?

[KenWittlief]

here is the link to the NY times, with photos:

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/26/ny...rtner=homepage

[114Klutz]

Originally Posted by sanddrag

so wait, you can go to high school in this country while being in this country illegally? I learned something new. Sounds like a terrible flaw. There has to be some section of the "rule book" for dealing with situations like this, no?

Yes, both California and New York have provisions for all children to attend schools. It is meant for us to share our resources, education, and other such things with the rest of the world.

Amadou is a perfect example of the American immigrant - he's hardworking, skilled, smart, and willing to weather hardships in the pursuit of an education.

As an immigrant myself, I support people like him who immigrant, work hard, and get themselves an education.

Currently, a bill going through the senate known as the "DREAM" Act will provide amnesty for those students who have arrived before the age of 16 and grant them a 6 year permanent residency. This will allow those most in need to follow there dreams.

[Alex Cormier]

What team number is this kid on?

edit/ looked and found out it is team 1880. cool! i will have a chat with them down in atl!

[dubious elise]

That is one amazing story - not only for the aspect of FIRST but the idea that this young man has been fending for himself and succeeding in what he does. It really has made my morning to read this article.

[DCA Fan]

Quite a story. Shows how FIRST can impact a person's life, but also how well someone can perservere.

[Nita]

Touching story. As an immigrant myself(non-citizen and without green card but still legal) and knowing some illegal immigrants around me, I hope that the current issue with new rules for illegal immigrants will be settled with something like the Dream Act. I should cut it right about here in order to restrain myself from writing 3 pages about my sympathy.

[DonRotolo]

Originally Posted by KenWittlief

What can we do to keep Amadou here legally, and to get him into college?

Indeed.

Folks, Ken's comment is where the rubber meets the road. We can all sit in our comfortable lives and sigh "Tsk Tsk this poor kid is gonna get sent back to Senegal. What a pity" or we can DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.

I am, unfortunately, not an immigration lawyer, nor am I even moderately informed as a layman. But, with how many thousand FIRSTers out there, who is or knows an such an expert that might consider helping this kid out?

Is your mom or dad an immigration lawyer? Uncle Louie? The neighbor down the block? Talk to them. Please. Explain FIRST. Explain GP. See if they can help, or call in a favor to get someone to help. Even a little.

The Times article has contacts galore in it, or just find them in Atlanta. Heck, I'll drive to Harlem to find them...

Can anyone help??

Don

[starbot]

I don't post here too often, but I think this story deserves some attention, front page New York Times is quite a journalistic honor. FIRST will, no doubt, receive an enormous amount of attention as a result.

[Goober!!!]

This story just gave me a real big inspiration that FIRST is something that every kid needs that don't have the ability to have, I would love to meet Amadou now with this story I am amazed FIRST is for everyone and Amadou i wish him luck.

Sign: The Goober!!!

[Richard Wallace]

Originally Posted by Alex Cormier

What team number is this kid on?

edit/ looked and found out it is team 1880. cool! i will have a chat with them down in atl!

1880 is in Archimedes. So are 47, 103, 120, and 191 -- just to mention HOF teams.

Can someone (in Archimedes or otherwise) please go over to 1880's pit, find out what's up with Amadou, and let us know (out here in CD land) what we can do to help? I like Ken's idea about kicking in some lunch money to hire him a good immigration lawyer.

Thanks!

[tiffany34990]

This is a truly an amazing story about people and their lives especially for this young man and his life so far. Many of us are fortunate to have homes and not be shipped around like him, trying to survive. It's really great though to know he has found himself in the world of FIRST. FIRST seems to be great in fostering the good around the world and people. FIRST gives us chances. I'm grateful for what I have and I wish this young man the best. If I was in his shoes I'm not sure how I would have pursued my life.
I hope there is a way we can help him and his team. I'm sure within this great community of people something will be done.

[KenWittlief]

Ive been thinking about this over the last day or so.

No matter how you feel about Amadou's immigration status, he was left in this country by his mother, he fended for himself, he has done well in HS and has been accepted into college

but more importantly, WE (the FIRST community) have been telling young people: study math and science and technology because it will enrich your life, and improve the standard of living of all of us.

Amadou listened to us, he believed our message, he joined his HS FIRST team, and they won their area regional and are now at the Championship.

Amadou is one of us. Now he needs our help.

I know his team and mentors are in Atlanta today, so there is not much we can do for the next few days, but when they get back home next week we need to find a way to:

1. Get him legal help so he can stay in the US and finish his HS education.

2. Find a way for him to attend college here (funding, scholarships and legal assistance).

3. Find a way for him to become a citizen if that is what he wants to do.

Amadou believed in us. He believed in the message of FIRST. Now its up to us to stand behind him and show that what we shout from the high places is also true down on the street.