Month: January 2011

by Greg Moses

Dallas immigration officials have lifted the Jan. 31 deadline for deportation of Olga Zanella to Mexico, allowing the 20-year-old woman another precious week of time to appeal for her rights to remain in America and continue her college education.

That’s the word from Dallas immigration advocate Ralph Isenberg who has been working on Zanella’s behalf. Isenberg said developments in the case unfolded when Zanella visited her immigration officer on Friday and was told that officials of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Dallas had lifted the Jan. 31 deportation order and extended the deadline until Feb. 4.

In granting the very rare extension Dallas officials seemed to be taking seriously Isenberg’s urgent submission last week of new evidence regarding Zanella’s ability to cope with abrupt removal to Mexico after living for the past 14 years in America.

Isenberg was notified about Zanella’s pending deportation by immigration activists in Seattle who had become familiar with Isenberg’s work as he fought last year to secure the return of deported Portland college student Hector Lopez.

“Thanks to the Hector Lopez case somebody in Seattle contacted me about a case in our own backyard that is as egregious as anything I’ve seen,” said Isenberg. “It took some fast work. But I’m not surprised by the outcome, because the evidence is so overwhelming in Olga’s favor.”

Friday evening Isenberg says he talked to Zanella’s father by telephone.

“I don’t have many riches,” said Olga’s father, “but what I have is yours. Thank you for saving my daughter.”

Zanella then told Isenberg that she never before had seen her father cry.

Countdown for Olga Zanella WFAA

“Human freedom is a gift from God that serves as an example of His infinite divine goodness.”
The Late Dr. Salvador Alvarez

“One day we will have to stand before the God of history and we will talk in terms of things we’ve done. Yes, we will be able to say we built gargantuan bridges to span the seas, we built gigantic buildings to kiss the skies. Yes, we made our submarines to penetrate oceanic depths. We brought into being many other things with our scientific and technological power.”

“It seems that I can hear the God of history saying, “That was not enough! But I was hungry, and ye fed me not. I was naked, and ye clothed me not. I was devoid of a decent sanitary house to live in, and ye provided no shelter for me. And consequently, you cannot enter the kingdom of greatness. If ye do it unto the least of these, my brethren, ye do it unto me.” That’s the question facing America today.”

The Late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
National Cathedral – Washington D.C.
March 31, 1968

“I believe that peace is unstable where citizens are denied the right to speak freely or worship as they please; choose their own leaders or assemble without fear.”

President Barack Obama
December 10, 2009

“I am Ramiro “Ramsey” Muñiz, a political prisoner wrongfully imprisoned in the United States of America for the last 17 years of my life. From this oppressive imprisonment, I respectfully celebrate the life, love, and spirits of our brother, the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. We continue with his spiritual struggle of fulfilling his dreams of justice, freedom and love.”

Ramsey Muñiz – Tezcatlipoca

To communicate with Ramsey Muñiz, contact the National Committee to Free Ramsey Muñiz at www.freeramsey.com, or send correspondence to Ramsey as shown below.

Ramiro R. Muñiz
40288-115
FCC Beaumont – Medium
P.O. Box 26040
Beaumont, TX 77720

The following email is addressed to the Chief Counsel for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Dallas, Paul Hunker.

My Reflection on Tucson

Paul,

I listened to the words of our President tonight and thought of Saad and said to myself surely Paul Hunker is watching tonight. There must be something that he can do to bring Saad Nabeel home to Texas. It is my true belief that Saad is as American as those our President talked about when he said “this country must live up to our children’s expectations”. Saad Nabeel may not have been born in America but he grew up here and knows only once pledge and that is The Pledge of Allegiance to the United States of America.

I know you will be meeting with Reverend Johnson tomorrow. I hope you and him can reach a breakthrough and bring an end to a crisis that has so impacted Saad Nabeel for over a year. I can think of no better symbol for Dallas than an announcement that we are bringing Saad Nabeel home not because it is right or wrong but because it is the right thing to do. I can think of no better day than Monday, the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King to announce to the world that America takes care of those that subscribe to our way of thinking.

Saad is considering going into law he says. He is also thinking about public service. I dream of a day when Saad would be joining you as a fellow attorney for the Department of Homeland Security. Some say I am crazy. I just like to think outside of the box.

The American Dream is alive and well within each of us this night.

Ralph Isenberg

If Dr. King were Living Now

My name is Reverend Peter Johnson. I used to work with Dr. King and I know that if he were living now he would be leading the fight for fairness and decency when it comes to immigration. Saad Nabeel was mentioned in his most famous speech when his vision of this land spoke of “all of Gods Children”. Saad Nabeel is as American as any of us.

I call upon every freedom loving American to contact the offices of ICE in Dallas, Texas and insist that Saad Nabeel be allowed to return the United States at once. The final decision to deport was made in Dallas and the decision to bring him home should therefore come from Dallas. ICE can work with CIS and the Department of State to make his return possible. The person to contact is Nuria Prendes.

Here is her contact information.

Nuria T. Prendes
Dallas Field Office
8101 N. Stemmons Freeway
Dallas, Texas 75247
Telephone (214) 905-5860

Statement received via email Jan. 8, 2010