Dear Secretary Napolitano,                                            

I write in support of Mario Perez and urge that his request for Deferred Action be immediately granted.

Mario is among the thousands of undocumented students who could have pursued U.S. citizenship under the DREAM Act.  But three months after the DREAM Act failed in the U.S. Senate, an immigration judge in Houston ended Mario’s American dream.

Mario has no criminal record. Mario came to the attention of ICE due to traffic violations.  On March 9, 2011, the immigration judge ordered him removed from the United States.

Mario was brought to this country at an early age and he was raised in the Houston area. America is all he has ever known. This is Mario’s home.  He did not understand that he was undocumented until he was applying to college and learned he did not have a social security card. Like many DREAM-ers, he pursued a college education and is currently a senior at Stephen F. Austin State University majoring in mathematics and statistics. As a proud member of the legendary Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, Mario has contributed more than 1,400 volunteer hours to the community, and he planned to pursue a career in engineering.

I was very disappointed when Congress failed to pass the DREAM Act.  And I was even more disappointed when I learned that fewer deferred action requests have been granted under the Obama Administration than were granted under the previous Bush Administration.

I call upon the Department of Homeland Security and the White House to immediately halt Mario’s deportation. Further, I respectfully ask this administration to continue working to secure the future of so many DREAM Act students. 

With Mario Perez scheduled to be deported as early as April, I hope you will give my requests immediate and serious consideration.  Thank you for your assistance in this matter.