Diego Bonesatti gives President Obama a C on immigration reform on "A Matter of Interpretation"

WASHINGTON - Sept. 22, 2015 - PRLog -- A Matter of Interpretation began its new series on September 20, 2015. The series is entitled the faces of immigration. Immigration is a hot topic on the presidential circuit but is it rhetoric to court the Hispanic vote or is there a candidate that is serious about reform.

Sunday's guest was Diego Bonesatti, Legal Director for MIUnited.

"Michigan United is a statewide coalition fighting for the dignity of all people, an economy that works for the many, a participatory democracy that is strong, and a society that protects our civil rights. We know a stronger, people-powered Michigan is possible through developing leadership of those directly impacted by injustice, deep civic engagement that mobilizes voters, and on-going campaigns that achieve meaningful change for our communities."

Ms. Milner had a frank conversation with Mr. Bonsesatti about the guidelines to the path of citizenship, work permits, drivers licenses, and the roadblocks which keep immigrants from obtaining citizenship.

. I asked him to grade Presdent Obama on immigration reform and why. After his assessment he gave his opinion on the majority of the presidential candidates including former senator Hilary Clinton.  My ultimate question to Mr. Bonesatti was is there a presidential candidate that can initiate an implement immigration reform.  Hear his answer for yourself.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbW6QQq_UGo



Diego Bonesatti has spent his entire career working with immigrants and on immigrant issues.  He currently serves as the director of Michigan United’s legal services program which assists people in applying for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program and naturalization of legal residents.

In Illinois, Mr. Bonesatti was part of the team that formed the new community organizing entity the West Suburban Action Project or “PASO” in Melrose Park, a heavily immigrant area.  He also served in many different positions at the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights and worked at what is now called the National Immigrant Justice Center, where he was fully accredited to represent immigrants in deportation proceedings, and other immigration matters.

Mr. Bonesatti is the son of Argentine immigrants, grew up (mostly) in the Lansing area and is a graduate of Michigan State University.
During this series we will meet individuals like Mireya Quintero Orozco, whose husband has been detained for the last five months by immigration and Adonis Flores, who is currently working as an immigration rep for MIunited. Both are DACA recipients.

Mireya met her husband and not long after they started dating, he came home asking to meet her parents. Naturally, she was very nervous, so I asked him if we could go for a walk first. He agreed and we went to Belle Isle. We had not even been at Belle Isle for three minutes, when a border patrol officer approached them. The officer questioned us and got impatient and aggressive because I couldn’t understand him, so he detained us. As a result of that incident, my husband learned he may be eligible for asylum due to the violent circumstances that forced him to flee El Salvador.

Unfortunately, in 2012 the immigration judge rejected his asylum case and ordered his deportation. By that time, they already had a daughter so we decided not to give up and submitted an appeal. Shortly after that, President Obama issued Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and I was fortunate enough to receive my current DACA work permit as a result.  Myera and her husband and  finally got married August of 2014. They were still unaware that the appeal for his asylum had been denied in January of that year.

On April 9 of this year, ICE agents detained her husband as he was on his way to work. This resulted from the missing an appointment with ICE. An appointment they were not aware about. This was very difficult for them, especially because she was 7 months pregnant with our second daughter.

If you want to know more watch A Matter of Interpretation.

Adonis Flores is the Immigrant Rights Organizer in Southeast Michigan for Michigan United. Michigan United is an organization that advocates for policies that protect civil rights, workers’ rights, immigrant rights and promote economic growth for all Americans. Adonis has organized campaigns that advocate for the just treatment of refugee children fleeing from violence in Central America. He has been involved in campaigns for Tuition Equality, that promote equal access to higher education through instate tuition policies, for undocumented students in Michigan. He has also been a leader in the national campaign for Comprehensive Immigration Reform, advocating to stop the deportations that separation of families and is now working to prepare the immigrant community in Southeast Michigan for the implementation of Administrative Relief.

Adonis is a DREAMer, who was brought to the U.S as a child at the age of 8 without documentation. He is currently studying Global Supply Chain Management at the School of Business Administration in Wayne State University and is a student at the Center for Latino and Latin-American Studies in Wayne State University. Since his early years in college he was involved in activism for the immigrant community and is very devoted to the immigrant cause of fixing our broken immigration system.

If you want to help call

REBECCA ADDUCCI

(313) 568 6036

Watch their stories on a special episode on September 27, 2015.
The show airs at 4:00 PM on WIGNTV.org