Politics & Government

Berkeley 4th Graders Launch Campaign to Bring Classmate Home

A petition on Change.org launched by two 10-year-olds calls on Senator Dianne Feinstein to help Rodrigo Guzman return home to the U.S. from Mexico.

From a Change.org press release:

Two Berkeley fourth-graders with the support of their mother have launched a new Change.org petition calling on Senator Dianne Feinstein to introduce legislation that would allow their classmate, Rodrigo Guzman, to return to the United States from Mexico.

Kyle and Scott Kuwahara with their mom Mable Lee started the petition after their classmate — Rodrigo Guzman — and his parents were prevented from traveling home to Berkeley after visiting relatives in Mexico. Rodrigo and his parents' visas expired while they were visiting relatives in Mexico, and they cannot reapply for five years.

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“We don't think it's right that Rodrigo was deported. We've known him since kindergarten. He's lived in Berkeley since before he can remember because he moved here when he was just a baby,” said Scott Kuwahara, who launched the campaign on Change.org with his brother Kyle. “Berkeley is his home and he should be allowed to come back.”

 “In school we are learning about all these important people like Martin Luther King and Cesar Chavez who fought for people's civil rights and freedom,” said Kyle Kuwahara. “We created the petition because it’s our time to stand up like Martin Luther King and fight for Rodrigo’s rights.”

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New signatures on the petition are sent via email to Senator Dianne Feinstein, the senior U.S. Senator from California. Kyle and Scott hope that Senator Feinstein will introduce a private immigration bill that would allow Rodrigo and his family to return to the U.S.

The campaign to “Bring Rodrigo Home” comes as the U.S. Congress prepares to debate comprehensive immigration reform. Today, Senator John McCain is leading a select group of fellow senators on a tour of the U.S.-Mexico border in Arizona to get a first-hand look at border security issues and discuss ongoing negotiations on an immigration bill that is expected to be introduced after the Easter congressional recess.

Live signature totals from Kyle and Scott Kuwahara and Mable Lee’s petition are available at https://www.change.org/BringRodrigoHome.

Rodrigo Guzman was a student at Jefferson Elementary School in Berkeley. Read more in "Council Passes Resolution Supporting Fourth Grader Denied Entry to U.S."


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