In which we play at a rally for Pedro Perez Guzman, unlawfully detained in Lumpkin GA by Janet Napolitano's ICE

On Tuesday Bob and I (the Pratie Heads) played at a rally at Moore Square in Raleigh. It was in support of the case of Pedro Perez Guzman, who was grabbed by angry Immigration police in front of his son and jailed. He has been in Lumpkin, Georgia for almost a year, and, as was pointed out at the rally, instead of being the law-abiding working taxpayer he used to be, he now costs the government at least a hundred dollars a day to keep him idle, far from his wife and 3-year-old son.

I was nervous because we had learned most of the songs specially for the occasion - I wish I'd had time to memorize them - but I think they went ok.



Here is Logan Guzman, who was woken up when the ICE banged on the door yelling at 4 in the morning and was present when his father was grabbed. His mom took him to visit once but they were not allowed to be in the room with him, they only saw him on tv, and Logan fell apart and had a meltdown.

Emily asks that we please sign this Free Pedro Guzman petition.


Here's Logan with his mom Emily. Instead of my trying to paraphrase the situation Guzman finds himself in, I direct you to their website: Logan's Dad. I admit I think our immigrants make this country a much better place, and so even if Pedro were illegal I would be in support of his release. But the fact is, he is here legally and was nabbed due to bureaucratic error which the grinding behemoth of government has been in no hurry to fix.



The call to action: Emily asks that if you're the calling sort of person,

You can call the Secretary and Assistant Secretary of DHS to ask for Pedro's release. Please be polite! Even though this case is maddening, anger and aggression will hurt our case! Below is a script of what you can say.

"My name is ____________ and I am calling on behalf of Pedro Perez Guzman, A#072540471. He has been detained by immigration for almost a year. It has caused severe and unneeded pain and suffering to his American born wife and 3 year old son. I am asking that you defer his deportation and release Pedro to be reunited with his family. Thank you."

Secretary Janet Napolitano: 202-282-8495

Assistant Secretary John Morton: 202-732-3000

Or, if you prefer letters,

You can write an original letter asking Secretary Napolitano to defer Pedro's deportation or you can use the form letter below.

You should send it via fax AND snail mail.

You can fax to:
Attention Secretary Napolitano, Department of Homeland Security
703-235-0854

The letter should sent snail mail and would be addressed to:
Secretary Janet Napolitano
Department of Homeland Security
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Washington, DC 20528

It would be great if you could EMAIL me a copy: info@logansdad.org

FORM LETTER

Dear Secretary Janet Napolitano,

Pedro Perez Guzman ( A#072540471) has been in this country since he was 8 years old. He has been detained in Stewart Detention Center by ICE for 11 months. This detention has caused trauma and severe economic stress to his American born wife and 3 year old son. Pedro qualifies for NACARA and previously had a work visa in the US for many, many years. Many of his family members are now naturalized citizens and permanent residents due to NACARA. He is a hardworking, compassionate, and honest man and he does not deserve to be detained. I am a US born, voting citizen and I am asking you to defer his deportation and release Pedro Perez Guzman so that he can be reunited with his wife and 3 year old son that love him and miss him terribly.

Sincerely,

Your signature here
Your name here
Your email address here
Your city, Your state and zip code here

Or, if all you're up for is clicking mouse buttons, you can sign an online petition or two... Sign the change.org petition requesting more humane treatment for detainees.