DHS Defers Deportation of Taha, 18-Year Old NJ Honor Student

As Taha Pursues his Dream to become a Pediatrician, Activists Gear Up to Put an End to Piecemeal Deportation, Fix Broken Immigration System Once and For All

Washington, DC--Today, after just 24 hours of letters and calls by Senators Robert Menendez and Frank Lautenberg and hundreds of grassroots activists, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) deferred the deportation of Taha, an 18-year-old honor student from Jersey City. As a result of DHS's actions, Taha will be allowed to finish college and continue his dream to become a pediatrician.

I am overwhelmed with the kindness of the Department of Homeland Security and the support of Senator Menendez and hundreds of grassroots activist whose efforts have changed my life forever," said Taha in response to news of the deportation stay. "Today, instead of packing my bags to be taken off to a country I do not know, I am rejoicing with friends and family over the life I am blessed to live and the achievements I am sure to accomplish in this country that I love."

"America has given me everything I know--my education, my family, my friends, and my future dream to become a doctor," Taha continued. "Not a day will go by when I do not recognize how lucky I am. Not a day will go by without thinking about the duty I feel to give back to a country that has given me everything."

Just weeks after graduating from Dickinson High School in Jersey City, Taha was scheduled to be deported on July 29 to Bangladesh--a country he left when he was 2 and has no memory of or connection to. One of hundreds of thousands of DREAMers--students brought to the U.S. as young children though no fault of their own--Taha's only chance to remain in the U.S. was through individual action by DHS.

Despite Taha's personal victory, hundreds of thousands of students just like Taha are not so lucky--trapped by broken U.S. immigration laws that are costly, wasteful, and out of step with U.S. values. In coming months, Taha will join millions of activists across the country as they work together to put an end to piecemeal deportation policies that help no one and instead pass smart, comprehensive reforms that fix the U.S.'s broken immigration system once and for all.

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