For Immediate Release

Juan Escalante 407-602-8675 (National Contact)
media@thedreamiscoming.com

Mary Woolley 313-804-0980 (On the Ground Contact)

11:00AM
Macomb Community College, In front of the K Building
14500 E. 12 Mile Road • Warren, Michigan

Friends, Family, and Community Members Urge Senators to stop the deportation
of Ivan Nikolov, 22-year old from Michigan

Friends, family, and community members gathered today at Macomb Community
College to express their support for Ivan Nikolov, a 22 year old who aspires to studying
film or music, and urge Senators Stabenow and Levin to take action to stop his
impending deportation.

Ivan would be eligible for the DREAM Act, which, if passed, would grant a path
to citizenship for undocumented youth who arrived in the country as children and
commit to at least two years of university education or two years in the military.

Ivan, who was born in Russia, and is currently in detention, relayed the following
message via his fiancee: “I’ve been here for as long as I can remember. I’ve worked
hard, I’ve played by the rules, and I deserve the chance to fulfill my dreams and
contribute to this country.”

Ivan’s fight to remain in this country began on Monday, August 9th, with an effort led by
undocumented youth and allies from a number of organizations — DreamActivist.org,
ONE Michigan, Immigrant Youth Justice League, New York State Youth Leadership
Council and America’s Voice.

“Deporting immigrant youth who want to get an education is not a preferred policy by
the Department of Homeland Security. They’ve recognized cases like these in Michigan
before- last year they deferred the deportation of Herta Llusho, a DREAM-eligible
Albanian immigrant,” stated his fiancee, Alanna Woolley.

“We’re running out of time. If Senators Stabenow and Levin don’t intervene, Ivan will be
deported to a country he doesn’t remember. Ivan deserves this chance to stay in the
country with his fiancee, his family, and his friends,” stated his step-father, Mike Porter.

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