UW grad facing deportation: 'I consider myself an American'

The University of Washington graduate is the son of Peruvian nationals who immigrated to the U.S. illegally. He was 14 then, and grew up unaware of the implications his parents' - and consequently, his - actions, shielded by a 1982 court ruling that entitles undocumented children to a public education up to the 12th grade (Plyler vs. Doe).

"I always knew but it was just part of my reality -- a reality that started getting to me when (I started) seeing my friends at the U taking on internships and traveling abroad, which I couldn't," he said.

Now 22, Chehade has been fighting to stay in the U.S. since March, when he got lost during a weekend trip to Bellingham. A wrong turn led Chehade to the U.S.-Canada border where he was identified as an undocumented immigrant and detained.

Chehade was scheduled to be deported in September, but a personal bill introduced by Rep. Jim McDermott, D-Seattle, bought him some time. He faced another deadline in November, but Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., pressed Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to reexamine the case of Chehade, as well as that of Ernesto Gamboa, an El Savadoran national and police informant of 14 years also facing deportation.

As a result, Chehade has once again run out of time. He has been ordered to report to Immigrations and Customs Enforcement on Jan. 5 for what could be the beginning of his deporation procedures.

"They can do whatever they want, really," he said.

But he has not surrendered to what may appear to be his inevitable fate. Chehade is fighting to stay in the place he's made his home.

"I consider myself an American because even though I was born in Peru, I was shaped by this nation. I learned all the chapters of the American story," he said. "I feel that I deserve a chance to have the opportunity to have a normal life."

The unique barriers faced by Chehade and other undocumented children are not lost to lawmakers. The U.S. Senate is currently debating the DREAM Act, which would grant temporary legal status to the qualifying children of undocumented immigrants and make them eligible for U.S. citizenship.

Both Cantwell and Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., support the measure.

"Under the DREAM Act, tens of thousands of well-qualified potential recruits would become eligible for military service for the first time," Murray said during a Senate floor hearing in 2007.

However, it is unlikely that the bill, which was first introduced in 2001 and reintroduced in several subsequent legislative sessions, will pass before Chehade's deadline. So he has taken matters into his own hands.

The marketing major has been speaking around town, informing anyone who will listen of his situation, as well as the difficulties those in similar situations face. He has printed and distributed, hoping to raise awareness. And he has founded a new group, Dreamers for Positive Change, which aims "to make it more approachable and attractive for the youth to become involved with social issues," in Chehade's words. The group consists of so-called "dream agents" who currently act as advocates of the DREAM act and immigration reform.

Though Chehade is praying for a solution, he is not bitter about his situation. He said the past months of "an immigration nightmare" has "changed my life completely.

"I feel like a totally different person that has been awaken...I have discovered a more valuable way to put my skills into action."

He has set up a Web site featuring his own story, his supporters' writings and even homemade Web casts calling for action.

And some, like Cantwell, have answered Chehade's call. But even the support of lawmakers and dream agents may not save Chehade. Without another extension or a permanent reprieve from federal officials, he may not be in the U.S. come Jan. 6.