ASUC Senator-elect Ju Hong and six other students were released from jail Wednesday morning after being arrested in San Bernardino on Tuesday for blocking a city street during an immigration rally.
Hong, an undocumented student at UC Berkeley, and the six others were charged with unlawful assembly and failure to disperse for blocking an “extremely busy street” and refusing to leave.
All seven were released Wednesday at around 3:30 a.m. from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Central Detention Center, according to UC Berkeley student Mario Lopez, Hong’s friend and campaign manager during the 2011 ASUC General Elections.
Hong, who has strongly advocated for the rights of undocumented students, had traveled to San Bernardino Valley College for a “coming out” rally for undocumented students from across the state.
According to Lopez, Hong had decided to engage in a “peaceful act of disobedience: to shed light and stop controversial anti-immigrant policies and practices” with other students.
San Bernardino Community College District officials told the Contra Costa Times that the rally went smoothly until protesters left campus grounds and blocked traffic on Mt. Vernon Avenue.
“Once they started to jockey with the traffic and the buses, life got a little more complicated,” district spokesperson Alisa Moore told the Contra Costa Times. “If I were testing that law, I don’t think I’d test it with the San Bernardino police.”
Friends were concerned that the students may have faced deportation by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement as a result of their arrests.
However, ICE officials have said that the agency will not be seeking detainers on the students who were arrested.
“ICE is focused on sensible, effective immigration enforcement that focuses first on criminal aliens and others who pose a threat to public safety,” said ICE spokesperson Virginia Kice in a statement.
According to ASUC External Affairs Vice President Joey Freeman, Hong has been “at the forefront” of advocating for the DREAM Act to ensure that undocumented students are “given an equal shot at higher education.”
The California DREAM Act is composed of two bills — AB 130 and AB 131 — and would provide state grants and financial aid to undocumented students attending college in California.
Both bills are currently being considered by the state Senate.
“At Berkeley, we hold our activists in high esteem and I hope all students at Cal are aware that Ju put his own well-being on the line advocating for a just cause,” Freeman said in an email. “As fellow student leaders and good friends, all of my colleagues and I are deeply saddened by the events that have unfolded and anxiously wait for more information as it becomes available to us.”
Allie Bidwell is the news editor.
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Yo! Now take action on the waste created by the tenured senior management at Cal that is bleeding funds from parents and students.
Until action is applied by the University of California (UC)
Board of Regents to chancellors, like Birgeneau at University of California
Berkeley, UC shouldn’t come to the Governor or public for support for any tax
or tuition increase.
(The author has 35 years’ consulting experience, has taught
at UC Berkeley (Cal)
where he observed the culture & way senior management work)
Cal. Chancellor Birgeneau ($500,000 salary)
has forgotten that he is a public servant, steward of the public money, not
overseer of his own fiefdom (these are not isolated examples): recruits (uses
California tax $) out of state $50,000 tuition students that displace qualified
Californians from public university education; spends $7,000,000 + for
consultants to do his & many vice chancellors jobs (prominent East Coast university accomplishing same 0 cost); pays
ex Michigan governor $300,000 for lectures; in procuring a $3,000,000 consulting firm he failed to receive
proposals from other firms; Latino enrollment drops while out of state
jumps 2010; tuition to Return on
Investment drops below top 10; Birgeneau all employees meeting – only 50
attend; visits to Cal down 20%; NCAA places basketball program on probation,
absence institutional control.
It’s all shameful. There is no justification for such violations
by a steward of the public trust. Absolutely none.
Birgeneau’s violations will continue indefinitely. Governor
Brown, UC Board of Regents Chair Lansing, President Yudof must do a better job
of vigorously enforcing stringent oversight than has been done in the past over
Chancellors like Birgeneau who use the campus as their fiefdom.
“UC shouldn’t come to the Governor or public for support for any tax
or tuition increase.”
Neither the governor nor the public are involved in tuition increases, which are enacted by the Regents.
UC is not involved in raising taxes, which are the business of the Legislature.
If you don’t understand state finance, keep your opinions to yourself.
Guest…public is involved in tuition increases as the parents of students have to pay more $ for sons and daughters to go to UC Berkeley: that takes money out of parents pockets just like taxes.
The Governor wants to raise taxes to pay for the inefficiencies and spending of the University of California Berkeley Chancellor Birgeneau…
Recruits
(using California
tax $) out of state, foreign $50,000 tuition students who displace qualified sons,
daughters of Californians from public university
education.
Spends
$7,000,000 + for consultants to do his & vice chancellors work
(prominent
East Coast University accomplishing same 0 cost).
University accrues $150 million of
inefficiencies over his 8 year reign.
Pays ex Michigan governor
$300,000 for lectures.
In procuring $3,000,000 consultants failed
to receive proposals from other firms.
Latino
enrollment drops while out of state jumps 2010.
Ranking : QS
academic falls below top ten
Tuition to
Return on Investment drops below top10.
Cal on 100
most expensive in nation list
NCAA places
basketball program on probation: absence institutional control.
Time for UC Berkeley Cancellors, Vice Chancellors Faculty to share sacrifices – wage concessions - with Californians……..Californians face mortgage defaults, 12%
unemployment, pay reductions, loss of unemployment benefits. UC share the
sacrifices of Californians: No layoff or wage concessions for UC Chancellors Vice Chancellors Faculty during the greates recession in modern times
If you don’y understand the sacrafices that Californian are paying for your salary—get out of your box Guest
We are a country of laws. Let the laws be implemented.
Why aren’t undocumented immigrants deported when caught?
Because the lefties in this country have a goal of creating a majority of this country who are not only helpless and dependent on government largesse, but have no sense of loyalty to this country…
A family legacy of disrespecting rule of law continues.
Ju is a hero in my book!! I’m so glad to see that UC Berkeley’s proud tradition of taking a stand for social justice is alive and well. Mario Savio would be very proud.
You might have a different take if and when you ever grow up, get a job, and pay taxes.
“If I were testing that law, I don’t think I’d test it with the San Bernardino police.”
Heh, San Bernardino police are sadly racist. Campus police at that university have arrested and sent to ICE several undocumented students simply for looking suspicious.
From your comment, it appears that illegal aliens were sent to ICE for being illegal aliens. Perhaps it was the forged documents that made them suspicious.
[Heh, San Bernardino police are sadly racist.]
Based on what, your silly opinion?