Illegal immigrant youths protesting for more rights traveled from the elite Brophy College Preparatory school to the state capitol on Wednesday.
The march was coordinated by Aliento, a pro-illegal immigration activist nonprofit, as part of the organization’s annual Education Day. The illegal immigrant activists advocated for free college and drivers licenses for illegal immigrants, as well as occupational and professional licenses.
Among Aliento’s featured illegal immigrants was Esveidy Rodriguez Melendez, a 20-year-old justice studies sophomore at Grand Canyon University (GCU) as well as an intern with Aliento. In a press release, Melendez complained that she had faced “major barriers” to her dream of becoming an immigration attorney, citing her inability to obtain in-state tuition, federal financial aid, or a driver’s license.
“I realize the profound impact and cycle that surrounds me due to my legal status and believe in the power of change,” said Melendez. “I aspire to be a driving force in breaking barriers and fostering a more inclusive society. This is why I’m active with Aliento, and this is why I am attending the Capitol today.”
In addition to Melendez and other GCU students, there were students from Benedictine University, Arizona State University (ASU), University of Arizona (UArizona), Northern Arizona University (NAU), Phoenix College, Pima Community College, and Catholic University of America in Tucson.
In addition to Brophy College Prep, students from other high schools also took the school day to protest for illegal immigrant rights: Carl Hayden High School, Mountain View High School, Glenview College Prep, Xavier College Preparatory, Mesa High School, Sierra Linda High School, South Ridge High School, McClintock High School, and Bioscience High School.
🙌Education Day has officially started, and we're thrilled to welcome 300+ bright students, inspirational educators, and passionate allies to this incredible journey! Let's go!📚👏#alientoaz #eday2024 pic.twitter.com/Q69LP6SyIV
— Aliento (@AlientoAZ) January 31, 2024
Aliento was one of the principal bodies behind the passage of the proposition granting in-state college tuition and state-funded scholarships to illegal immigrants.
Oh it's OFFICIAL official!#Prop308 #Arizona #daca #Dreamers #college #instate4dreamers pic.twitter.com/AxOZ2Exxt5
— Aliento (@AlientoAZ) December 6, 2022
The vast majority of their leadership consists of illegal immigrants, including their founder/CEO/director, Reyna Montoya (Sandoval), who received seed funding from George Soros to facilitate her illegal immigrant activism.
Montoya also served as a director of Chicanos Por La Causa and the Colorado Criminal Defense Bar. Montoya’s prime achievements include the unprecedented prevention of deportations, including that of her own father.
“In 2013, [Montoya] was the lead organizer, who prevented an immigration bus of undocumented immigrants from deportation in Phoenix, AZ for the first time in the nation’s history. In the same year, with the help of the community, she stopped her father’s deportation,” reads Montoya’s bio.
As CEO, Montoya made over six figures in the 2022 fiscal year. Her domestic partner per tax filings, José Patiño, serves as the vice president of education.
From 2016 to 2018, Soros’ Open Society Institute gave Montoya $132,200 “to organize people directly affected by the immigration detention system to generate narratives that emphasize the humanity of those in detention and to create policy recommendations for reform.”
In the 2022 fiscal year, Aliento reported a revenue of just over $2.1 million for the 2022 fiscal year. Aliento doesn’t disclose its donors.According to data sourced from other organizations’ tax filings, Aliento’s top donors that year included: Bob and Renee Parsons Foundation ($250,000, Arizona), Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors ($208,000, New York), Pharos Foundation ($150,000, Wyoming), Satterberg Foundation ($150,000, Washington), Arizona Community Foundation ($107,500, Arizona), Burton Family Foundation ($100,000, Arizona), Tides Foundation ($100,000, California), Evelyn and Walter Haas Jr Fund ($50,000, California), League of Conservation Voters ($10,000, D.C.), The Vilcek Foundation ($5,000, New York), and Skoll Foundation ($5,000, California). Those donations only amounted to $1.1 million, leaving the remaining million unidentified.