UPDATE: A new video:

Jorge-Alonso Chehade came to the U.S. from Peru as a child and is now facing deportation next Friday, September 25. He and a friend accidentally crossed the Canadian border while trying not to violate traffic laws, a March 2009 incident which, ironically, led to his arrest by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and sadly, his pending deportation.

Watch Alonso's call to action:

Jorge-Alonso Chehade graduated from High School with honors, attended community college and worked hard enough to transfer to a top-tier university, where he received a degree in Business Administration from the prestigious Michael G. Foster School of Business at the University of Washington. He is quite literally the embodiment of the American Dream, but our broken immigration system has prevented him from continuing down his career path after graduation. His story is part of a broader narrative of the challenges faced by immigrant students who have grown up in the U.S. and embraced American ideals, but are unable to fully contribute to our country because current immigration law does not provide a mechanism for them to do so.

On his Facebook Support Group, Alonso writes:

I am very grateful to the many opportunities that America has offered me and I am ready to give back. This is why I would like to stay in the country, work, pay taxes, and bring change by joining all national efforts in support of the DREAM Act.

Alonso has earned the chance to live and work here and call America home--and ICE needs to hear from us that he should be allowed to stay. The goal is to get at least 3,000 signatures--we currently have around 2,500. Sign onto U.S. Senators Patty Murry and Maria Cantwell's letter to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Alonso's behalf, requesting that they defer action on his deportation.

We've been successful with Walter Lara and Taha Mowla, now let's do all we can for Jorge Alonso! Please let your friends and family know how they can sign the petition on his behalf too: http://action.seiu.org/page/invite/invitejorgeltr. Later this week, Alonso will deliver the signed petitions in person to ICE.

Twitter & Facebook Support: Support the DREAM Act & allowing Alonso to stay in America on Twitter by posting this message: Another #dreamact student in trouble - STOP @jache0220 Deportation. Co-sign Senators' letters and RT http://t.seiu.org/zr8bqw #alonsochehade. Join his Support Group on Facebook here, where regular updates are being posted.

Recently, we asked you to demonstrate your support online for the President's efforts to fix health care by changing your profile picture on Twitter and Facebook to an image of the "Uniquely American Solution" health care poster by artist Derek Gores.

The response was amazing. Jonathan Singer at MyDD reported that as of Friday night, 880,000 people had posted the "no one should die because they cannot afford health care, and no one should go broke because they get sick" message on their Facebook profile. It's likely that it's surpassed 1,000,000 at this point--even Scrubs funnyman Zach Braff is on board!

Not only did we have a lot of people posting the Derek Gores piece as their avatar, many took one more step in making it their own by adapting the image. Check out some of our favorites:

Thanks for keeping the drumbeat for health care going online--let's keep up spreading the word: click here to download your avatar - and if you're on Twitter, tweet about changing your profile picture in support of health insurance reform.

If you've got a Facebook account, you can see all of the public status updates we're talking about here. And on Twitter, you can view the latest posts here.

When President Obama gave his Labor Day speech to a Cincinnati crowd on Monday, he prefaced the health care portion of his speech with the words, "I'll have a lot more to say about this Wednesday night, and I don't want to give it all away."

Well, the wait is almost over. The President will address a joint session of Congress tonight at 8:00 PM ET. You don't want to miss this pivotal moment for healthcare, so be sure to tune in.

Show your support for health reform

If you haven't already....show your support online for the President's efforts to fix health care by changing your profile picture on Twitter and Facebook. Click here to download your "Uniquely American Solution" avatar and swap it out on your Facebook or Twitter profile.

On Thursday, a simple message began spreading like wildfire on social networks like Facebook and Twitter. It read: "No one should die because they cannot afford health care, and no one should go broke because they get sick."

People were asked by friends to re-post the statement if they agreed. Thousands did just that.

We didn't want to let this homegrown campaign go to waste, so we found a more lasting way to demonstrate your support online for the President's efforts to fix health care - changing your profile picture!

For the past six months, we've made thousands of calls to Congress, written hundreds of letters to newspapers and flooded Congressional offices with emails and petitions - but what we often fail to do is lobby our friends and neighbors.

That's why we've produced avatar-sized images of our "Uniquely American Solution" health care poster by artist Derek Gores. Click here to download your avatar - and if you're on Twitter, tweet about changing your profile picture in support of health insurance reform.

Download your "Uniquely American Solution" avatar and swap it out on your Facebook or Twitter profile. Thanks for keeping the drumbeat going online as we emerge from a long Labor Day weekend.

P.S. Did you miss the activity on Facebook and Twitter? If you've got a Facebook account, you can see all of the public status updates here. And on Twitter, you can view the latest posts here.

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* Become a fan of SEIU on Facebook

President Obama is hosting an online discussion this Wednesday, at 1:15 p.m. EDT, on health care reform. He's soliciting questions from people via Twitter, YouTube and Facebook.

Below is the President's video introduction to this week's online discussion:

If you're on Twitter, ask a question with this hashtag #WHHCQ. Facebook users can ask questions here. Two hundred and thirty-six (236) YouTube video questions have already been submitted--many of which deal directly with the public health insurance option. Below are a few of our favorites:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1TNyspiNaU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dH0zcK8T39Q

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dfl7mDMpruw

Submit your own question via YouTube here.

As the battle for health care reform progresses, the voices of everyday Iowans matter more than ever. With all the talk of policy and business, we need to remind Senator Grassley and all of our congressional delegation that we need real health care reform, and we need it today. Real health care reform means: a strong public health plan option, so quality, affordable insurance can be available to everybody.

That's why we need you to do your part, and write a letter supporting health care reform legislation that includes a strong public health plan option, today:
http://action.seiu.org/page/speakout/Letters4reform

By sharing your story of personal health care struggle, you can make a difference in the fight for reform. With your support, we can convince congress to reform our broken health care system into one that works to provide quality protection and affordable health care for everybody.

Also: Submit your medical bill to Congress!

http://medbill.seiu.org/

If the amount of money you spend on medical bills is unacceptable, fill out the form on our site. We'll generate a medical bill without any of your personal information that you can share on Facebook, print, and mail Senator Grassley. By showing the true cost of health care to the everyday, hard-working Iowan, we can help convince Senator Grassley that health care reforms needs to happen, and needs to happen today.

Stop delaying confirmation of Rep. Solis as secretary of labor: As Obama said in his inaugural address, "let's put away childish things" and get on with the workings of government.

The success of the American worker is key to the success of the American economy - and few understand that better than President-elect Barack Obama's choice for Secretary of Labor, champion of working families Representative Hilda Solis.

"During the Bush administration, working women were left to fend for themselves; but under Solis, that will change because she understands the challenges personally as well as professionally," said SEIU Secretary-Treasurer Anna Burger in an article featured in today's Women's ENews.

Solis comes from a union family and has never forgotten her roots in her public service career. "As a member of the California Legislature, Solis pushed for pay equity legislation," says Burger. "She also marched with our union in Los Angeles to support low-income workers, many of them women, because she wanted them to have the same opportunities she has had."

As part of an effort to push Solis's nomination forward, several labor activists (including us here at SEIU) have collaborated to get together a Facebook page to express support for Rep. Solis, along with contact information on reaching your Senators to give your views on her nomination:

Almost 400 people have joined this cause so far since this Facebook page emerged onto the scene on Monday. So...what are you waiting for!. Join "Americans for Hilda Solis as Secretary of Labor" on Facebook today

Rally part of national campaign to restore middle class, fix broken health care system

As a part of a nationwide campaign to restore the American middle class, more than 400 members of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) gathered yesterday at the University of Colorado-Aurora campus for a march to highlight the need for health care reform and legislation that will protect workers' rights to have a voice on the job. Participants also marched to support janitors fired from Carnation Building Services (a nonunion Aurora janitorial contractor) for participating in organizing drives and seeking union membership.

Leading the march was SEIU President Andy Stern. "We want change that works. That's why we're here today," Stern told the The Denver Post.

Speakers at the rally called for the passage of the Employee Free Choice Act, which would allow workers like those at Carnation to gain a voice at work without fear of intimidation or retaliation by their employers. According to a report by American Rights at Work, 51 percent of employers threaten to close down a work site when employees try to join together to form a union and an additional 30 percent unlawfully fire workers who support forming a union.

Tomorrow, more than 500 members of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) will hold a rally at the Denver Convention Center to highlight the urgent need for health care reform and legislation that will protect workers' rights to have a voice on the job. In a worsening economic climate where CEOs continue to pay themselves 344 times more than workers on average, there has never been a more critical moment to establish a clear agenda to support the Employee Free Choice Act and help rebuild the middle class.

We're stepping up on social networking efforts today, with our first Facebook Cause. It's to engage you in the effort to fight for the freedom to choose a union by passing the Employee Free Choice Act -- so that our economy can work for everyone.

Join the Employee Free Choice cause and invite your friends.

It's just one more way that we're reaching out to people. You can also sign up to receive email updates from SEIU's campaign for the Employee Free Choice Act. These emails will keep you updated on news, updates, and messaging about the bill.