Tragic Death Results from Student’s Pro-Immigrant Protest

Press Release: News Conference, Sunday, Apr. 9, 2006, Noon; location: Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, 710 S. Sultana Avenue, Ontario, CA 91761

Louise Corales, whose 14 year-old son, Anthony Soltero, died on April 1, after committing suicide, will speak to  the community and ask for a prayer for her son this Sunday. Eigth grader Anthony shot himself through the head on March 30, after the assistant principal at De Anza Middle Schoold told him that he was going to prison for three years because of his involvement as an organizer of the March 28 school walk-outs to protest the anti-immigrant legislation in Washington. The vice principal also forbade Anthony from attending graduation activities and threated to fine his mother for Anthony’s truancy and participation in the student protests.

“Anthony was learning about the importance of civic duties and rights in his eighth grade class. Ironicially, he died because the vice principal at his school threated him for speaking out and exercising those rights,” Ms. Corales said. “I want to speak out to other parents, whose children are attending the continuing protests this week. We have to let the schools know that they can’t punish our children for exercising their rights.”

Anthony, who was a very good student at De Anza Middle School in the Ontario-Montclair School District, believed in justice and was passionate about the immigration issue. He is survived by his mother, Louise Corales, his father, a younger sister, and a baby brother.

For more information, contact R. Samuel Paz, 310-410-2981 or 310-989-6815

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