All over the news the past day or so has been the story of 20-year-old Steve Li, the would-be nursing student who was arrested at his San Francisco home in September for being here illegally and who's scheduled to be deported on Monday. Steve moved here with his parents, who first emigrated from China to Peru, where Steve was born, in order to avoid political persecution. Li's whole family was denied political asylum in the U.S. five years ago, and now Steve is going to be sent back to Peru, where he knows no one.

Friends and supporters are staging a protest on Steve's behalf outside Senator Barbara Boxer's SF office today at noon (1700 Montgomery Street), hoping that Boxer might be able to get passed some emergency bill on behalf of students. (The DREAM Act, which would allow aliens to pursue education here, has not been voted on by Congress.) Friends hope that somehow he can be granted an exception after living here so long and committing to giving back to the community by being a nurse in lower income communities. [Bay City News/Appeal]