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How old were you when you came to the United States, and do you remember much of your home country? I was 4 or 5 years old when I was first brought to the U.S. I vaguely remember my home country. The only memories I have are of festivals or big events with my grandparents.
How did you find out that you were undocumented?
My mom was always very open with me about my status. Ever since I can remember she would let me know that “no tenia papeles”, or that “I didn’t have papers”. My younger sister was born here and so she was transparent about what we could and could not do. In a way, I am glad that she let me know since I was young. I always found it hard to believe when parents would not let their children know until they wanted to apply for a job.
What do you prefer to be referred by?
Undocumented.
How has the announcement about DACA being appealed changed your life? How does it make you feel?
I had applied for DACA when it was first announced but I did not have a lawyer I just went to a pro se workshop once and then sent it in on my own before consulting. My first attempt was denied for lack of evidence. Once I started college. it was challenging to pay for the application again. I was not able to apply again until last fall and this January my application was approved. I was so excited to finally be able to work and use my degree to continue to strive to improve myself and my community around me. Now that it has been canceled it is stressful to feel uncertainty in my future. I was planning to apply to graduate school this fall but since DACA has been canceled, I do not know if I would be able to continue so I decided to wait to see what will happen. I am choosing to be optimistic about this as DACA was never set to be a status change. From this, I hope that lawmakers will see the impact if DACA does not proceed and instead work on formulating a law for a more permanent status.