Wednesday, September 6, 2017

Undocumented and Unafraid

I'm sure everyone has heard the decision of trump to end DACA and I'm also sure everyone who's on my blog knows I will be focusing on immigration. Well now more than ever, I feel that its time that I stand up again. I am Undocumented and Unafraid. I am a DACA recipient.
I was brought to the United States at age 3 and growing up my mom did tell me I was undocumented. She explained I wouldn't always get the opportunities my friends got and I had to keep that a secret. I did what I was told to do, I kept my legal status a secrete even from my friends. While I was in middle school and a freshmen and sophomore in high school I was never really interested in college and being undocumented wasn't the reason behind it. Until I reached my junior year and got into honor and AP courses. One day I went to my counselor and talked to him about college but he told me I was wasting my time even thinking about going to college because I was undocumented. let me tell you, that burst my bubble. every night I would cry myself to sleep thinking, "what am I going to do after high school?" and "I will probably have to work in the fields", but I didn't want that. at some point I even considered of dropping out of high school or getting home studies because I knew I wouldn't be able to handle seeing all my friends applying to college then being asked what colleges I applied to or why I wasn't applying to any of them.
Then I remember coming home one day from school and my dad told me to watch the news and there I saw Obama announcing DACA. I finally got the opportunity I had been crying for every night. I told myself "now more than ever I have to work harder" and I did. I got myself involved in so many clubs and did a lot of community service. I knew that even having DACA I still wouldn't get enough financial help but whatever I got, was enough for me. until this at the only financial help I get is through the state of California and its always just enough to cover my tuition. fortunately, my hard work paid off and I got a scholarship for the four years of college. with that money I pay my books, rent, utilities and food.
After DACA was enacted, a lawyer went to our high school to help anyone fill out the application for DACA and there I was with my parents. the next day, one of my close friends asked me if I was at the meeting for DACA and I said yes. she then said "omg why didn't you ever tell me you were undocumented? there's so many opportunities for you now. I can help you out". I accepted her offer and I will always be glad I did. I later told the rest of my friends about my situation and they all accepted me and showed me how to be proud of who I am. from that day on I was never aging afraid of being undocumented...... until now.
Now I don't know how my life is going to turn out. Congress has six months to decide what to do with my life. I'm trying to stay strong and just deal with it day-by-day but being on facebook and seeing all those videos of people talking abut their stories and being so similar to mine makes it harder than I thought it would be. I can be happy all day and the moment I get on facebook ill be crying my eyes out because I'm scared and mad. I'm scared of being deported to Mexico, a place I haven't been to since I was 3 years old and im mad because I have worked so hard to get to where I am today.
I was debating whether to make this post or not because there are people out there who will use this information about me against me. Then I thought that now everyone is like that and there's actually people out there who aren't DACA recipients and will stand by me and protect me, so that was what helped me write this.
I am not a criminal, I am not a drug dealer and I am not a rapist. I am you, someone with dreams, someone with a family and friends and if I hadn't shared this I can be anyone of your friends right now. So If you do have a friends who is a DACA receipt let them know you are there for them, let them know you will protect them and wont allow them to be sent back to a place they don't know.

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