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I'm an Undocumented Immigrant and I Shouldn't Have to Prove My Humanity for a Path to Citizenship

Oct 16, 2017 12:00:00 AM

by Jaqueline Romo

My name is Jaqueline Romo and I am an undocumented American. DACA came into my life my junior year in high school. Although I knew I was undocumented, DACA made me feel like a citizen; it gave me a kind of security I did not have before. I felt good about walking down the street and being open about being undocumented. I felt more a part of this nation. However, I also knew that this was a temporary action in our favor. I got to senior year really believing that I would get to a four-year college or university and that it would be easy to find funding, but it was not. I studied at a community college for two years and earned my associate's degree, while also working. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=woLCBs1paNw Now that DACA has been rescinded, I think about how important it was. I realize that it has opened so many doors that otherwise would have been shut and locked away from us. It is not easy moving forward when there is a bold label on our heads telling the world we are something we really are not. To politicians, we are not people; we are aliens. And that is something we will never accept. We need something permanent because we can no longer be in limbo every time there is a new leader. We deserve a path to citizenship after everything we have proven to be. While we have proven to be deserving by going to school, contributing to the economy, following the law, and helping others, we should not have to prove our humanity to others. I urge others to find sympathy and attempt to understand our situation. This country is so much more great when it's people come together. Unity is how America will be great again.
An original version of this post appeared on Spark Adobe.

Jaqueline Romo

My name is Jaqueline Romo and I am an undocumented American. Jacqueline’s mother moved her and her sister to Chicago from Jalisco, Mexico when Jacqueline was 2 years old. She developed a love for visual art growing up in Pilsen, and is currently a junior in college studying graphic design.

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