116: Story of a Dreamer. How to rebuild your life when you get kicked out of your country.
Story of a Dreamer. How to rebuild your life when you get kicked out of your country.
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Brenda Bautista had to find a better way, but she could only do that by leaving the country and starting over.
Hispanic Heritage month is almost here, and in honor of this 30-day celebration of culture in the United States, we have prepared two very special episodes for your listening pleasure! This is numero uno.
On Sept. 5, 2017, the Trump administration rescinded DACA, putting approximately 689,800 people in the United States in total limbo. You might have heard of them being referred to as “Dreamers”. Dreamers are undocumented young individuals who arrived in the United States before they turned 16.
Now, you will hear many arguments about how these kids arrived here, but I will tell you that most of them were not asked if they wanted to tag along, they were brought here, they had no choice because they were kids, some were babies when they arrived. They are the sons and daughters of undocumented immigrants, and most of them have no path to obtaining legal status.
However, in 2012 they were given a ray of hope, by President Obama. This is a temporary fix called DACA, it stands for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals According to the USCIS website, “on June 15, 2012, the Secretary of Homeland Security announced that certain people who came to the United States as children and meet several guidelines," such as being enrolled in school, or graduated from school, and having no felonies, or significant misdemeanors, “may request consideration of deferred action,” which basically means they would not be deported, for a period of two years and they are eligible for work authorization.
The problem is that DACA does not provide lawful status. It’s only a temporary plug in a leaky ceiling we call the immigration system. we need a permanent solution now, or many of the people who have grown up in this country, studied here, graduated from college here, or found a career and are paying taxes like you and I, could be deported.
In this episode of Diferente I interviewed Brenda Bautista, she’s a Dreamer, who like most of these young people, grew up loving this country and feeling as American as Daddy Yankee. I hope her story inspires understanding and empathy toward what Dreamers are experiencing, but most of all, I hope it motivates people to make a positive impact in the lives of our fellow Americans.
EPISODE RESOURCES AND WAYS TO HELP
Here’s a great infographic on the DACA timeline as of last year: http://iamerica.org/daca
Fact check the DACA population numbers:
https://www.factcheck.org/2018/01/daca-population-numbers/
Here's how you can support our fellow American Dreamers:
https://www.fwd.us/immigration/dreamers/
Need some music inspiration? Check out the Dreamers playlist: http://www.elfinanciero.com.mx/tech/spotify-lanza-playlist-para-apoyar-a-dreamers