Response to DACA rescission
I was in a meeting when the DACA announcement came out, I had been okay for most of the day, actually this whole weekend I hadmanaged to not think about what repealing DACA means.
And then at around 11:20 am I got a text from my mom, to my brother and I — “we are going to keep moving forward, my children, do not be afraid,” she said. And that message undid me.
I tried to hide my tears behind a laptop screen.
Mi madre, who has been undocumented ever since arriving to the U.S., who was never even considered for DACA, who wouldn’t have qualified for DAPA, is telling me not to be afraid, that we will keep fighting.
I wanted to tell her that I am tired of fighting and that sometimes I am still afraid, but I can’t. Because I’m not just fighting for DACA, I am fighting for a world where our white supremacists government doesn’t decide who is deportable and who isn’t. I’m fighting for the right to work and live freely in this country, and to be seen as a human being.
DACA gave me a little glimpse of that, for the first time I was able to get a driver’s license, to be more independent, I was able to go to grad school, and get my own apartment and feel like I could have a normal life. But DACA should not have to be necessary in order to have these rights.
DACA was a win for the immigrant movement but it was temporary and it was not enough.
We need to remember that, and we must hold the difficult truth that white supremacy and xenophobia are rampant in our government and in our country.
I want us to mourn and grieve, but also remember that DACA is not freedom, and it was not liberation.
As an undocumented person, I refused to be used as a pawn in a political game, I don’t want DACA or the DREAM Act if it comes attached to violent border security, if it means my parents and family will be deported and criminalized. And I will refuse to accept the notion that somehow I deserve a work permit more than my parents.
The only way I know how to keep going is to rely on the people I love, the dozens of people who have send me beautiful messages saying you are here to do what you can.
All of us can support undocumented immigrants of all ages, even when it doesn’t seem like it’s directly related to immigration. You too have an important role to play. Let us work for holistic policies that make the lives of immigrants better. Let’s work for an efficient transportation system so that undocumented people won’t need to rely on driver’s licenses, let’s all get our Detroit IDs so the burden of explaining municipal IDs doesn’t fall on undocumented people. And let’s think of creative solutions to pay undocumented workers.
This is what resistance looks like, sometimes it’s loud and visible, other times we do it quietly in our homes and workplaces. We will keep fighting because that is who immigrants are, we are resilient, and strong, and tender all at the same. We will take care of each other, we will hold each other even when this administration tears us down.
To close all I want the undocumented youth out there feeling in pain, feeling broken and afraid to make the moment to grieve, to cry, and be angry. Your emotions and your experiences are valid.
To all the allies who are looking for direction on what to do next — give us some time to process this, and then check with us about how to move forward. Trust and follow our leadership.
To my parents, I will keep moving forward because no sacrifice can ever equate the sacrifice you made leaving our home country. And to me, to all of us, we are here to stay.
