This past week, I joined eleven other youth activists from across the country who traveled to Washington, DC to send a message to Congress: We will not wait any longer for immigration reform while our families suffer. We will stand up for our families
This past week, I joined eleven other youth activists from across the country who traveled to Washington, DC to send a message to Congress: We will not wait any longer for immigration reform while our families suffer. We will stand up for our families
On April 30th, I stood alongside twenty others (including eleven youth) as we marched onto Capitol Hill and sat down in the street, stopping traffic in front of Congress. It was pouring rain and within minutes we were completely soaked, but it didn't matter. We were there to deliver a message: Our families cannot wait any longer. We need relief now.
Shortly after, the police arrived and one by one we were taken away in handcuffs. One arrest was of an 11- year old boy named Yahir from Alabama. I was blown away by his bravery and it gave me the courage to face the police. Getting arrested while protesting for immigration reform was something I had to do and if it means members of Congress are hearing our cries, I would do it again.
I came to the United States over 16 years ago when I was just two years old. My parents crossed the border in hopes of a better life for our family. Since coming to this country, I have watched my parents sacrifice and live in constant fear of deportation, all so that our family could have a brighter future. Passing comprehensive immigration reform with a path to citizenship would mean my family’s struggles were not made in vain.
Life in the United States has never been easy. Both my parents are undocumented and my mother has never been able to work. My father has supported our family in every way he could including a time where he couldn’t find work and had to scavenge the streets looking for scrap metal to exchange for extra money to pay the bills.
We were living in Arizona when SB 1070, one of the most discriminatory anti- immigration bills in history, was passed. During that time we never went out, and lived in constant fear of raids. It was one of the scariest times in my life.In this country, no one should have to live in fear of never seeing their parents again. That’s why I demonstrated outside the Capitol calling for reform.
Despite all these struggles, the United States is my home. It is where my siblings and I have grown up, and since the age of two it is all I have known. My dream is to one day attend medical school and become a doctor. I want to be able to pursue my dreams just like anyone else. I know that all this is possible but right now there are people who are standing in the way of my dreams.
I know that my dreams are possible and I will continue to fight until immigration reform is a reality for families like mine.
In Solidarity, Yuridia