We need a permanent solution
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I was determined to pursue higher education even though being undocumented meant that the financial aid that my peers could count on wasn’t available to me. Getting an education was important for its own sake, but at times it felt pointless. What was I going to do with a degree in cybersecurity when being undocumented meant no one in the field would hire me? I prayed every day that somehow my legal status would change. I wondered whether pursuing my dreams was worth it.
The inception of DACA in 2012 felt like an answer to my prayers. I was finally able to work legally. I no longer lived in fear of being arrested by immigration enforcement officials.
Tell your member of Congress to pass a permanent solution for Dreamers.
In 2015, I graduated from the
Though I faced uncertainty and extra barriers, I was creating my American Dream.
Every Dreamer deserves to pursue their own American dream. Act now to tell Congress to pass a permanent
solution.
As our relationship progressed, my immigration status became more relevant. In addition to the trivial things, like how often I had to renew my drivers’ license, it also impacted our ability to imagine our future. We didn’t know what would happen to our relationship if DACA ended.
After dating for about four years, we got engaged. Amongst many other deep conversations about the important step of marriage, we discussed the significance of
my status and how it could impact our future. My DACA story has a happy ending. Because I entered on a visa and married a U.S. citizen, I was able to complete a family petition and green card application in the U.S. without facing a waiver or us and my wife had represented numerous clients at the same office, I was terrified to attend my green card interview. It felt like my fate was in someone else’s hands. Despite my fears, my case was approved, and I had been in the U.S. for over 21 years, and for the first time felt like I belonged. I could
breathe.
Me and my wife Samantha at USCIS on the day my green card was approved.
Tell Congress that all Dreamers deserve a chance to thrive.
Immigration status doesn’t just impact the immigrant. It impacts their families, friends, jobs, and communities. Had there been a "right way" to obtain lawful status I would have done it immediately. I would have paid almost any fee to lawfully fix my immigration status. Any time I heard of a possibility, I pursued it, including trying to enlist in the U.S. Army. I wanted to do the "right" thing. There just aren’t many options.
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