Supreme Court Hears DACA Case November 12, 2019

by: Marlene C-R
The Supreme Court will hear an important case to many but especially important to me.

I remember exactly 7 years ago, I received my DACA in the mail. 

My high school had been asking for a social security number for months and I had been putting it off saying my mom was on vacation and she had taken it with her.

They were threatening to have me transfer to another HS if I didn’t show it by December. 

My DACA came Nov 23rd and the relief it gave me its inexplicable. 

Because of it I went on to college (always was gonna go regardless but it took away any fear from it), I was able to work 3 jobs in college and most of grad school to pay for school. 

I traveled to Europe. 

I traveled across the US from California back to Massachusetts without any fear. I moved to Missouri for grad school. 

Why do I share this? Because I used to share my story a lot in undergrad and HS, advocating for undocumented students in higher education so there’s more of us everywhere.

But my senior year in college, Trump had ended DACA (I was a mess) while I was sharing my story to advocate for it. A group of alt right students at my University started to verbally attack me for being undocumented.

At the end of the presentation, he came to me in a "friendly way" to "not threatened". He told me not to worry, he would not call ICE on me (I didn't think that was an option before). 

The fear of deportation never goes away but I guess knowing someone knows where you spend 90% of your time, where you live, go to school and who your friends are makes a difference when they make threats to your face. 

That’s day shut me off and I decided to focus solely on my education so when the day comes and that man decides to call ICE on me, they won’t take everything from me.

 Last night I had a dream that ICE had dogs that could smell someone who was undocumented and woke up in fear. Then I realize those man’s words put me in the shadows again, the support I had built knowing I had a community behind me if I ever got deported to fight for my deportation is no longer there. 

So today, the Supreme Court gets to hear probably the most important thing that determines my future and livelihood.