Immigrant Stories
Giovanna Ortiz-Barbara
Giovanna is an immigrant from Mexico, who is now raised in the U.S. Her parents faced many challenges while moving such as their family not having enough food or the financial resources they needed to get an education. She became a DACA recipient in 2013, when they started accepting applications from young people who didn't have legal status. Because of this, she was able to receive a renewable work permit, to become eligible to not only attend school and to legally work within the U.S. "When politicians started talking more about DACA policy, I realized that it wasn't a good fix. It was more like a Band-Aid to this problem. I am grateful for all that it gave me, but there are so many things that are wrong with the policy." She said this when she realized she has to apply for DACA renewal every two years and again pay the fee, which is $495. This is a lot of money for her family to pay upfront. Also, if there are any inconsistencies with her application, she could be in a lot of trouble. Because of her status, a lot of people made fun of her in school, calling her an "illegal immigrant" and other racial remarks. Regardless of this, she met many people who were in the DACA program in college and began to build a community within her university. Giovanna says that going through all of those experiences really empowered her to speak up about making sure they had the resources in place, not only at school but for health services and mental health, to help them get through everything that they had been experiencing, in addition to being first generation students at a private university. That's when she became a little more vocal and she realized that she should be proud of who she am and where her parents come from. Giovanna urges you to email you senators today, asking them to pass the Dream Act (S. 874) and the SECURE Act (S. 879) that will allow young people raised in the U.S. to continue to contribute to the country they love, and offer a pathway to citizenship just like she was able to.
Denisse Rojas
Denisse Rojas is a young medical student and DACA advocate after it changed her life and allowed her to stay in America. Since then, she has started a successful organization named Pre-Health Dreamers, which supports Dreamers who aspire to pursue a career in health care. Because of her organization, 700 dreamers have been given the opportunity to pursue their dream career. Without DACA, she says she would have not been able to pursue medical school. Rojas wrote, “...DACA was the answer that lifted the ceiling to my educational and career ambitions. I can now truly amount to anything I set myself to do. And without DACA or a long-term immigration remedy, I will not be able to practice as a doctor...DACA has allowed for the significant economic and social incorporation of undocumented persons to American society and has only served to benefit communities nationwide.” In 2017, she wrote a letter to persuade the Senate Judiciary Committee to reject anti immigrant Jess Sessions’ nomination for Attorney General. Unfortunately, Sessions came out victorious, but was fired in November of the next year. DACA has given so many recipients the change to change their lives forever, and Denisse is an amazing example.