I’m a Latina Voter and My Mother Could Benefit From DAPA
By Girsea Martinez, 26-year-old U.S. citizen from a mixed-status family —
A collaboration with United We Dream
This is my mother, Elia Rosas, and she is the fiercest person I know.
More than 20 years ago, my mom and dad sacrificed everything when they left the life they knew behind in Mexico and migrated to the the U.S., settling in Texas, in hopes of providing a better future for themselves and at that time, my older sister, Greisa.
Since then, our life has been filled with constant struggles, victories and defeats, happiness and tears, but that was all set to change on Nov. 20, 2014.
After being undocumented and living in fear for so long, my mother was set to benefit from the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans (DAPA), a historic victory achieved by the tireless work of the immigrant rights movement.
This new program meant that my mother would be protected from deportation and would be able to pursue her passion of becoming a teacher here in the U.S.
She began taking GED classes and planning for a future that she had hoped would be free of fear of being separated from me and my three sisters.
But because of a Republican-led and politically motivated lawsuit, DAPA and the expansion of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) have been on hold in the courts, and my mom’s dreams and the dreams of millions of immigrant families have remained on hold as well.
Two of my sisters, Greisa and Jocabet, are DACA-recipients and they have experienced firsthand the benefits of the program that allows them to work and live with some peace of mind.
Our community does not consider DAPA and DACA complete victories, as more than half of the undocumented population remains under the perpetual threat of deportation. And the reality is that we must continue our fight to change an immigration system that has terrorized and torn apart millions of families, including our own when our father was unjustly deported more than eight years ago.
But we know the importance of these programs and how they’ve helped more than 700,000 people already. And as elections approach and we choose our country’s next leaders, myself and the other 1.6 million eligible voters who come from mixed-status families and have a family member who would benefit from DAPA, will remember those elected officials who stood by our side and those who stood in the way.
And as a citizen daughter of hard working immigrants, I am empowered and inspired to advocate for my family, community, and future generations through making use of the greatest and most influential tool inherent in American democracy, my vote.
