High school valedictorian Mayte Lara’s brave decision to reveal her immigration status is inspiring other students to come out as undocumented as well. In a new video from the Austin-American Statesman, the DACA recipient says she never expected her tweet announcing her immigration status to make national headlines, or result...
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“As I heard President Obama speak in the Rose Garden, I knew that I could still fight, that my voice still mattered, that immigration reform was still possible.” Today marks the four year anniversary of President Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA). As similar programs—expanded DACA and the Deferred...
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Millions of Latino and undocumented immigrant youth from around the nation are graduating from school and taking their first steps into the professional world. Mi Familia Vota is honoring six of them in a new post highlighting their stories of perseverance, grit, and success. One of the youth highlighted,...
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There’s bravery — and then there’s moments like these. Valedictorian Larissa Martinez had no idea how the hundreds sitting in the audience would react to what she was about to announce in her graduation speech, but she knew the time had come to be true to herself. “I’m not...
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Two huge victories this week are poised to dramatically change the lives of thousands of undocumented immigrants in New York and California. In New York, the state Board of Regents rejected opposition from Republicans and approved plans to allow DACA recipients to apply for teaching certification, medical-related licenses, and...
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More than 100 Nebraska DREAMers broke into cheers yesterday as the state legislature overrode Gov. Pete Ricketts veto of a bill that would allow DACA recipients to apply for professional licenses. 30 votes were needed to override Ricketts — undocumented youth won 31 in the end. Though the legislation...
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DACA recipients in the red state of Nebraska are a step closer to being able to work as teachers, nurses, and doctors. Yesterday, the unicameral legislature passed a measure 33-11 allowing DREAMers to apply for professional licenses that would let them work in more than 170 professions, “from electricians...
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Miguel Aguilar made sports history when he was chosen in the first round of the Major League Soccer draft last year — “the first time that ever happened,” proudly proclaimed his hometown newspaper in Sacramento, California. Miguel’s story is the story of the American Dream. The son of a...
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Cesar Vargas, a leading immigration activist who is now helping shape the 2016 Presidential campaign as a strategist for Sen. Bernie Sanders, yesterday became the first DACA recipient to be sworn in as an attorney in the state of New York. It was the end of a four year...
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Undocumented students in Georgia are not giving up on their fight for access to in-state tuition at state universities and community colleges. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports this morning that the Georgia Supreme Court has unanimously rejected to an appeal that would have allowed undocumented students across to gain access...
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