By Elizabeth Guillen
Staff Writer
Espiritu de Nuestro Futuro, which translates to Spirit of our Future, hosted the Coming Out of the Shadows event on March 1. It was part of a nationwide event that takes place in March and gives undocumented and UndocuQueer individuals a platform where they can come out.
According to CNN, the event began on March 10, 2010, when Tania Unzueta told a crowd of about 600 people that she was undocumented.
In the case of California State University, Dominguez Hills, the presidents of ENF, Ricardo Muñiz and Monica Avalos, led the program.
Avalos opened up the floor by talking about her experience. She began by showing everyone the clothes that she was wearing when she crossed the border when she was 2-years-old. She always knew that she was undocumented and would tell her classmates in elementary school because she thought it was cool to be different.
“Those kids never judged me because they saw me as another kid,” said Avalos. “It wasn’t until I got to high school that I saw what it meant to be undocumented.”
In high school, her teacher assigned a scholarship application, but she was unable to apply because she did not have the legal documents that were required for it.
“When I told my teacher that I could not apply because I wasn’t born here, I felt all my classmates look at me differently,” said Avalos. “At the end of class, my teacher told me that she would give me the credit for the assignment because finding a scholarship for me would be too hard.”
From then on, Avalos worked so that she could save enough money to attend college. The Deferred Action for Children Arrivals gave her the opportunity to attend college and obtain a job with legal documents.
DACA is a roadway to citizenship for people who came to the United States as children and meet the guidelines that the Department of Homeland Security requires. This program also allows recipients to work and obtain a driver’s license. President Trump rescinded DACA on Sept. 5, 2017.
“I’ve been here for 20 years,” said Avalos. “It saddens me that one day I would have to leave. I know I’m strong enough to start over in another place, but I don’t want to.”
Muñiz talked about how he was going to be deported years ago, but with help was able to stay in the country. If DACA ends, then the chances of him getting deported are high.
“One person, an immigration agent, makes the decision of whether you’re good enough to stay in this country,” said Muñiz.
Patrick Dela Cruz came to the United States when he was 7-years-old. He was not aware of his status until he was in middle school and his teacher explained that he was not supposed to be here.
“When I applied to college I was rejected because of my legal status,” said Dela Cruz. “DACA gave me the opportunity to attend college. DACA students do not have the privilege of getting federal funding, so most of us have to work three jobs to afford to come to school.”
One student who did not want her name used told her story for the first time. She described her journey to the United States and how she kept her promise of being an excellent student to her father.
“I was accepted to all the colleges that I applied for, but I had to think about how I would pay for it,” she said.
The student explained that DACA opened doors for her and when the President Donald Trump, 45 as they call him, rescinded DACA she knew it was her time to act.
“It’s hard for people to understand how it feels to know that your future can be taken from you in five seconds,” she said.
Diana Mendel represented California Assembly Member Mike Gibson. Mendel talked about the importance of always staying politically active, especially during this time.
“The goal of DACA was to move forward, but we became complacent and stopped fighting,” said Mendel. “Just because the deadline for DACA is no longer on March 5 does not mean that we stop fighting.”
Several people were recognized for their work with undocumented students by Gibson’s office. Among those recognized were faculty members Joana Perez, Ph.D., Tiffany Herbert, Ph.D., and Brenda Mendez, Ph.D. Mendel thanked all the staff and faculty who have helped the undocumented community on campus.
“Continue to fight because la lucha sigue [fight continues] and we’re here to stay,” said Mendel.
