Like so many Eastside residents, Gabriela Medrano grew up in a family of mixed migratory status that includes several Dreamers. The 28-year-old East Los Angeles native is the daughter of an immigrant mother, from Guadalajara, Mexico, and of a father who is a second-generation Mexican-American, whose grandparents came here from Zacatecas, Mexico.
Because several of her family members and friends are DACA recipients, Medrano feels the program’s end will have a “severe impact” on her life.
“My friends and family have been able to study and work legally in the United States, thus fulfilling their civic duty, as well as accomplishing their own goals and their dreams,” she wrote in a Boyle Heights Beat survey.
With DACA gone, “my friends and family and neighbors would no longer have a safe haven to pursue life, liberty and happiness.” she added.
Medrano is in her last semester of studies at Cal State University, Monterey Bay, where she is a a cinematic arts and technology major.
“I love my community and still consider myself an active member of the community,” she wrote in an email. “I plan to return within the next couple of years and invest in the community. My ultimate goal is to start a foundation in the greater Eastside of LA that benefits and empowers young chicana/mexicana filmmakers.”
Here are other of her responses:
If Trump ends the DACA program, what would change in your life of the lives of those close to you?
They would live in a constant state of fear of job loss, inability to go to school, and ultimately deportation to a country a lot of them know nothing about.
What information would be most helpful to you at this time? What questions do you have that we can ask of experts on your behalf?
I would like how to know how to organize in my community as well as organizing healing circles, etc.
What else would you like to share about your American immigrant story or that of your friends/loved ones?
My mother came to this country to give me a better life. For her sacrifice, I will be forever grateful. I plan to give her sacrifice a voice, and fight for those who are not afforded the same privileges that I have.
Share Your Views: How would end of DACA impact you, your family, your neighbors?
Please take a moment to share your views and your situation by clicking on this survey link.
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