I am a DREAMER, the term was adopted by those of us who arrived in the United States as minors without proper documentation or who overstayed visas. I arrived in the states when I was four years old. I attended an elementary, middle and high school like the children of my neighbors did, where I learned the American culture and language. I grew up knowing I was undocumented but didn’t really understand what that meant until all my friends were getting jobs, applying for college, scholarships and getting their driving licenses. That is when I really understood I was different from those I grew up with, and the sack of bricks hit me hard.
It has been a very challenging road, in all aspects of life: work, friends, dating, and school. At some point in my life, I kept my status a secret from all I could due to fear of what people would think. Would they stay in my life or go? Many times, I sat across from people I considered friends as they talked in very demeaning terms about my undocumented community. Telling those I dated was even harder, my first love after we broke up told me he never popped the question because he was afraid I’d be deported. Higher education, I will finally be done with my college degree next year after 15 years as I have had to pay for my schooling expenses out of my own pocket. No, it is not free for us like many like to think.
Due to all the hard experiences I lived while I was in the shadows, I decided that I could no longer let people talk in such a derogatory way about me or my community. This was when my desire to see change happened. Early 2012 I located the closest group of active dreamers, about 40 minutes away from where I live. I organized with them and started to gain the confidence I needed to speak up and educate. I want to make sure my community is treated with respect and that they are given the opportunities they came to pursue. With this I also came to find out who my real friends were and got rid of those who weren’t.
I have heard of the DREAM act since I was in high school, every time it is introduced our hopes get high. It is now 2018 and our numbers of outspoken Dreamers has increased tremendously. Some in the undocumented community are going back to the shadows, others making plans to move to other countries, some have left already, some have been deported, many never came out as we knew DACA was not a permanent solution.
Because our lives have been played with for many years, I can no longer sit back and allow Congress to continue to mess with my life and the life of those in my community. Having DACA opened many doors of opportunity to where I have been able to contribute back to my community. I refuse to go back into the shadows, I have learned that even with being undocumented I have a voice. That the only way I can make my voice count is by sharing my story, educating those around me of our situation and having them join us in our fight as allies and help us push Congress to act and protect my community.
Bethsaida Estrada Limon 