HIDDEN STORIES
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE YOUR STORY, PLEASE SHARE IT THROUGH THIS LINK
Below you will read a compilation of anonymously submitted stories told by Undocumented Latinx folxs.Â
Some of these stories come from story submissions from an anonymous questionnaire, others are stories shared publicly online, others are in forms of videos, art, poems.
All of them worth readying, worth sharing, and most importantly, worth being heard.
Please click the title above if you would like to share your story through the questions below.
WHAT HAS YOUR EXPERIENCE AS AN UNDOCUMENTED PERSON BEEN LIKE?
"Broadly it has been, not being able to access healthcare until I was 18 unless it was an emergency. My citizen sister often had to see a primary care physician on my behalf and pretend to have my symptoms so I could receive medication. It has also been knowing that the future is uncertain because of frequently changing policies. Personally, being undocumented in the U.S has been navigating education and different spaces in the margins. As a first-generation immigrant, I noticed that my optimism and motivation about the future and what I could do was often higher than the optimism and motivation that other Latinxs I knew that were U.S citizens." - Anonymous
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"Feeling like I do not belong in the place I call home and filled with anxiety everyday." - Anonymous
WHAT HAS BEEN THE MOST DIFFICULT PART ABOUT LIVING IN THE UNITED STATES FOR YOU?
"I am undocumented and have DACA status. It is challenging to live in the U.S because I know that I am very privileged through this program despite how flawed it is. The larger majority of immigrants in the U.S do not have this kind of privilege which makes them extremely vulnerable to exploitation, discrimination, and victims of system and physical violence. I feel like it is necessary for me to be involved in efforts that will bring justice to other immigrants in the U.S even though I don't always know how I can be of help." - Anonymous
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"my existence is politicized in a way that dehumanizes" - Anonymous
CAN YOU DESCRIBE WHAT YOUR MIGRATION JOURNEY HAS BEEN LIKE? OR CAN YOU DESCRIBE WHAT NAVIGATING LIFE IN THE UNITED STATES HAS BEEN LIKE?
"I came to the U.S at the age of 3. I made the dangerous journey of crossing the border and being handed off to strangers at some point in order to be able to meet my mother on the other side. Because I arrived in the U.S at such a young age, I have been able to navigate life in the U.S more easily. I picked up the language from my cousins, never took an ESL class, and as an adult I really pushed myself to take up space wherever I can so that I can help bridge the gap between U.S social structures and my immigrant family." - Anonymous
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"I am undocumented because I overstayed my visa, I was brought here by my parents on the eve of my 4th birthday. I feel I have had to navigate this country and higher education on my own because my parents do not have any advice nor guidance for me. I see education as the lifeline that can help me navigate this country." - Anonymous
CAN YOU DESCRIBE YOUR JOURNEY AS AN UNDOCUMENTED STUDENT? WHERE HAVE YOU FOUND SUPPORT?
"In K-12 no one asked about my identity or helped me find support specifically for undocumented students. This made it difficult for me to access college preparatory programs but I did not lose hope. I knew that I could support myself and find resources on my own. I purchased my SAT prepbook from a thriftstore. In college, I have had so much support from the UCSD undocumented student services center. I found community through them, scholarships, academic opportunities, learned about advocacy and how to use my voice and tell my story. The undoc center, its staff, and students have been so vital to my college experience and being able to get the most out of my undergraduate career." - Anonymous
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"I have found support in people who believe in me and see my value as a human. I also find support in my counselors and professors who are willing to support me as an undocumented student." - Anonymous
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IF YOU HAD TO DESCRIBE YOUR JOURNEY IN 3 WORDS, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
"optimism, determination, empathy" - Anonymous
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"here to stay" - Anonymous
WHAT DO YOU MISS ABOUT YOUR HOME COUNTRY OR WHAT IS SOMETHING THAT YOU WISH YOU COULD EXPERIENCE IN YOUR HOME COUNTRY?
"Since I came at a very young age and all of my immediate family is in the U.S, I don't miss anything in particular. I grew up in the outskirts of Los Angeles so I feel like that is "home" to me. I do wish to see Mexico again one day because similarly to the U.S, Mexico has a lot of racism, sexism, and other social issues that are important to me. I think about all the young women in Mexico that I know (including my mom and grandmother) and how my life would have been so different if I never moved to the U.S. I want to be involved in efforts that support Mexican indigenous people, women, and children in Mexico." -Anonymous
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"the culture and community bound by the culture" -Anonymous
FEEL FREE TO USE THIS SPACE TO SHARE A POEM, A STORY, OR CONTINUE TO SHARE YOUR FEELINGS ABOUT LIVING UNDOCUMENTED IN THE UNITED STATES.
"Undocumented people are a heterogeneous group and I think it is important to think about other factors that impact our lives in the U.S, such as the way we are radicalized, gendered, how we are (not) protected in the U.S, our socioeconomic status, and our class status." - Anonymous
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"Please do not call us illegal, we are undocumented citizens, we are your neighbors, your agricultural workers and human beings. Do not fall for the narrative politics imposes on us, we do not take your resources, we value the US because we have lived here all our lives and see it as our home. If you come from an immigrant background or your parents do, listen to their story and embrace it." -Anonymous
UNDOCUMENTED IN AMERICA: VIVIANA'S STORY
This film is an intimate portrayal of what it’s like to be an undocumented immigrant in the shadow of the sanctuary city debate happening around the country. We meet a 22-year-old undocumented college student and her family who work in agriculture as they wait to see if their home of Lansing, Michigan decides to become a sanctuary city.
On the link above you will read the stories of four Mexican women named, Janet (36), Edith (55), Maria Rebecca (23), and Blanca (36) who work long hours in dangerous conditions under the ever-present thread of deportation.
VALEDICTORIAN REVELS UNDOCUMENTED STATUS IN SPEECH
Valedictorian Reveals Undocumented Status in her commencement speech and faces backlash | The speech at McKinney Boyd High School's graduation wasn't a typical one.
On the link above, you will read the tough and inspiring story of undocumented twins named Brizzia and Maria Munoz Robles