So today their President once again has provoked feelings that are all too common nowadays. Sadness, frustration and hopelessness, all with the purpose of making white supremacist feel better about themselves. I get it poor whites feel left behind by the country and they are trying to cling on to something that they never lost to begin with. Trump has burned and destroyed the American dream for millions of people today. I know you will read statistics that say there are roughly 800,000 people in enrolled in DACA and you’re wondering how did I come up with a million dreams being destroyed? What about the people who were thinking about applying for DACA or those who never trusted the government and preferred not to enroll altogether? What about the kids of those who were DACA? The kids of DACA employees or DACA college students who were living out the American dream that their parents envisioned for them. Millions of people are hurt today and you can count me in that number. I can only think about students, my students who I work with everyday who are undocumented and fight harder than those who supposedly are being replaced.

My social media has been flooded with uneducated opinions about the benefits DACA recipients are stealing from the American people. Here’s some quick facts for you about DACA recipients. First, those with DACA are not criminals. To be eligible you can’t have a criminal record. For goodness sakes, DACA recipients would be ineligible if the government found out they lied about being a citizen at any time that they’ve been here. DACA recipients are ineligible for Medicaid, Food Stamps, SSI, Welfare, Section 8, and ACA. What are DACA recipients stealing from you? DACA recipients have done nothing more but worked their ass off to the fulfill the dreams of their parents.

If you look at my career then you obviously know education is important to me, specifically going to college. I truly believe everyone should go to college (I’ll write on this in another blog later), because in college my worldview expanded. If I never went to college and stayed in LA I know that my views will not be the same as they are today. I wouldn’t be this open, understanding and caring for the LGBTQIA community, different cultures, and immigrants. I would have never met my wife who forever changed the way I looked at Mexicans who migrate to this country. Also Mexicans aren’t the only undocumented immigrants here. You wouldn’t know an undocumented immigrant if you got drunk and took one home.

Being born and raised in LA I had my fair share of run ins with Mexicans. Black and brown beef was at an all-time high in those ever so dangerous years of high school. I’ve had family and friends take bullets from Mexicans, I have a scar across my chest because of a Mexican with a knife. Growing up outside of some neighbors and a couple people in high school, Mexicans wasn’t something I truly enjoyed interacting with. College changed all this for me. One, my college wasn’t the most diverse place in the world like most colleges unless you go to a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) or Historically Black College and University (HBCU). So, in college I gravitated towards anybody who was a person of color searching for some common ground to stand on. Second, my college was surrounded by fields and every day I would drive by and see immigrants, mainly Mexicans, breaking their back no matter the weather fielding fruits and vegetables. Doing a job I could never do. Hell, even on Cesar Chavez day when the school was closed for the holiday they were out working as we “celebrated” what was a victory for field workers. Lastly, in college I met my wife and her family who completely changed everything I thought I knew about Mexicans who cross the border.

I didn’t really get clearance to speak at length about her family and their experiences so I’ll keep it a short. Maybe I’ll go in depth one day but I will give you some insight on who they are and things I have learned that opened my heart to immigrants. Let me give you a disclaimer first, my wife and her family were lucky enough to receive citizenship. So, this isn’t a DACA experience. This is simply an example of a family who crossed the border in search of the American dream. Something the families of DACA recipients hoped for their kids.

One day my wife and I were watching TV and a woman on a dating show was talking about how her mom put her and her sister on a boat at the age of 6 and pushed them towards America. I was blown away by the story and looked at my wife and said something to the effect of “That’s crazy, imagine if you had to cross the border running down a mountain at 6.” My wife looked me in my eyes and said “I don’t have to imagine, I did.” My wife migrated to the US at the age 5 or so which I always knew but never in my wildest imagination thought her story was one I see in movies. I always just assumed she crossed the border in a car, citizenship in hand. Little did I know her and her family were one of those families I grew up believing every negative stereotype about. You know, their criminals, their lazy, they are taking jobs away from Americans, they don’t pay taxes, and the list just goes on and on. I always heard bits and pieces of her father and older brother’s stories about crossing the border and sleeping under bridges. Migrating up and down the coast just searching for work. Recently I found out her oldest brother was deported roughly 5 or 6 times, but he just kept on coming back in search of that American dream. My in-laws have achieved that dream and I couldn’t be more proud and amazed at their journey.

Each of her siblings that had the opportunity to go to the school in the states has graduated from college. Every niece or nephew who is of college age is either enrolled or graduated from college. All of her older siblings own their own home. They’ve worked in factories and fields to support to provide the best for their kids and their kids have worked they ass off to repay their parents. My wife story is not uncommon from those I hear from DACA students or other people I have had the privilege of getting to know. I’ve only given the example of a Mexican family because this is a story I know intimately. DACA recipients are far more than just people from Mexico, DACA recipients come from everywhere and yet racist want to make it about Mexicans and anyone who’s country has been on 24 or Homeland. Let me be clear this is about ending the dreams and lives of people of color. If a large number of DACA recipients had the right skin tone this wouldn’t even be an issue.

Nothing is handed to any undocumented immigrant unless you marry Trump. These DACA recipients came to this country as kids and many had to learn a new language and new way of being just to be given a shot. Have you tried to learn a new language? I’ve been trying to learn Spanish for damn near 10 years and still can’t formulate a sentence to tell my Mother and Father in-law how much I love them. DACA recipients bust they ass every day of their lives all the while being treated as less and counted out. DACA students I work with every day and their families are far stronger and more resilient than I could ever be. Imagine constantly fighting to be a part of country that does everything in its power to keep you down.

For those of you reading this that thinks ending DACA is a great idea, I have a harsh reality for you. Ending DACA will not give lazy ass Americans jobs. Ending DACA will not get you off a couch in your parent’s basement and stop you from binge watching Game of Thrones. Ending DACA will not make America great again. For one, to be great again you would have to once be great. Sorry to bust your bubble but America has never been great.

Today is one of the worst days in American history and unfortunately tomorrow or next week will just be worse as we watch white supremacy at work. I will continue to fight, I will continue to help my students who are fighting for a better future for themselves and their families. I will continue to help students reach their ultimate dreams and goals even when America doesn’t want them to.  What will you do?