Emotions high at local protest of Trump’s DACA repeal
Boston-area Dreamers — brought to America illegally as children — talk to the Herald about their fears under the Trump administration’s reversal of former President Barack Obama’s Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals policy:
“I’m scared — if I don’t have DACA, will I still be able to attend college? I also worry about working. Will I still be able to work? I feel very overwhelmed. I’m scared after working so hard that it won’t be valid any more. But I’m not scared to fight.” — Karina, 18, a freshman at Lesley University studying early childhood education, came to the U.S. from Honduras as a 4-year-old in 2003.
“It was a sad day today. It is scary and anxious to not know what your future will be like. I’m optimistic that we can still pass a legislative solution to finally give Dreamers permanent protection so we don’t have to fear who is in the White House and who is not.” — Elias Rosenfeld, 20, a sophomore at Brandeis University studying political science and sociology, came to the U.S. from Venezuela 14 years ago.
“I think about the practical ramifications of rescinding DACA. I have friends who are nurses, teachers, or who are in law school. They won’t be able to use their talents, degrees. Those are daily consequences of a DACAless society would look like.” — Diana Berenice Ortiz, 25, of Arlington, graduated from Harvard Divinity School in May and came to America from Mexico with her mother and brother as a 6-year-old.
“It is sickening. It makes me sad to a point where I don’t even know if I believe in the country anymore. I want to know what is there for us? How do we move forward? I feel despair and hope.” — Jean Dolin, 23, recently graduated from Southern New Hampshire University and came to the U.S. from Haiti with his sister and mother in 2012.
“It’s hard. A lot of them also have come over with their family members as infants. They don’t know another life outside the U.S. They grew up here. ... They are living the American dream and now they’re being told that’s not for them.” — Jessica Almanzar, 35, of El Paso, Texas, teaches high school journalism.