Local woman needs to hide major achievement until DACA resolves

Imagine if you achieved a personal and family milestone but fear of deportation prevented public announcement.

This situation recently occurred as a young Trenton woman ..... Actually, that’s about as much as can be revealed without blowing this woman’s cover.

As immigration reform discussions ramp regarding Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), a program which shields young undocumented residents brought here as children, people have retreated into shadows.

“She feels it’s better not to talk,”

Maria Juega, former executive director for the Latino American Legal Defense and Education Fund (LALDEF), said.

“I can tell you that this young woman has been an inspiration, has grown so beautifully since the day that we met. She’s worked hard and has managed to achieve something wonderful. But we can’t really talk about it.”

This young woman graduated from high school, graduated from college then achieved another success which will not be mentioned here because that item could jeopardize her safety.

“Essentially, we need to mention her without mentioning her,” Juega said. “We’ve gotten to this point where we can’t tell people’s incredible stories or that we need to kick them out of the country because they’re doing too well.”

Perfect opportunity to inject Sir Winston Churchill’s famous “riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.” The British prime minister voiced uncertainty about Russia’s World War II intentions. U.S. officials muddle plans regarding immigration reform.

President Donald Trump, who ended DACA in September only to have a California federal judge block the president’s immigration reform effort, told recipients to trust his leadership.

“Tell them not to be concerned,” Trump said of the Dreamers, a term used for approximately 800,000 residents who arrived in the U.S. as children. “Tell them not to worry. We will solve the problem.”

Trump even suggested young immigrants deserve a way to achieve full citizenship. Even these measures deliver no resolution to the more than 10 million undocumented residents living in the U.S.

“We should not use DACA or immigration as leverage for other issues and political desires. Obviously, there’s going to be some (compromise) although I don’t know if we need more walls. There are some issues that should be considered such as elimination of the lottery,” Juega said.

“We need to get this done. Clearly, public opinion is in favor of providing permanent legal status to these young people. Neither party has the right to play with their lives. We need a permanent solution to immigration, a clear pathway toward citizenship.”

And then, we can tell this story about this mystery woman and so many other people like her.

L.A. Parker is a Trentonian columnist.