DACA in Illinois – Diana’s Story

To honor DACA’s fifth anniversary, the ACLU of Illinois is launching a storytelling project featuring DACA recipients. We hope that by telling these stories, we give agency to more people to tell their own story and challenge the harmful rhetoric coming from the Trump Administration.

August 15, 2017 Immigration

DACA in Illinois – “My Whole Life is Here”

My roots are in Chicago. My whole life is here, my family and husband are here. We just bought a house and we depend on my income to support my family. Just to know that my job, our house, our life here could all so easily be taken away from us is terrifying.

August 18, 2017 Immigration

DACA in Illinois: Julio’s Story

My name is Julio Cesar Reyes. Back home in Zacatecas, Estancia de Animas, Villa Gonzalez, Mexico; I lived in a small masonry home with very limited exposure to architecture and very few construction opportunities. In 2001, when I was 6 years old, my life changed completely. My mother, my three sibli

August 24, 2017 Immigration

DACA in Illinois: Suri’s Story

I currently attend Harold Washington College. I am interested in majoring in Latin American studies or an area that involves public policy. I didn’t know about my history or where I came from until I took a class on Latin American studies. This class woke up something inside of me that has pushed me

August 30, 2017 Immigration