In the wake of increasing ICE raids and the demonization of undocumented communities, The Talon is publishing a series of interviews with students who are either undocumented themselves or have family members who are. Destinee Marie is a pseudonym and has no connection to the student’s real identity. If you have a similar story that you would like to share, please fill out the form here.
Shannon: Can you briefly talk about your background and situation?
Destinee Marie: I’m a first generation student. My parents are Mexican immigrants. My mom came from Puebla, and my dad’s from Guadalajara, Jalisco. They were both 16 when they came to the US, and they just started working because they came with nothing.
My dad got a construction job that he worked with my uncle, and he worked other smaller jobs as well. If there was any job that they could do, they would say yes and would absolutely go. If there was anything that they could get money from, they would do it.
When I was born, they were surprised and didn’t know how they were going to support me. I spent most of my childhood with my aunt, because my parents were always at work.
Shannon: How do you think that seeing their hard working personality has shaped who you are today?
Destinee Marie: It’s made me a hard worker as well. As their first daughter, there’s a bunch of pressure on me, especially since I’m a senior and am just getting my acceptance letters and scholarships.
It’s very pressuring, but I also know that I’m going to make my parents proud. I want to show them that all their hard work and dedication was actually worth it.
Shannon: How has being the daughter of undocumented parents impacted you?
Destinee Marie: The 2016 elections were very shocking. I was very scared, and so were my parents. We didn’t know what the government was planning on doing, or what the new policies were going to be.
Even just going outside to get groceries, we were very scared. It was important for me to tell them what their rights are, and that they have the same rights as everyone else. That they have the right to remain silent if something happens.
Now that I’m a little older and have bigger responsibilities, I also make sure that we have a plan.
Before, my biggest worries about school were that I had a big test. Now, I make sure to call my parents at school every day because I worry that they’re okay, especially after ICE came to a restaurant next to my mom’s workplace a while ago. Her manager heard the news first and everyone evacuated the building.
My mom ended up coming home early and I ended up leaving school because I wanted to make sure that she was okay. She was a bit shaken up, but I made sure to calm her down and reassure her that she was okay.
Shannon: What age did you become aware that you have to protect your parents in this way?
Destinee Marie: Since elementary school, when Trump became president.
When my peers talk about their childhood, it seems fun and everything. But I feel like I really had to mature quicker than other people my age. My parents sat me down in elementary and didn’t sugarcoat what it meant to be an undocumented immigrant. They knew that anything could happen, so they were just really straightforward with me.
Knowing what my parents and other undocumented immigrants have gone through to get here, and seeing it all get challenged by the government, is incredibly sad.
They’re not even seen as human beings.
I saw my mom cry for the first time after Trump’s recent election. She ended up saying that she was very scared and that if things became worse, she wants to leave and go back to Mexico. I have to remind her that it’s going to be okay. To see her slowly give up on everything is just very disappointing.
The American Dream just isn’t real. My parents have to work double of what they did over in Mexico to even make a living. My mom works two jobs. My dad has always worked in construction.
He gets up in the morning at 5am and comes home around 9pm. I also have aunts and uncles that work in farming in Brentwood, and they work so much but get paid very little. One of my aunts was getting paid 3 dollars an hour. And it disappoints me that they can’t really get a good job here.
A lot of people voted for Trump this year but they don’t actually know what the immigrant experience is like. It’s honestly sometimes even intimidating to walk into a store. I actually went to Walmart a couple days ago, and some people kept on looking at us. People are actually looking at us differently now.
Shannon: Do you constantly worry about your parents?
Destinee Marie: I call them every day now. During lunch or sometimes in class. I’ve made sure to always have my phone on me, but teachers requiring us to put phones in pockets has made it hard for me to check up on them.
Shannon: If you could say one thing to people who might not be as informed on the realities of living as an undocumented immigrant, what would it be?
Destinee Marie: I wish they could educate themselves on the news and be aware of what is happening. That families are actually being affected, and so are many groups of students at LAHS.
