My mother remains undocumented partly because of Senate Republican s refusal to respect the constitution for the sake of political gain.
I believe humans cannot be illegal. But even without lawful status, my mother and father managed to survive in the United States with three children. My family got through the 2008 economic crisis, put two kids through college (the third is on his way), and endured the relentless xenophobia and racism encouraged by the Trump administration.
As an undocumented immigrant, you re stuck in survival mode. Absolutely nothing is given to you: not even a stimulus check during a global pandemic, regardless if you have lived in the United States for over 25 years; not even in-state tuition, regardless if you have lived in North Carolina since the second grade; not even having you or your family spoken about with respect instead of illegal, regardless if it s dehumanizing and syntactically-incorrect.