Ana Rafael Cruz crossed the Mexican border into the United States undocumented with her mother and twin sister at 6 years old.
Rafael Cruz, now 25, is a beneficiary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program, which granted her the ability to live and work in Massachusetts without facing deportation.
She worked two jobs to put herself through UMass Lowell. Since she was first eligible, Rafael Cruz has held the proper permits to stay in the country.
But, a recent trip to Mexico for an immigration visa interview a next step in securing permanent residency has seemingly upended the life she built for herself in the United States, WCVB reports.