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I Am a Border Dreamer – #BorderWeekofAction
By LUPE, December 12, 2017
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I Am a Border Dreamer

Border immigrant youth refuse to be bargaining chips in exchange for anti-immigrant policies, border walls and border militarization.

This week, people from all over the nation are calling Congress to ask for a clean Dream Act without border militarization. The #BorderWeekofAction is an effort to uplift the reality of border communities and push back against more Border Patrol agents and invasive technology, like lights, cameras, and drones that intrude on the lives of border residents.

Lizbeth is an immigrant youth from the Rio Grande Valley who is at risk of losing DACA and protection from deportation unless Congress acts to protect immigrant youth by the end of the year. Here she shares why she is joining the Border Week of Action to push for a clean Dream Act.


Having DACA allowed me to apply to my dream university and cross the Falfurrias checkpoint.

My name is Lizbeth Perez, and I live in the Rio Grande Valley in south Texas right by the Mexico-US frontera. My life before DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) was completely different than it is now. I remember when I was in high school all my classmates were talking about attending colleges out of South Texas. I wanted to do the same but I noticed that my situation was different than my classmates.

One of my dreams was to attend Texas A&M University in Kingsville but there was a small problem that made it impossible: I couldn’t cross the Falfurrias checkpoint because I was undocumented.

Take action for Lizbeth and border immigrant youth. Call Congress and demand a clean Dream Act before the end of the year: 888-369-9935

On June 15, 2012, President Barack Obama gave a brief speech on a new policy. This new policy would benefit thousands of undocumented students living in the United States that were brought by their parents since they were young children. When I heard the announcement, I got everything together to apply. Once I applied, a few months later I received my approval and my work permit.

Having DACA allowed me to apply to my dream university and cross the Falfurrias checkpoint. Also, I was able to support my family economically,  obtain my driver license, and continue with my studies out of South Texas. DACA also allowed me to contribute to my community, for example, I had the opportunity to attend rallies and lobbying in Austin, Texas, representing my community and LUPE (La Unión del Pueblo Entero).

Finally, if DACA ends it would change millions of lives including mine because in 2018 I will be graduating from college with a degree in bilingual education. Without a work permit it would be impossible to exercise my profession. That’s why I believed that it is important to call our local and state representatives to support a clean Dream Act legislation free of attachments such as border militarization, border wall and attacks to our community.

Take action for Lizbeth and border immigrant youth. Call Congress and demand a clean Dream Act before the end of the year: 888-369-9935


La Unión del Pueblo Entero (LUPE) is a community organization based in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas. More posts



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