PHOTO/CYNTHIA CUZA
Editor’s note: The following are excerpts from articles about immigrants fighting for their rights, and everyone’s rights.
“I came to the U.S. when I was one year old from Mexico with my mom and brother. As we attempted to cross the desert, we were abandoned by our guide. Not only did we face the danger of being caught but we got lost and began to become dehydrated. Luckily, we all made it safely to California.
“Growing up, I felt American. I was born here but there was constant fear of being discovered. This led me to develop a fear of the police. I felt my family and I would be deported.
“When DACA was implemented, I grew the courage to not only tell my story but also to get involved and help other Dreamers like me. I joined the DREAMers Club at my high school and became president. Today I am a DACA recipient and an avid immigrant rights activist. The only permanent solution for Dreamers is the DREAM Act. As a society we should not only fight for the DREAM Act, but for legislation that protects the millions of immigrants who keep America thriving.” — Ada Marys
PHOTO/BRIAN BECNEL PHOTOGRAPHY
“I was at the detention center to support Laura Monterrosa, a 23-year-old asylum-seeker from El Salvador, who says she was the victim of sexual abuse in her home country. But instead of receiving medical or psychiatric help, she’s being held at the T. Don Hutto detention center, where she says she was sexually abused by a guard and subjected to escalating retaliation, including solitary confinement, for reporting that abuse. Monterrosa is an LGBT woman.
“Monterrosa’s situation is far from unique. Since she stepped forward, two more women held at Hutto have complained about sexual mistreatment . . . the ACLU has documented nearly 200 reported incidents in detention facilities across the nation since 2007.” — Karel Riley, Texas
Breaking news: As a result of Laura Monterrosa’s determination to stand up against her abuse, and the effort of supporters to publicize her case, she has been released!
