\nLike many Latino students, Carlos immigrated to this country with his family in search of a better life. Born in Caracas, Venezuela, Carlos came to this country at the age of two. His father, who was already in New York, tried to become a permanent resident but could not. Nonetheless, he brought Carlos, his two daughters, and wife to New York to give them a better chance for an education. Carlos and his family moved to Miami in 1993.
\nFrom a young age, Carlos knew he and his family were undocumented. He saw the constant struggles his older sister faced. She couldn\u2019t get a driver\u2019s license, and she couldn\u2019t apply for college; her undocumented status meant she had to pay out-of-state tuition. She was frustrated with not being able to get into college and eventually gave up on her collegiate dreams.
\nHigh school was a depressing period for Carlos. He felt isolated, saw no point in getting good grades, and didn\u2019t feel he had any positive influences. Seeing how his sister\u2019s future turned out, Carlos was not very motivated in high school, and he didn\u2019t know anything about the college application process. He contemplated joining the military to learn engineering, but couldn\u2019t as an undocumented immigrant. After graduating high school, Carlos instead started working in a warehouse six days a week for minimum wage.
\nIn March 2006, Carlos\u2019 mother lost her 12-year battle with breast cancer. A month later, Carlos and his family got evicted from their home. \u201cThis year was just a mess,\u201d Carlos says. \u201cOur lives were complete chaos. Although my mom was sick she was still a pillar for our family, so when she passed away the whole deck of cards crumbled.\u201d
\nThe loss, though, gave him a new motivation in life: he wanted to one day be on the board of trustees for the hospital in Miami where his mom had received treatment. With this new focus, Carlos landed a construction job where he got to work with floor plans and finally get a taste of the career he\u2019d eventually pursue. However, Carlos lost his job when the real estate market crashed a year later.
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With limited opportunities as an undocumented immigrant and seeing the national debate on immigration, Carlos decided to get involved. \u201cThere was something wrong with having an immigration debate where the voice of undocumented people was absent,\u201d he says.\nHe decided he would start sharing his story with the world. He wrote a letter retelling his story and sent it to legislators, the White House, and media outlets.
\n\u201cI got a lot of replies,\u201d he says, \u201cbut one person that was really intrigued was Julia Preston of the New York Times.\u201d
\nShe was interested in hearing Carlos\u2019 story because she was about to write an article on the DREAM Act. In November, Preston published an article retelling Carlos\u2019s story and how he had planned to join the military but couldn\u2019t because of his legal status.
\nIn 2010, Carlos was one of four undocumented youths who walked from Miami to Washington DC to support deferred action for undocumented students. The walk was a catalyst for undocumented students to be heard. \u201cThis walk played a role for us having DACA now,\u201d he says. \u201cIf it wasn\u2019t for DACA, I would probably not be here now. DACA is a huge relief and normalizes my life. The undocumented student movement did this, and I\u2019m happy to be a part of it.\u201d
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