Luis never made it; he
was caught by border patrol. The responding agent sympathized with him, and
filed for DACA on his behalf, but saw it rejected. Luis was subsequently
deported. Desperate to come home, Luis attempted to re-enter three more
times, and failed on each attempt. Luis is coming home to be with his
mother, sister, and four brothers.
Maria Peniche, 22, from
Mexico City first came to Boston when she was just ten years old. She graduated
from Revere high school in 2010 and went on to attend Pine Manor College. By
2012, paying the high price of tuition became too difficult, and she dropped
out. Three days before DACA was announced, Maria left for Mexico to continue
her schooling. "Here in Mexico you can only do one thing, either work or go to
school," she said. Maria has had to put off her studies and work in order to
provide for her family. Maria is coming home to provide for herself and
her family, and pursue her education.
" Ceferino Santiago, 21, came to Lexington, Kentucky, at the age of
thirteen in order to be with his older brother, Pedro. Ceferino is a permanent
part of the Lexington community; he helped paint a mural at one of the local
middle schools. During high-school, Ceferino ran for the school cross country
team and was honored as one of the program's top student-athletes in 2010.
After graduating from high school, Ceferino was forced to return to Oaxaca,
Mexico because of an ear infection which required surgery that cost
$21,000. Ceferino is coming home so he can be with his brother, his
community, and to continue with his studies.
A sixth member is Mario Felix, who joined this action at the last minute. He is currently being held in solitary confinement, along with Claudia Amaro and Ceferino Santiago. All three are currently in solitary confinement.
The other three members of the Dream 9 all voluntarily left the U.S. in order to take part in this demonstration of immigration injustice.
" Lizbeth Mateo came to the U.S. before she was 16 and grew up in Los Angeles. Before returning for the Dream 9 action, she had not seen her family in 15 years.
" Lulu Martinez, who came to the U.S. at the age of three, has spent years as an activist for justice in immigration rights and LGBT rights.
" Marco Saavedra is a poet and painter who graduated from Kenyon College in Ohio. Before joining the Dream 9, he worked at his family's restaurant in New York City. He came to the U.S. before he was 16.
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