This is the story of one of the 7 undocumented youth that were arrested on December 15th along with 1 ally. Barbara has been in jail since then and continues to remain there until Congress passes a Clean DREAM Act. At every point of authority since her arrest, she has faced the system that has traumatized people of color and immigrants for years and denied giving her name in order to bring the struggle of DACA recipients to light — instead saying “I am here until Congress passes a clean DREAM Act.”

In addition to the sacrifice and putting her body on the line, she, along with all 7 others, are participating in a mass hunger strike. The risk of detention and deportation is real. Earlier this week, it was confirmed that ICE has been alerted to the case. Every day they remain in jail is a higher deportation risk for the 7 Dreamers putting everything on the line to win what their community deserves. He explains here why he has taken the stance to be in this position today.

As of December 19, five days after her initial arrest, three of her undocumented companions have been released from jail but she has committed to staying until a Clean DREAM Act is passed in the Spending Bill.

When people bring up DACA, what does it represent for you?

I applied for DACA the first time around in 2012. Now it will expire in a little less than a year… in October actually. I never got the chance to renew it.

I remember being in my apartment with my mom and I was listening to the news very attentively and I remember hearing Obama voice when he said there’s this ‘Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival” and meeting the requirements and saying “Oh my G-d! I fit that. I qualify for it.” I remember the next day going to a lawyer and asking him, “How do we file for this? How do we get this done?” And he said “What is that? I don’t even know what that is.” I said “How could you not know? You’re supposed to know. You’re supposed to have the answers.” He said “No, the only way I know you can fix your papers is if you get married” and I left feeling really upset at that. So I did my own research online and went to the USCIS website, and I read what the requirements were and what I needed to file, and I got right on it. I filed, I asked so many questions to everyone. I was approved, and that year I graduated with an early childhood degree, and I was so happy because finally I was able to be a teacher, and I was able to work legally. I felt some sort of empowerment. I felt like I belonged, like finally I had a say, I had an opportunity to be a part of this country.

As far as the Dreamer narrative, I felt like I followed that very well. I arrived here when I was six years old. I went to school here all my life. Right after highschool I went to college. I got a degree in early childhood. It was really hard for me to continue going to school. My mom wasn’t financially stable and school was very expensive. I did the best I could, and I’ve been going back and forth. Right now I’m working on my sociology degree.

I feel like I fit the ‘Dreamer narrative,’ but I don’t like to use that. I don’t feel like I’m the only one with a dream. Regardless of your status, you have a dream, and there’s obstacles that we all face in order to achieve that dream. I don’t feel like mine should be higher or lower. We’re all in the same boat trying to get somewhere and be someone. That’s why it infuriates me when someone calls me a ‘Dreamer,’ because I’m not the only one. Everyone is a dreamer.

What does it mean to you to be fighting for a clean DREAM Act? What does that look like to you?

A Clean Dream Act looks like having that ability to go back to Mexico and coming back here and working and having some sort of protection from deportation — not some, but actual protection from deportation — and not criminalizing our parents. It’s not their fault that back home we don’t have the opportunities we have here. Even when we get here, we do have some opportunities, but we also have obstacles that come with those opportunities. It’s not what people make it seem- that once we get here it’s peaches and cream and we don’t have to go through anything. I feel like the struggle here should also be validated. If you want to compare it, it probably is a bit easier here than it is back home, but there still is that struggle. I want to validate that. As far as what I would like to see is permanent protection for all of us, and respect for the work that we do.

Barbara in Rep. Carlos Curbelos office demanding his urge his party to pass a clean DREAM Act now.

Politicians — Democrats — are saying of course we care about the Dreamers, but that getting protection for the Dreamers is one of many things on the to-do list. What would you say to these politicians who have been putting the Dream Act and putting undocumented youth as one of many priorities?

When election time comes around, I think everyone likes to jump into that “we’re going to help you!” If they do end up getting elected, it becomes “Oh, yeah. About that, we have a lot of things on our to-do list, and you’re going to get pushed down, because you’re not the priority.” I think it’s very hypocritical of their part to use us to win political power, and then once in power, they say “just kidding, you’re not as important as we said you were.” We’re tired of that. We want to hold them accountable, whether Republicans or Democrats, for whatever it is they promised. It’s just tiring to hear promises that are not being kept, and we want to hold them accountable for those promises.

What would you say to the public? To everyone who thinks that the only way to win permanent protection is to put their faith in politicians and to give them the ability to decide when and where that happens?

I think we can go back to history and look at that and see how that played for other groups and make the connection — not comparison, but the connection — and see that putting our lives and faith in politicians has never really got us anywhere. It has been up to the people to stand up and demand for their rights to be taken seriously. That’s what I would urge the public to come and to support the people who are willing to risk it all to gain that protection.

You are going to be putting yourself through a lot of risk. You’re going to be and risking arrest and will be participating in a hunger strike. How do you expect your body to feel.?Where will your mind be, where will your soul be? How will you stay grounded?

I want to be very honest: I am very, very scared. I don’t think I have made that connection of how much risk I’m taking. But I don’t want to let that fear take a hold of me and put me in a little corner. I keep thinking to myself, I could be back home just waiting until immigration comes and gets me, but at least I’ll be home in my cozy little corner watching TV and cancelling everything out. But then, that’s not what my mother taught me. My mother didn’t teach me to be a coward and wait until someone does something to me or for me to just give up like that. I think that’s what’s motivating me to take this action. Like I said, I could be doing that, but I’d rather be out here putting myself at risk. But at least I said I tried, you know? At least I can say that I tried. I did not go out without a fight. I think my body is going to probably be freaking out, and I’m going to be very hungry, and I think at some point I might just break and start crying, but I also like to think that I want to focus on my ultimate goal, which is protecting all those families that have a lot more at stake than I do. I would like to think that I’m not egocentric and just thinking about myself and what I can win for myself, but I want to be able to take care of other people, too, either be my family or my school. That’s where my mind is going to be focused.

Do you have any final thoughts or things you want to reflect on or something you want to say to the public or anyone who might be watching or listening or reading about the actions that you all are so courageously about to take?

I want to apologize to my mom for not letting her know about what I’m about to do. I want to let her know that I’m going to be ok. Everyone who has been extra supportive, I want to thank them. I know to the people who are going to talk bad about what I’m doing, I want to say thank you to them, too, because the fact that they talk about it brings awareness, and I think that’s what I want. I want people to be aware.