Nineteen year old Luisa Argueta can’t imagine a life anywhere else but in the United States. She grew up in California after her mother Brenda, fleeing persecution in Guatemala, escaped there when Luisa was just 4 months old
On September 12th, Luisa and her mother were “ordered to report” for deportation to Guatemala after an immigration judge denied their asylum application. Just days before they had to start packing, the Department of Homeland Security granted a temporary respite until the end of Luisa’s school year in May 2012. This may provide temporary relief, but they are still at great risk of losing their home, church, and community.
Passage of the DREAM Act, that provides conditional legal status to a select population of young immigrants, may be their only hope.