Gabriela Andrade’s family fled the violence that surrounded them in Brazil in 2001 when she was 15, but lived in fear in Texas of being deported.
"I did what I could to blend in with my peers," she recalled. "Many people thought I looked Caucasian, and I did my best to eradicate any trace of an accent. I remember when my best friend’s parents found out I was undocumented, they told me they never thought an ‘illegal’ could look like me."
Her parents, younger brother and older sister gradually gained citizenship or obtained lawful status, but "due to a slow and ineffective immigration system," she is the only one who is still undocumented. Now 28 and a Hawaii resident the past three years, it will be at least another 10 years before she can even get a green card and begin the process of becoming a citizen, she said.
The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program is aimed at helping immigrants like Andrade who came to the U.S. as children but never obtained the documents that would permit them to reside, work, attend college or drive legally. The program temporarily prevents deportation, but eligibility must be renewed every two years.
"I have never felt like I should be ashamed of my immigration status, because I did not commit any crimes," she said. "However, I quickly learned that sharing that information widely could have serious consequences for me. I saw many people (in Texas) get deported for infractions as minor as having their taillights out."
Her family sought a new life in the U.S. because "violence has unfortunately become routine in Brazil over the last few decades," adding, "I witnessed a man put a gun to my father’s head and steal our family car when I was 6, almost lost my mother when she was shot at during an attempted robbery — she miraculously escaped unharmed.
"The last straw was when my mother, siblings and I were held up by two young boys at the red light on our way home from school. The youngest, who couldn’t have been older than 6 years old, held a sharp piece of glass to my sister’s throat while the other proceeded to take every last penny we had with us," she recounted.
Once in the United States, she "assimilated the culture and adopted this country as my own, identifying as an American even though I didn’t have the papers to prove it," Andrade said.
Her sister was able to become a citizen after she received a green card through the diversity visa program, which has since excluded Brazilian citizens from participating.
"She petitioned for my parents, who then became permanent residents," she said. "Since I was over 18 years old at that time, I was not included in the petition. My parents have waited the required five years of permanent residency and are just now applying for their citizenship. Once they receive it they will petition for me, but again, because I am not underage it will likely be over 10 years until I get a green card."
She said her brother is married to a U.S. citizen, is a permanent resident and will be applying for citizenship.
