Mardonia Dionisio

San Jose, CA

“As someone who came to this country from Mexico as a child, I qualify for DACA. Right after the announcement, I received a call from my grandmother, says Yosi Reyes, grandson of Mardonia. “Congratulations Mijo! This is going to help you so much.”

My grandmother carried me into this country at age of 3 in 1991. You can say I am American, I just don’t have the papers to prove it. My grandmother and I have been living in this country the same amount of years and yet somehow through the deliberate activism of young immigrant activists, I was granted the right to work lawfully and advance in my career. My grandmother wasn’t as lucky.”