Marie Claire: I’m a DREAMer Who Grew Up Undocumented, Poor, and Terrified. That’s Why I’m Running for Office. | By Catalina Cruz
What’s happening in the United States of America at this moment is pure terrorism, cruel, inhuman treatment of children.
Late one night this week, I rushed to LaGuardia Airport as word spread that children separated from their parents at the border would be landing there en route to New York City-based federal facilities. I wanted to show these kids that they are not alone and that there are people here who care about them. When I thought of these kids, scared and alone, with no one to trust and nowhere to turn, I knew I had to go because I was once one of them.
When I was nine years old, my single mother brought me to the United States fleeing violence from our home in Colombia. We moved to Queens and struggled to make ends meet. We were poor and on the edge of homelessness my entire childhood. My mom, a healthcare professional back home, now took any job she could find to feed us. She cleaned offices at night, sold empanadas on soccer fields, and handed out flyers. Together, we even collected cans for change.
