In 2009, a group of students in Los Angeles decided they had been quiet for too long. They weren't afraid anymore. They began to come out and raise their voices, saying they were undocumented and unafraid. Students and allies said they had the right to an education and the right to a dream. Out of this movement, Dream Team LA was born.
Dream Team LA is an autonomous group of undocumented youth and their allies who advocate for their own rights as well as the rights of the immigrant community as a whole.
Marisol Granillo, head of DTLA's community education and outreach, works to ensure that students know the rights they have as undocumented citizens and the options they have if they want to continue with their education.
Granillo is an undocumented citizen who graduated from Cal State L.A. with a major in sociology and a minor in child development. She works with DTLA to show students that continuing with higher education and chasing your dreams is possible as an undocumented citizen.
"We share our story, because regardless of whether you give them materials, it's always important to share your story—that way they know it's possible to continue your education. And yes, it's tough being undocumented, but there is hope," Granillo said.
Granillo shares her own story of graduating high school and encourages students to do well in school.
"It's important to get good grades. Because of that I was able to get a $5000 scholarship when I got out of high school," Granillo said.
While Dream Team LA works to educate undocumented youth about their rights, they also continue to fight for more rights. Right now, DTLA is celebrating their recent victory.
On June 15, 2012, President Obama passed Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). The DACA program allows undocumented youth who came to the United States as children to receive a renewable work permit, if they qualify.
Granillo says that many people do not know that a lot of the work for DACA originated from Dream Team LA.
"Everything came out from Dream Team LA and a few other dream teams that were helping out," Granillo said. "No other organization believed in the work we were doing at that time."
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services stated that about 72,000 undocumented youth have already applied for deferred action. Dream Team LA continues to visit high schools to educate students about the new program and holds events where students can come to get help with their application. While Granillo says they are overwhelmed by the response, she also says they have seen a lot of fear in students.
"We've seen a lot of students are waiting and they just don't want to apply because there's a lot of fear still in the community," Granillo said.
Granillo said she knows that this is not the final goal and that there are larger things for which to work.
"Deferred action is only a work permit. We have to keep that in our minds as much as we don't like it," Granillo said. "It doesn't give us a path to citizenship or to be permanently living in the country, so we know we have to keep pushing forward."
Granillo believes that all humans have the right to live with their family, move freely, and have an education. She hopes that people will begin to support the movement of undocumented citizens. It is this belief that causes her to continue to share her story.
"I think it is important to share it. Yes, we are undocumented and we shouldn't be afraid. No matter what, we shouldn't be afraid because, after all, we're all human beings. We all live on the same planet," Granillo said. "We should learn to respect each other and not intimidate each other."
As members of Dream Team LA share their stories, they continue to hold onto their firm belief that everyone has the right to dream.