Selena Gomez continues to shine a spotlight on immigration issues as she catches up with three teens who participated in the series.
Gomez and three teens — Pablo and Camilo Dunoyer and another Dreamer named Bar — sat down to talk about deportation and not saying goodbye to their parents.
“This country is not livable for us anymore,” said Pablo.
Amidst the heartbreaking discussion, Gomez asked them what their biggest worries were.
“For my brother and I, at this moment in time, we don’t feel safe in this country, we don’t feel welcomed and it does seem like time is running out for us,” said Camilo.
Pablo said, “I didn’t even get to say bye to him. He just left for work like normally and I got a call saying they got him. At that point, I think everything changed cause I never imagined in a million years that they would detain him.”
Ever since their father was deported, Pablo said he hasn’t stepped foot in their house or slept in his bed.
“My dad went through hell for eight days, and these detainment centers, I think everybody at this point sort of has an idea of what’s going on,” Pablo said. “They have people locked up in these cages essentially, they sleep on the floors with aluminum blankets and these rooms, they have the lights on 24 hours a day.”
Bar said that stories of deportation often feel discouraging.
“Hearing all these things really ruin your determination to stay,” said Bar.
Gomez asked them what they would be doing if they didn’t have to worry about this.
“I think about this every day,” Camilo said. “If this wasn’t happening, I’d be going through school, working hard to achieve what I wanted to achieve which is being a civil engineer. I’d be living a normal life. I’d be living the life that my next-door neighbor does. It’s nothing crazy but it’s what I dream of.”
Camilo says one thing he is missing out on the most is simple going to school because education is important to him.
Bar got robbed and wasn’t sure of what to do, scared that the police may turn in her family members instead of help her.
“I was scared to call the police,” Bar said. “Could they track my family? Would they get in touch with my parents? Would they come to my house? I basically don’t exist.”
Camilo said what people see on the news is not really what’s happening, they are trying to label him as a criminal. Undocumented immigrants are not a threat to society, they are being looked at differently and being betrayed an enemy.
“I feel like I am an American,I’ve lived here my whole life. I was six months old when I moved here. I don’t know anything but here. I don’t want anyone to have to fear the place that they grew up in.” I just want America as a whole to know and understand what’s really happening
These people are getting deported. They don’t just get a plane ticket and say bye like go back to your old life,” said Bar.
Bar asked Gomez what she hopes for the future of this country and she said she hopes to see change.
“A huge part of why I wanted to be a part of this is to also be a voice for so many people who can’t and are terrified to speak about it,” Said Gomez.
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Selena Gomez Asks ‘Living Undocumented’ Teens About Their Parents’ Deportations
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Selena Gomez continues to shine a spotlight on immigration issues as she catches up with three teens who participated in the series.
Gomez and three teens — Pablo and Camilo Dunoyer and another Dreamer named Bar — sat down to talk about deportation and not saying goodbye to their parents.
“This country is not livable for us anymore,” said Pablo.
Amidst the heartbreaking discussion, Gomez asked them what their biggest worries were.
“For my brother and I, at this moment in time, we don’t feel safe in this country, we don’t feel welcomed and it does seem like time is running out for us,” said Camilo.
Pablo said, “I didn’t even get to say bye to him. He just left for work like normally and I got a call saying they got him. At that point, I think everything changed cause I never imagined in a million years that they would detain him.”
Ever since their father was deported, Pablo said he hasn’t stepped foot in their house or slept in his bed.
“My dad went through hell for eight days, and these detainment centers, I think everybody at this point sort of has an idea of what’s going on,” Pablo said. “They have people locked up in these cages essentially, they sleep on the floors with aluminum blankets and these rooms, they have the lights on 24 hours a day.”
Bar said that stories of deportation often feel discouraging.
“Hearing all these things really ruin your determination to stay,” said Bar.
Gomez asked them what they would be doing if they didn’t have to worry about this.
“I think about this every day,” Camilo said. “If this wasn’t happening, I’d be going through school, working hard to achieve what I wanted to achieve which is being a civil engineer. I’d be living a normal life. I’d be living the life that my next-door neighbor does. It’s nothing crazy but it’s what I dream of.”
Camilo says one thing he is missing out on the most is simple going to school because education is important to him.
Bar got robbed and wasn’t sure of what to do, scared that the police may turn in her family members instead of help her.
“I was scared to call the police,” Bar said. “Could they track my family? Would they get in touch with my parents? Would they come to my house? I basically don’t exist.”
Camilo said what people see on the news is not really what’s happening, they are trying to label him as a criminal. Undocumented immigrants are not a threat to society, they are being looked at differently and being betrayed an enemy.
“I feel like I am an American,I’ve lived here my whole life. I was six months old when I moved here. I don’t know anything but here. I don’t want anyone to have to fear the place that they grew up in.” I just want America as a whole to know and understand what’s really happening
These people are getting deported. They don’t just get a plane ticket and say bye like go back to your old life,” said Bar.
Bar asked Gomez what she hopes for the future of this country and she said she hopes to see change.
“A huge part of why I wanted to be a part of this is to also be a voice for so many people who can’t and are terrified to speak about it,” Said Gomez.