For DREAMers like me, John McCain was a protector and guide. Honor him by helping us.

USA Today (Op-Ed)

By Lorenzo Santillan

August 29, 2018

For DREAMers like me, John McCain was a protector and guide. Honor him by helping us.

The tributes honoring the life of Sen. John McCain acknowledge all the ways he has fought for our country. Yet I want to thank this American patriot for his service on behalf of a vulnerable part of society that is hidden in the shadows: undocumented immigrants who came to this country as children.

It’s been nearly a year since the Trump administration announced the end of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), the program that gives many DREAMers like me the ability to work and live legally in the United States. Yet during this dark and uncertain year, I have always stayed hopeful knowing that McCain was fighting for us in Congress. He has said it was “not conscionable” to tell the 800,000 DREAMers accepted into the DACA program to go back to countries we don’t know.

From one Arizonian to another

My mother carried me across the border through a tunnel near Nogales, Arizona, when I was just nine months old. She wanted to give me the chance to succeed in ways I never could have in Mexico.

The fact that McCain comes from Arizona — the only home I’ve ever known — makes me even more proud. I’m also honored by his recognition that DACA recipients are “pursuing degrees, starting careers, and contributing to our communities in important ways.”

I know that is the case because I am living example. I am an owner of a food trailer, a homeowner in West Phoenix and the father of two amazing young children, who are American citizens.

McCain wanted to ‘raise hell’ and leave it all on the field. Mission accomplished, Senator.

Ninety percent of the DACA-eligible population over 16 years old were employed in 2015 and this group holds almost $16.8 billion in spending power, according to New American Economy. More than 80 percent have graduated from high school and have taken at least one college course, and we fill important roles in the U.S. economy, as accountants, nurses, and teachers. In the five most populous states, 5 percent on average of DACA-eligible workers are entrepreneurs like myself. We understand the American dream as well as anyone.

My own parents only had an elementary school education. My mom cleaned houses and my dad was a landscaper. I was inspired by their work ethic to spend years as a prep and line cook in several restaurants, learning the skills that made it possible to start my own business.

Americans make their own paths

I am 31 years old now and still undocumented, but I have continued to make the most of the opportunities my mother gave me by bringing me here. Today, my food truck sells Mexican cuisine at music and cultural festivals across the southwestern United States. Like so many other DREAMers, I made my own path. If that doesn’t make me an American, nothing does.

Without DACA, I’d have to shut down my business, and, worse, be subject to deportation and have to leave behind my family. I’d no longer be able to serve my customers or contribute to my community.

I know that McCain suffered from personal tragedies in his life and he understood the value of sacrifice and commitment. He understood that empowering DREAMers to give back is good for our country. I am asking Congress to honor his legacy by giving us a chance to claim our place as Americans.

For more information, go to: www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com