Actress tells how parents were taken, deported. Left alone at 14. No govt agency checked on her. [View all]

[madfloridian]

'Orange is the New Black' actress: My parents were deported


Actress Diane Guerrero is seen in the movie "EMOTICON." (Indican Pictures)

My parents came here from Colombia during a time of great instability there. Escaping a dire economic situation at home, they moved to New Jersey, where they had friends and family, seeking a better life, and then moved to Boston after I was born.

Throughout my childhood I watched my parents try to become legal but to no avail. They lost their money to people they believed to be attorneys, but who ultimately never helped. That meant my childhood was haunted by the fear that they would be deported. If I didn't see anyone when I walked in the door after school, I panicked.

And then one day, my fears were realized. I came home from school to an empty house. Lights were on and dinner had been started, but my family wasn't there. Neighbors broke the news that my parents had been taken away by immigration officers, and just like that, my stable family life was over.

Not a single person at any level of government took any note of me. No one checked to see if I had a place to live or food to eat, and at 14, I found myself basically on my own.

There is a CNN video at the link below of an interview with her on this topic.
'Orange Is The New Black' Actress Breaks Down Talking About Family's Deportation (VIDEO)