On this day, eight years ago...

It was 6 in the morning on June 15th, 2012. I could barely sleep the night before. I had found out through other Dreamers that on June 15th, President Obama was going to make a big announcement that would help Dreamers. Thousands of questions occupied my brain: Would I qualify? Would my brother qualify? What would happen to my parents? What about the rest of the Dreamers and undocumented people I had met through my years of advocacy? 

I jumped into the shower and drove 30 minutes to get to an office to meet up with other Dreamers. I had to prepare for a press conference, but I had to be careful not to share too much information. My heart was beating with anticipation, my hands were sweaty, and yet I was filled with hope.

Hours later, the room was packed with media, Dreamers, undocumented parents, and allies. I heard President Obama speak outside the Rose Garden. Tears of joy started coming down, but at that moment, I still believed that crying made me weak, especially being a woman. I am still learning how being myself and showing my emotions is my greatest strength. 

On that day, eight years ago, I held my tears back and stayed focused. I had to share the joy, sadness, and accomplishment as reporters and many Dreamers were waiting to interpret what had just happened and what the announcement meant. At that time, I was completely undocumented, and it was other undocumented youth like me who engaged in a multiplicity of tactics, from sharing our stories, coming out of the shadows outside of ICE, having conversations with White House officials, engaging in direct action, protests, and civil disobedience. All of those tactics contributed to the creation of the DACA program. Let’s not forget that this was something many of us had to FIGHT for and had to risk deportation. I remember that two years prior to the announcement I came out for the very first time as an undocumented student at a Republican fundraiser, hoping to change hearts and minds. I learned so much about advocacy, from writing newspaper articles online, to camping outside of the late Sen. McCain’s office, to informing U.S. citizens about Dreamers. It took years of advocacy to win DACA, and it took a multiplicity of tactics to make it happen. 

When President Obama finally announced the DACA program, and we read the memo on who would qualify for the program, I remember feeling emptiness in my gut. I knew that DACA was not the solution, but it was a step in the right direction. Since then, I continued to fight for the rights of others who were left out of the DACA program. I engaged in lobbying, civil disobedience, wrote letters to the editor, trained thousands of people, organized hunger strikes outside of the White House, fought the deportation of my father, stopped immigration buses, and continued to build bridges with diverse stakeholders.

Let us remember that today, DACA is not just a program but is a symbol of hope. A symbol that when we organize as impacted people for the betterment of our communities, we can win! Let no one take away your voice, let no law or policy define your worth. 

Happy 8th year DACA Anniversary. 

With love, gratitude and solidarity, 

Reyna Montoya 

A DACA Recipient from Arizona