A resurfaced CNN interview of Orange is the New Black actor Diane Guerrero opening up about the time she came home from school to discover her parents had been deported went viral as Republican President Donald Trump cracks down on immigration.
Guerrero, who was born in New Jersey to Colombian parents, is the only member of her immediate family with American citizenship.
The 38-year-old was 14 when her immigrant parents and older brother were deported back to Colombia after years of trying to secure legal citizenship.
In a CNN interview that aired in November 2014, Guerrero said:
"I would always have this feeling—I was always scared that my parents were going to be gone."
"My dad had this whole system," Guerrero said and recalled how he briefed her with the following:
"'Here's where I hide this in case anything happens' and, you know, 'Don't be scared and know that you're going to be okay and that we love you very much and we wish this situation was different for us, but this is our reality.'"
You can watch the vintage CNN interview here.
- YouTubeyoutu.be
The day her family was taken from her, Guerrero recalled having a "feeling" that something happened back at home.
"I called my parents a million times. I was coming home from school and I was really excited because I went to a performance arts high school so around that time we were planning Springfest."
"Everyone was getting their parts and their singing roles. I was really excited because this was my first year and I was really excited to tell them about it."
"I got home, and their cars were there, and the lights were on, and dinner was started, but I couldn't find them," she said, getting emotional.
"It was really hard...it was really hard."
@taco.tell/TikTok
@taco.tell/TikTok
After a neighbor apprised her of what happened, Guerrero said she "broke down" and hid under the bed, fearing that "somebody" was going to take her away too.
"I was just so scared. What do you do, and I'm so scared for them and what they're going through," she said of her parents and brother.
She remembered thinking at the time:
"My parents are going to jail–And for what? I didn't consider them criminals."
@taco.tell/TikTok
@taco.tell/TikTok
The parents of her friends who knew her family and were aware of the situation came and stayed with Guerrero, and hours later, her father finally called.
"He said that he was being detained. And then my mother called — they were separated," she said.
The actor also said the separation has changed the dynamic of their relationship, even though she visits them once a year.
"It's tough. We've been separated for so long; I feel like sometimes we don't know each other," she said.
"It's difficult because I've grown up without them. There are things about them that are new that I don't recognize, and it hurts."
"But I love them so much and I hate that they have gone through this. I know I've been by myself but I feel like they have lived a very lonely existence by themselves."
@taco.tell/TikTok
@taco.tell/TikTok
The interview concluded with Guerrero commenting on the difficulties of obtaining legal status.
She explained:
"It is so difficult for some people to get documented—to get their papers and to become legal."
"My parents tried forever and this system didn't offer relief for them."
Guerrero also noted that as a minor, no government agency reached out to her after her family was deported.
@taco.tell/TikTok
@taco.tell/TikTok
@taco.tell/TikTok
@taco.tell/TikTok
Her experience led Guerrero to become a strong advocate for immigration reform and ambassador for the Immigration Legal Resource Center ( ILRC), a nonprofit organization that aims to educate immigrants and communities toward building a democratic society that values the rights of all people.
She is also a board member for Mi Familia Vota, a national nonprofit organization "where Latino voices shape and advance policies that promote the health, safety, and prosperity of Latino communities across the country."
In September 2015, Guerrero was named one of the Presidential Ambassadors for Citizenship and Naturalization by former Democratic President Barack Obama.
Since Trump began his second term in the White House, ICE raids and deportations have begun sweeping the U.S.
As of Sunday, authorities attempting raids at institutions including churches and schools have resulted in 956 arrests.
One of the executive orders Trump signed on his first day back in office was an attempt to abolish birthright citizenship for those born in the U.S. to parents without permanent legal status, which will be challenged in courts.
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