It was a regular Saturday morning for Daniella Hernandez, a junior at the University of North Carolina Charlotte. She was getting ready for her shift at the La Carreta, a Mexican restaurant, as a waitress; however, on that particular Friday morning, Hernandez didn't know she was going to encounter a moment that would impact her.
Hernandez's day was going on as usual. She was sitting down customers, getting their food, and getting anything they needed. However, as noon hit, she met a customer she didn't anticipate.
"She was fighting with everybody and said, 'People like you shouldn't be working here. You're just taking all of our jobs,'" Hernandez said. "She even mentioned that since I'm illegal, I should go back to my country."
Although the lady thought that Hernandez was illegal, she is a citizen. However, a few of her cousins aren't, and the only thing that is keeping them here is a program called DACA, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.
According to Juan Manuel Pedroza, a professor in the Sociology Department at the University of California Santa Cruz, DACA is an example of a small policy change targeting a smaller group of people. It gives peace of mind to immigrants that came here as kids and are either enrolled in school or the military. Nevertheless, it only happened because the Dream Act failed to pass over and over again in Congress, so it is an executive order.
"Because it's an executive order, it's not a law, it's not permanent, and it's never been fully secured," Pedroza said.
Although Hernandez doesn't have to feel the constant fear of being deported and having the only thing keeping her in the states removed, she can only imagine what her cousins have to go through on a daily basis.
“One of my cousins has her next five years planned in the United States, but it can all be taken away by Trump,” Hernandez said. “It’s terrifying to think that your plans can be gone in a blink of an eye because of a program that’s not secured.”
In June 2020, Trump tried to take away DACA; however, he was unsuccessful by a Supreme Court 5-4 majority, which Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. called “arbitrary and capricious.” However, according to the LA Times, it was considered one of Trump’s significant defeats of his administration.
“The Supreme Court said you have to have a reason to take it away,” said Pedroza. “The reason you can’t do that it’s because people start to plan out their lives.”
The biggest thing in Hernandez's life is her family, so knowing that it could be taken away from her brings fear and anxiety. She says that if that ever does occur, she will be "living a nightmare.”
“I could wake up any day now, and my family could be gone,” Hernandez said. “They could be in an entirely different country, and that is terrifying. People don't understand my constant fear until they're in my shoes."
Yet, she is consciously aware that this is more than just about her. One of her cousins, a recent college graduate, attained an internship in a place she’s been dreaming of, but with the upcoming elections, it could all be taken away.
“My cousin's futures are literally in the hands of the voters, and that is scary," Hernandez said.
Hernandez clearly remembers the day her cousin told her about the internship she acquired with Google and being the first one in her family to attain an internship with a huge company, she knew that this was more than just that. In a way, it was proving that immigrants can go a long way if they have support.
“I don’t know much about DACA, but I do know that the program that Obama implemented a couple of years ago, has made a significant influence on my cousin’s lives,” Hernandez said. "It's sad they want to take it away because they don't like us."
In the end, Hernandez is highly anticipating the election that is just a couple of weeks away. She knows that that night will make her future or destroy it, including the ones of her family. Additionally, she’s aware that if they go back to Mexico, their careers won't be the same. The violence and crime rate in Mexico has been high in recent years.
"This upcoming election determines my future and my family's," Hernandez said. ”However, it will impact my cousins the most that are Dreamers and are in the DACA program."
Pedroza is also consciously aware that a lot of Dreamers futures are in the hands of the future president. However, if Trump wins, he knows that things are going to look different.
"There will be people who lose their benefits, such as employment authorization documents and their ability to pay in-state tuition," Pedroza said. "People will need to drop out of school, people will lose their jobs, and people will have a hard time going to the pre-DACA stage."
Regardless, whatever happens in the end, Hernandez will enjoy the last few days with her cousins because she knows she can’t do anything to stop it. Although she will be voting, she knows that it takes more than one person to make a difference. In reality, it takes an entire generation.
“Deep down, I know what’s going to happen, but I don’t want to accept it,” Hernandez said. “I will just have to enjoy every day I have with cousins because I probably won’t see them for a long time. I just hope everyone eligible to vote will go out. It's not just my family, but millions of families impacted."
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