“If not me, then you”

I was born in Acapulco, Mexico and made the long journey to the United States with my family when I was three years old. At age 15, I applied for the DACA program (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) and received my first ever work permit shortly thereafter. I am now 23 years old and learning what it means to carry both a privilege and a burden. I have been given the immense privilege of being able to legally work and graduate from UC Berkeley. Yet, I am also burdened with the ongoing precariousness of being a DACA recipient. 

Jubilee has provided me the space to channel my mixed feelings of hope and uncertainty. Both as a past Jubilee DreamSF fellow* and in my current role as the Operations Manager, I have found triumph and hope in helping undocumented immigrants, particularly young people, find a path to legal immigration status. When I hear the sigh of relief from parents that their children have a viable route to immigration relief or their excitement when I deliver news of an approval, I think about how my mother must have felt when DACA was first announced: The journey was worth it, if not for myself, then for my children. Isn’t this the prevailing sentiment shared by immigrant parents in our communities? Many undocumented parents, including my mother, say to their children: If not me, then you. Beautiful, hopeful and heartbreaking. While I carry the burden of being in limbo as a DACA recipient, I am grateful for the immense privilege of helping other immigrants like myself along the way. 

*DreamSF is a leadership and professional development program for immigrant students hosted by San Francisco’s Office of Civic Engagement and Immigrant Affairs.

By Luis Calixto,
Operations Manager