Timeline by Daniela Ortega

Beginning

5010015603 — 2025-09-19 02:53:27 UTC

My parents have sat I and my 5 year old little sister to talk about a serious topic. My little sister and I have always been the ones in the house making noise. I have an older step sister but she was never around so I took the responsibility of being the greatest example for my little sister. We all have 4 years apart so it hasn't been really hard to bond and we got along well. Anyway, they sat us down for this high tension talk that we didn't really understand the concept of. My dad began the talk by sighing and saying, "Si nos pasa algo a nosotros, no se preocupen, se van a quedar con su abuela in California".

This translating to "If something happens to us, don't worry, You guys will stay with your grandma". Previous to this my dad and I had already talked about something similar where said he was under something important that led him to stay here legally. I started to piece things together and saw some news where it said, " Central Americans, Haitians with protected status fear program's end". I then got into a panic attack where my mom had noticed my distress. I started to scream, "Papi te quiero mucho".

My mother then ran to me anxiously, "Que te pasa".

I kept repeating that I loved my dad but I physically didn't know what was wrong with me. I now realize that I was having a panic attack to the news I had just saw.

Middle

5010015603 — 2025-09-19 03:28:55 UTC

In 2018, we joined this committee that helped those that were going through the same situation. Going there made me realize that we weren't as alone as we thought. Being in this group helped me advocate for my community and myself. During these years of being in committee I had grown in various ways. This has now built me into the person I am now.

End

5010015603 — 2025-09-19 03:35:45 UTC

We stopped worrying about this situation once we got into the Biden administration. Now we worry even more as not only are they targeting TPS recipients but undocumented immigrants. This hit home. I feel paranoid and worried that my parents might be taken away from me at any moment. I am scared for those who are important to me and struggling. I am scared to go outside because of fear that my family and I may be judged because of our skin color or because we speak Spanish. This is not the way it should be and we should all be treated equally. This is not about "doing the right thing" but about equality. There is a lack of empathy in this universe when it comes to people of color and there needs to be change. In the end we should all be equal.