Welcome Manuela from East Hampton to the Immigration MIC podcast!

Get to know her journey in this in-depth interview where you will hear this driven young woman’s personality shine:

🔵 Manuela is a DACA recipient from Colombia: hear her talk about the factors that led her family to leave, the experience of being kidnapped and robbed by police in Venezuela, the journey to the US Mexico border, and being reunited as a family on the East End of Long Island.

🔴 How in 3rd grade, she was already aware of the danger that ICE posed to her family, writing “immigration police is my biggest fear” as part of a class assignment, and her lifelong fear of green vans.

⚫️ She talks about the racial divide that she began witnessing among her classmates as she got older, and how the intensity of the fights became more real between White and Latino students, which continues to this day.

🔵 How she was able to live the “most normal life” when DACA passed,

🔴 Laura Lemus’ influence on Manuela’s future, four years ago, which was the first time she was inspired to talk about her personal story with other undocumented students.

⚫️ How during the days of the Trump campaign, during her senior year, many students would chant “Trump” and “Build The Wall” at sporting events, as well as a presentation in her US History class “keeping illegals out”

🔵 A traumatizing experience of her family being harassed/ abused verbally and almost physically by a landlord who threatened to call immigration on the family.

🔴 How she’s been leveraging her personal story at SUNY Old Westbury, and how professors and other students have been supporting her journey, ever since.

⚫️ The organization at SUNY Old Westbury that she and other students have recently founded “Undocumented Students Alliance”, and the work she’s doing as Public Relations Chair.

Thank you for this amazing interview Manuela! I can definitely say this was one of the most passionate interviews, and I thank you sincerely for choosing the podcast to share blow off all the pent up emotions, and I look forward to continue to support you - YOU INSPIRE ME!