Our parent’s sacrificed everything for our future, maybe they don’t have the power to vote; but we do. Let’s use our #LatinxPrivilege and make ourselves heard.

“#LatinxPrivilege is bestowed upon first generation Latinos, who didn’t have to decide whether to risk their lives to enter into the country; because their parents did that for them. Let’s use our voice for good #Humanigration.”

For the past 10 years I worked for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. In the beginning I told myself that my job was to determine who got to stay in the U.S. legally. But that was a white lie – my job was to remove people.

I was born into privilege; #LatinxPrivilege. Latinx privilege is bestowed upon first and second generations – it’s about survival. It’s different than white privilege. White privilege doesn’t contemplate survival because they already dominated the game. White privilege focuses on the positives, like using resources to refine learning. It uses resources to learn politics to influence change. It allows growth in areas like literature, art, and music.

#LatinxPrivilege on the other hand focuses on the negative. It’s about not having to decide to flee my home country because of I can’t provide food for my children. It’s about not have to decide whether I should flee my home country because I might be killed by the gangs, or trafficked by narcos while the government turns a blind eye. It’s about not having to spend time behind bars, feet and hands shackled together because of where I was born. It’s about not having to be judged a danger to the community because of where I was born. It’s about not having to live in the shadows and face removal. That is Latinx privilege.

My parents could only afford to give me Latinx Privilege. They made all those decisions for me, that way I didn’t have to.

For about 30 years I squandered away my Latinx privilege. I thought my roots were my weakness. I thought being Latinx was an impediment to reaching that thing we call the “American dream” or white privilege.

I thought that it would take only one generation for me to step into white privilege if I could just assimilate into the United States. So, just like a chameleon shed her old skin, I shed my native language, my customs, and my culture – so that I could blend into my current surroundings.

I fed my mind the story mainstream had me believe and it fed on fear and uncertainty. I was basking in ego, pride, superiority, a sense to be right – growing off fear and uncertainty. As a consequence, my soul was starving to death. There was only so long I could starve my soul. My soul craved the light – it craved the truth.

Let start the immigration conversation and spread awareness. Together, we can advocate for more humane immigration laws, #Humanigration.