Queer Y Sin Papeles — Still

The election of Donald Trump in 2016 changed many lives. It stalled others.

For DACA recipients — like me and some of my friends — the only lifeline that helped them remain in the country once again was being swept underneath their feet. Trump’s administration canceled the DACA program in 2017. Years later, arguments were heard in the Supreme Court, placing the program in limbo. President Joe Biden made promises about immigration reform in his first 100 days in office to no result. It has been a yo-yo effect of where we stand with our immigration status in the country. But we’ve been here before.

This year marked 10 years since DACA was announced. Immigration reform has yet to pass and DACA recipients still don’t have a pathway to citizenship.

The recipients who were in their early 20s when the program was installed now face life decisions that will impact them forever; do I stay or go, can I marry someone who doesn’t have legal status, where can I move in the country, and where am I most safe?

Then add the pressure from society, family and religion and things get complicated. And for the LBGTQ community, these factors, questions and decisions can be tough to navigate.

My ongoing project follows three queer Latino men in their early 30s who are in different paths to create a plan B or plan C to move forward in this country. Queer Y Sin Papeles — Still is an ongoing page with conversations with José and Juan and self reflections from Brian. My hope is queer people of color and undocumented folks see themselves in these profiles and we can create community about living life as LBGTQ DACA recipients.

(If you’re reading this and want to know more, give me a shout here.)

Who We Are

I’m pretty sure I met José via Twitter. José Alonso Muñoz lives in Washington, D.C. and has lived in different cities in the country. He’s a freelance writer and a communications manager for an immigration advocacy organization. José’s positive, fun energy is palpable even via our phone or text chats. In late 2021, José applied for an advance parole permit to travel outside the United States. This is one way to help folks who come into the country illegally to not be barred from reentry when they apply for future immigration services. 

Juan Rodriguez lives in Austin, Texas. I call him my comadre because we’ve been good friends since college as we both ran in the DREAMer circles. Juan used to be a journalist who covered breaking news — that’s how I heard of him — and shared his immigration story with the public. He now works in a government agency creating media content. He travels with law enforcement, including border patrol officers at times.

And lastly, me. I’m Brian De Los Santos and I live in Los Angeles. I’m the host of a news podcast from radio station in L.A. I’ve been working in the media for all of my 11-year career, reporting on culture, health, technology and immigration. I’ve written about my legal status for the L.A. Times when I was a digital editor there. This year I decided to apply for advance parole because it felt like a moment of now or never.