When driving, you can usually spot at least one car with a broken tail light. For many, if you are pulled over by law enforcement, you will most likely get away with a ticket or a warning.
But for undocumented individuals, being pulled over by a police officer could mean losing everything.
Marisela, one of the main characters in the UC Santa Cruz Theater Arts Program’s play “Just Like Us,” faced a similar situation. While on her way back to campus, only three days away from her college graduation, she is pulled over by a police officer for a broken tail light. As she heard the sirens and pulled over, her first thought was that she may never see her family again.
The play, originally written by Karen Zacarías as an adaption of Helen Thorpe’s book by the same name, is a documentary-style story following four young Latina girls who live in Denver, Colorado, and the struggles they face entering higher education.
While having spent the majority of their lives in the U.S., the main characters Marisela, Yadira, Clara and Elissa, or the “Brownies,” still face barriers in academic opportunities and social settings. In a country that views them as foreigners, surrounded by politicians aiming to keep them from succeeding, the young Latinas grapple with these obstacles in pursuit of the American Dream.
The stories of these four girls illustrate the difficulties of existing as an immigrant in the U.S. The path to higher education is less strenuous for Clara and Elissa, who are documented, whereas Marisela and Yadira face continuous obstacles because they are undocumented, which means working even harder to be faced with less opportunities.
“[Immigrant children] are being deported, these kids are being arrested, these kids are being villainized for just being children. Just being children where they’re not supposed to be,” said Melanie Martinez, who played Marisela. “Not only is [deportation] denying children education, it’s denying children their own livelihoods. It’s denying children emotional stability, it’s denying children financial stability. It is so politically driven instead of really focusing on how these people are being affected and how people are just trying to build lives for them.”
As one of his first actions in his second term of presidency, Trump signed an executive order in the interest of “Protecting The American People Against Invasion.” Now, a little over four months into his term, the persecution and criminalization of undocumented immigrants have exponentially harmed this vulnerable community.
The show contains scenes of political rallies held by politicians advocating for anti-immigration legislation while spewing harmful stereotypes. Though the play is set in the early 2000s, these scenes mirror a horrifying reality of the U.S. that people still recognize today.
Director of the show and Crown College lecturer Carolina González Riaño stated that during a time period filled with such hatred and stigmatization, creating spaces for narratives such as “Just Like Us” is more integral than ever.
“Vemos que los titulares de las noticias muestran a los latinos que están infringiendo la ley pero no muestran todos los latinos que están progresando y que realmente están contribuyendo positivamente al país,” Riaño dijo. “¿Quienes son los que recogen fruta, quienes son los que trabajan en el campo, quienes son los que hacen todo este trabajo? Los Latinos.”
“We see the headlines on the news showing Latinos that are breaking the law, but they don’t show all of the Latinos that are progressing and that are really positively contributing to the country,” Riaño said. “Who are the people picking fruit, who are the people working in the fields, who are the ones doing all this work? Latinos are.”
Entering higher education for undocumented individuals, a feat that, while not impossible to accomplish, is not easy. Only 1.9 percent of all college students in the U.S. are undocumented, and before even entering university, there are barriers that keep undocumented students out of institutions of higher education.
“Having parents who don’t know how to help you with these situations is such a different perspective than having parents that will walk you through how to apply to college,” said Sophia Dague, who played Yadira. “What kind of loans you need to take and how to deal with all of these different complicated adult aspects.”
“When you’re a teenager and you have to navigate these things by yourself because your parents don’t necessarily understand the language or they don’t understand the process, it can lead to less access to higher education,” Dague said.
Even in the midst of these moments of extreme uncertainty and pain, the beauty within these communities is not lost.
“There are so many of us with similar backgrounds, similar stories, and similar traditions. It’s very important to recognize the beauty in where we come from,” Dague said. “Embracing the culture is almost a form of resistance. When I am having a carne asada with my friends or with my family, this is something that the laws can’t take away from us, like we’re always going to have this together.”
Resources for Undocumented Individuals:
IDEAS can be reached from their Instagram, @ideasucsc
USS is located on the second floor of the Academic Resource Center (ARC) building, room 216; they are also reachable by phone, (831) 459-2296, via email, eopab540@ucsc.edu, and their Instagram, @undocuslugs.
Your Allied Rapid Response (YARR) in Santa Cruz County aims to prevent ICE from reaching the undocumented community. In case of an ICE or enforcement sighting, they can be reached by their hotline number at (831) 239-4289.
The Santa Cruz Immigration Project (SCCIP) provides free services for undocumented communities, including legal consultations. They can be reached at (831) 724-5667.
For students facing a domestic violence situation, the Center for Advocacy, Resources & Empowerment (CARE) offers complete confidentiality to students who are in need of assistance. They can be reached at this number (831) 502-CARE (2273) and located at Hahn Student Services, 400 Hahn Road, Ste. 104, Santa Cruz, CA.
