Jessica Azua is one of about 800,000 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients hanging on to hope and holding tight to a dream of one day building a life without fear, a life without limits.
Her glimmer of hope was reignited following an announcement by a California judge to temporarily block the Trump administration’s decision to end the DACA program. A program that opened many doors to a future for Azua.
“I remember when they announced DACA, I felt like I had a purpose," Azua said.
She found a passion in advocating for people living in fear, a feeling she lived with for many years before the DACA program granted her protection.
She’s dedicated the last four years of her life to the Texas Organizing Project, a non-profit that advocates for immigration rights.
"It really means a lot to me because I feel like I'm making a statement, 'We are here to stay,'" Azua said.
While she's hopeful, she's also fearful of an unpredictable future.
"Today I'm here, tomorrow I don't know if I'm going to be here," Azua said.
A grim reality that could rip her family apart.
"It's really hard to have your family separated,” Azua said. “We need our parents, we need our brothers, [and] we need our sisters."
She's called Texas home for more than ten years and can't imagine returning to a country she can’t identify with.
"I don't know what I would go back to,” Azua said. “My friends, my family, my life, my work, everything is here.”