This is one in a series of profiles marking the 60th anniversary of the ACLU of Kentucky’s founding. Each week through December 2015 we will highlight the story of one member, client, case, board or staff member that has been an integral part of our organization’s rich history.
DREAMERS
“If we wait for others to do the work for us, there won’t be any change.” -Maria Karen Lopez
It is hard to fathom being able to neither return to where one was born, nor stay where one was raised-that is the impossible position many young American immigrants face. The DREAM Act was a piece of legislation that would have provided a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants that arrived in the U.S. as children and graduated from high school (or obtained their GED). Louisville’s Shaky Palacios was one of millions of young people that stood to benefit from the DREAM Act. However, until someone from the ACLU of Kentucky spoke to Palacios and her class about it, she had no idea there was anything she could do about her legal status.
Palacios has worked with the ACLU-KY to improve the prospects of children facing legal limbo by organizing her peers, serving on panels, talking to lawmakers, and sharing her story with anyone willing to listen. Originally, Palacios was introduced to the public under a pseudonym out of fear that revealing her true identity might result in deportation for herself, her family, or both. However, after appearing on the cover of the Courier Journal, Palacios made a bold decision to allow the paper to use her real name. “At first I was hesitant,” Palacios said of telling her story, “but if I can make a small difference by sharing my story, then it is worth it. I need to be part of this movement.”
Sagar Patagundi faced a situation similar to Palacios' circumstances. Patagundi’s family immigrated to America from India, and Sagar has lived in the United States for most of his life. After his father fell out of status, and all attempts to stay in the country legally failed, the Patagundi family became undocumented. Prior to receiving relief under Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), Patagundi struggled to find employment, seek higher education, and couldn’t leave the country to visit family without being permanently prohibited from re-entry. Despite all these difficulties, Patagundi has remained positive. He partnered with the ACLU-KY to draft editorials, organize actions, and even led the effort to coordinate the 2013 Immigration Advocacy Day at the capitol during the legislative session. Patagundi’s work enabled more than 150 people from across Kentucky to meet one-on-one with legislators and show their support for immigrants’ rights. Patagundi’s work with the ACLU-KY continues through the I AM A Kentuckian storytelling tour, that gives Kentuckians impacted by the immigration system the opportunity to share their stories and experiences with audiences across the commonwealth.
Maria Karen Lopez’s story is similar to the challenges faced by Palacios and Patagundi. After paying her way through college, despite fears her undocumented status would prevent her from securing a professional job, Lopez was able to gain some rights through DACA. Lopez has helped advance immigrants’ rights by sharing her story, and rallying immigrant advocates to meet with legislators. Through her lobbying efforts, Lopez helped get a bill passed out of committee that would allow undocumented immigrants to receive driver’s certificates. Lopez lauded the ACLU-KY for their focus on affecting real change: “I think that [the ACLU-KY] focuses specifically on the legislators, who are the people who really have the voice and the say in any politics. I think that’s really important because without that, if we’re just doing grassroots organizing and we’re just trying to reach the community, that’s important too, but we really need our legislators to know what’s going on.”