On Feb. 17, thousands of immigrants protested against President Trump and his efforts to keep immigrants from entering the country. Their protests were characterized by their absence from work and school to show that their presence does make a difference. Many took to the streets of major cities such as Los Angeles to voice their opinion on the matter and to show others that they are here for one thing and one thing only: to work hard for a better life for themselves and their families.

I was raised by two mexican immigrants who brought me up on the idea of accomplishing more than they did, to do better things with my life such as receive a higher level of education and to work hard for myself. When the man who was running for president said that mexican immigrants were criminals, drug dealers and rapists, I was infuriated. I couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that people believed that immigrants are all bad people, that there were Americans who supported the idea of taking my people out of the country. To think that we are risking everything we have and coming into a country where we don’t know the language or the people just so we can commit crimes and sell drugs is startlingly ignorant. 

Coming from personal experience, I know my parents and my family members came here to give their children a better life than they had by taking on jobs that were tiring, such as cleaning hotel rooms or cooking in kitchens at restaurants so they could support their families. I remember sitting at home and seeing my mother come home exhausted every single day from work and telling me that she didn’t want to see me suffer the way she did; they want to see their children prosper and become successful.

Learn the language and go to school was what I lived by. All my parents want to see me do is take advantage of the education and, just like most parents, they want to give their children what they can.

These protest have opened up the eyes of so many people because they are seeing the struggles these people endure daily, and hearing their different stories show that they are just regular people. Hearing what some people did to get into this country just so they could have a piece of the American Dream shows that they aren’t here to do harm, but to live life the best they can. So when people stereotype Hispanic immigrants saying that we’re gang members or criminals, it puts us to shame and it dehumanizes us. We are more than stereotypes. We are more than immigrants. We are human beings. We are united due to the fact that all we want is to see our family members and friends succeed. We are not here to cause anyone problems but to live life to the fullest.