An illegal transgender immigrant declared that she belongs in the U.S. — regardless of what President Donald Trump says.
Washington, D.C., resident Catalina Velasquez spoke to The Washington Post about her right to live in America.
“I am entitled to be here, unapologetically so,” said Velasquez. “And I love this country.”
Velasquez, a self-proclaimed anti-Trump transgender activist, is in charge of a political, media and diversity consulting firm. She gave a speech at the White House when Barack Obama was president.
“This is not the first time we have had a bigot in office,” Velasquez went on. “I think we will survive it. But like before, it will come at the expense of many lives, and it will be lives like mine.”
Velasquez, a DACA recipient, came to the U.S. illegally from Columbia. She graduated from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service.
Trump signed an executive order in January calling for a wall to be built along the U.S- Mexican border. He also approved the hiring of 5,000 more border patrol agents and gave local law officers the power to enforce immigration law. (RELATED:Trump Signs Executive Orders To Construct Border Wall And Increase Deportations)
Other illegal immigrants are coming forward to express their fears of a Trump presidency. One such immigrant, Enrique, entered the U.S. illegally in 2001. He started working as a dish washer and eventually worked his way up to a chef.
Enrique and his wife live in fear of something happening to them, he told WaPo. He tries to drive safely and he pays attention to policy changes on immigration.
“I know they are not so stupid that they don’t see that we do something good for this country too, right? This is a country made by immigrants, right?” he commented on those who work in D.C.
Enrique’s boss, a U.S. citizen, defended his employee. His boss knows that Enrique is illegal, but believes that he is lucky to have Enrique working for him.
“He’s an asset to any business. When you find somebody willing to work hard and who wants to be here, you’re lucky,” the boss said.
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