PHOTO: POP SUGAR
Diana Guerrero, famously known as Maritza Ramos from the hit TV series Orange Is the New Black, was just one of over 700 Hollywood celebrities to take part in the nationwide rallies that support reuniting immigrant families. The actor delivered a powerful speech at the Families Belong Together demonstration in Washington DC as she recalled being separated from her own family 17 years ago, quoted The Hollywood Reporter.
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Speaking of the current condition of detained children, Guerrero shared, "I would have had a much different story to tell if I had been imprisoned after being separated from my family. But I was lucky enough to be with my parents till I was 14. They told me that I could do anything and that I was special."
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The 31-year-old star teared up as she continued talking about the aftermath of being taken away from her family. She said, "I was also lucky enough to be taken in by the people of the community, which led me to go to school, college and find work for myself. However, I wouldn't have gotten that opportunity if I had been among today's generation, which will be irreversibly damaged by our government's actions."
Guerrero's statements come after the implementation of US president Donald Trump's latest immigration policy that has broken many families. She urged the crowd at the rally to not dehumanise the detained children.
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"When my family was taken away from me, I became fully aware of the fact that my community matters less to some people, that we are treated differently because of the color of our skin or where our parents were born," Guerrero stated. She further explained that people can no longer be blind to the blatant disregard of human life.
Posing a question to her audience, the American actor continued, "What kind of country do we want to be? One that violates the rights of children, including the fundamental right to seek asylum? Or do we want to be an America that values children and families and the freedom to be who we are?"
Guerrero concluded her speech by saying that she loves her parents and misses them every single day.
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In a 2014 interview with The Los Angeles Times, the actor identified herself as the "citizen daughter of immigrant parents". Her parents, hailing from Colombia, moved to the US to build a brighter future for themselves. Guerrero was 14 when her parents were deported from the country as she came home to the news of her family being taken away by immigration officers. The government at the time never checked up on her and she was eventually taken in by one of her friends' parents.
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Over 2000 children have been separated from their families since Trump's zero-tolerance policy. Celebrities such as Chrissy Teigen, Jaime Camil and many citizens are protesting across the country, demanding immigrant children and parents to be reunited.
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