The issue of immigration in the U.S. has long been a hot topic in the political world, and now Orange Is The New Black actress Diane Guerrero is opening up about how she was directly affected by it.
The Columbian actress sat down with CNN and was very candid about how her parents were suddenly taken away from her and deported when she was merely 14 years old:
“I came home from school to an empty house. Lights were on and dinner had been started, but my family wasn’t there,” she recalled. “Neighbors broke the news that my parents had been taken away by immigration officers, and just like that, my stable family life was over.”
To make matters worse, Diane, who is most noted for playing the tough-as-nails Maritza Ramos on the beloved Netflix show, states the government completely disregarded her once her parents left:
“Not a single person at any level of government took any note of me,” she went on. “No one checked to see if I had a place to live or food to eat, and at 14, I found myself basically on my own.”
In her interview, she also brought to light the fact that the American dream is a far cry from the life immigrants face in the States:
Some people don’t realize that it is so difficult for people to get documented, to get their papers and to become legal,” she said. “My parents tried forever…This system didn’t offer relief for them. What I’m asking for is to create or find a solution for families.”
Watch the emotional video above.
SOURCE: E! Online | PHOTO CREDIT: Getty
