Jose Rico Benavides was brought to the United States at age 13 from northern Mexico. Jose excelled in school and dreamed of going on to college. A semester before graduating from high school, he learned that he was undocumented. Now, he works three times as hard as any citizen to afford out-of-state tuition at a community college.

As a member of the North Carolina DREAM Team, he continues to fight for his dreams of becoming an engineer. He is undertaking this to expose his reality, and the reality of his community.

Full story below.

My name is Jose Rico, and I am undocumented.

Everything changed when my dad was laid off from a “maquiladora,” one of many US companies that settled in northern Mexico for cheap labor purposes under NAFTA, signed by Mexico in the mid 90’s. I love my country of origin, and I will always cherish the many weekends when the entire family gathered for a “carne asada” (cook-out) or the many holidays where I got to see the whole extended family united. When my parents decided to go to the United States and visit my aunt, I was very excited. I did not know what to expect, since I’d always lived in the same place back in Mexico. Little did I know, that what I thought to be a visit, would transform into a stay.

It was June 23, 2003, when my family and I arrived in Raleigh, NC. The first day of class in the US was very challenging for me. Not only was the language a barrier, but I also could not understand why my parents would put me in such a situation. I wanted to move back, but my mother explained to me the many hardships that we went through to ensure our well being and our education. I decided to make my parents’ wishes my own. I excelled in academics and community service through high school and was accepted to many prestigious universities, such as NC State University and Roanoke College.

A semester before graduating from high school, I learned that I was undocumented. I learned that of the many hurdles that life has put in front of me, this was going to be the biggest one yet.
The lack of a social security number has taken its toll on me. Without it, I wasn’t able to receive any federal financial help, and I was forced to turn down the opportunities to attend a four-year college, and instead enroll in a community college. I worked three times as hard as any citizen of this wonderful country to pay my own out-of-state tuition, and I was glad when I completed two years of my higher education, but I still could not understand why this was happening to me.

I have learned to love this country as my own. I was educated as an American, and I feel that is what I am. I am proud to hear its national anthem, and see that our sovereignty and influence has reached the depths of this world. It fills me with excitement when an immigrant to this country succeeds and finds a way to contribute back, just like many of us. I would like to become an engineer and do the same.

I will continue fighting for my dreams, and for the betterment of our society. My parents desired that I have a better future than they did, and I will make sure that every generation after me does not feel the way I felt. I am willing to risk it all to expose my reality, and the reality of my community.

Will you stand with me, or will you remain complacent with the system that criminalizes my existence?