In light of the DACA process, many young immigrants, including 20-year-old José Martinez, reach a point in their lives when they are forced, for various reasons, to confide in their peers and teachers about their undocumented status. They weigh the risks of being in the open against the benefits of having a support system through their legal and personal ordeals.

For years, young people in the LGBT community have weighed the risks of coming out of the closet to their families and friends. Now, undocumented immigrants are “coming out,” but the risks include deportation and separation from those families and friends.

DACA recipient Sofia Rivera is setting off on a path that Victor Martell has walked before her. Martell, a Salvadoran living and working in Chicago, was granted Temporary Protected Status 11 years ago, and he still feels in limbo.

Ariel G. Ruiz Soto has just been approved for DACA after 13 years navigating life as an undocumented student. Even as he takes advantage of the new opportunities this affords him, his experiences and outlook for the future inform more pressing work that must still be done. In particular, universities must step up their efforts to support undocumented students, especially when it comes to making the jump to life after school – with or without the help of DACA.

Stay-at-home mother Susana Ochoa has been living in the Chicago suburbs illegally for over 18 years. During her time here, there has been one thing that Illinois law prohibits her from doing but that she does anyway: drive a car. In this video, we capture what challenges come with not having a driver’s license as an undocumented immigrant and what policy-makers are doing to address the issue.

17-year-old DACA recipient Maria Sanchez can now drive legally. Thousands of others await action by the Illinois legislature that could extend a similar privilege to all undocumented immigrants in the state.

In one Chicago-area family, two siblings are in the process of securing DACA approval to work, go to school and avoid deportation for two years. The Parra family has much to celebrate this holiday season; a judge tossed out their father’s deportation thanks to the testimony of their younger brother.