Joaquin Luna, an 18-year-old undocumented student from Texas, committed suicide after Thanksgiving last year, reportedly due to concerns about his immigration status. The story put a national spotlight on the adverse effects of immigration policy on the mental health of undocumented youth. With DACA in place a year later, but a permanent path to immigration reform remaining uncertain, it’s too early to tell if anxiety or depression has been alleviated for undocumented youth.

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.

Cellist Jessica Bieniarz returned to the United States to pursue her aspirations of higher education, overcoming the complications that individuals with documentation issues face. For international musicians, they face dual challenges; finding a way to get into the U.S. and then finding a way to remain here permanently

Jessica Bieniarz’s life has revolved around two things: learning to play the cello and coming back to the U.S. Her parent’s commitment to her future led them to uproot their life in Poland in pursuit of a better music future for her.

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.

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.