# @natgeo on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/CMZxbk_D9dB
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/11685528-natgeo-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/thumbnails/86460cfed2.jpg
- **Posted:** 2021-03-14T14:35:09.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** National Geographic (@NatGeo) — https://gondola.cc/NatGeo

## Caption

Photos by Karla Gachet kchete77 / “I was a very closeted undocumented person, very afraid of what would happen, and I think finding CHIRLA [Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights] was very important, and they gave me the authority and ownership of who I am, and that was so empowering... knowing my voice matters,” says Rosa Barrientos.

Rosa immigrated with her family from Guanajuato, Mexico, to the U.S. when she was four years old. She never talked with her parents about being undocumented until she got a scholarship in middle school to pay for college—and realized she needed a social security number to accept it. She's the national campaign leader for CHIRLA, advocating for  comprehensive immigration reform. Being an activist helped her become “unapologetically undocumented,” and she wants to continue building the road for new generations to continue the work.

First image: Rosa around the time she arrived in the U.S. (courtesy  Barrientos family); next image, Rosa organized a car rally on June 18 in Los Angeles, to celebrate the Supreme Court decision not to end DACA*; in June Rosa helped undocumented immigrants who lost their jobs because of COVID-19 apply for one-time $500 disaster relief assistance; Rosa grew up in East L.A. She left for college and work, returning around the time the pandemic started. Rosa and her family celebrate Independence Day on the 4th of July, 2020, watching fireworks outside their house.  *Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) protects some undocumented immigrants who were brought the United States as children from deportation. This project was created by kchete77 and ivankphoto with the support of the natgeo Covid-19 Emergency Fund for Journalists.

#DACA #dacadreamers #dacaessentialworkers #HOMEisHERE

Check out Nat Geo's link in bio for more on this story.

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## Tags

dacaessentialworkers, daca, homeishere, dacadreamers

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