Diane Guerrero's family was sent back to Colombia. Now she's urging reform of laws that mean immigrants can serve their sentence but never escape punishment.
“There are countless ways the criminal legal system in America makes us ask, ‘Is this fair?’ One of the most overlooked injustices is the way that immigrants with criminal convictions — from the undocumented to permanent residents — can serve their sentence but never escape punishment. My character, Maritza, and her friend Blanca bring this story to life in the final season of “Orange is the New Black.
…The sad fact is that this isn’t a flaw of the system; it’s the intentional design. It is a system created by two specific laws passed in 1996 that bulldoze over justice, due process and second chances.
…I’ve joined the Immigrant Legal Resource Center campaigning for A New Way Forward, demanding that Congress right their past mistakes and dismantle the 1996 laws that tear families apart. I hope you will join me.”
Guerrero goes on to share how these laws impacted her life when her family was deported at the age of 14 and she was left in the U.S. on her own.
We applaud Diane Guerrero for her support of A New Way Forward and her bravery in sharing her family’s story. Changes like this would make a huge difference in the lives of people like Ale and their families.