EL TECOLOTE (SAN FRANCISCO) -- Gerardo Gomez, a 22-year-old Political Science major at San Francisco State University and DACA recipient — who is a fellow through the San Francisco Office of Civic Engagement and Immigration Affairs with Pangea Legal Services — spoke about the need of the community to recognize the DACA recipients as individuals.
“We are more than just immigrants,” said Gomez. “It’s more than just our identities; we are human beings and we have many complicated layers.”
The San Francisco resident said that he identifies as a “queer, gay man” and has been HIV-positive for the past three years. He says that if DACA is abolished and he is not able to work, he could not afford rent and would lose his health insurance, rendering him unable to pay for expensive HIV medications.
“Immigration affects us in so many different ways that we don’t talk about,” he said, choking back tears. “Our mental health, our physical health, how it affects our loved ones.”