Faces of Dreamers: Karen Reyes of Texas and Other Teachers

This is one in a series of posts on individual Dreamers, undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as young children, many of whom are under threat of deportation following the Trump administration’s decision to rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy, or DACA.

Karen Reyes, who teaches deaf toddlers in Austin, TX, is one of roughly 9,000 Dreamers with DACA status who work as educators.

But like all DACA enrollees, Reyes is living in limbo while the White House and Congress try to negotiate an agreement over how to grant Dreamers permanent legal status in this country and perhaps a path to citizenship. She told The New York Times—in a story profiling her and other DACA recipients who are educators—that she is at a loss as to how to explain to her young students why she may not be able to continue as their teacher.

Reyes overcame obstacles to secure private scholarships for a graduate school program for special education teachers who wanted to teach the hearing-impaired. She received her master’s degree from the University of Texas at San Antonio, and now educates six hearing-impaired 3- and 4-year-olds.

“I don’t know what I’m going to tell them,” Ms. Reyes said through tears. “They understand when I go on an airplane. Maybe they’ll just think I’m on a never-ending flight.”

Click here to read the full story.