Yves Gomes- Undocumented

Imagine waking up to the smell of breakfast on the stove and your mom and dad chatting it up in the kitchen. You check the clock and it's 6 am. Suddenly there is banging on the door. "It's the police open up!" And at that moment your life turns upside down. You are interrogated in your own home, and your father is taken out the door in handcuffs and deported. It is the last time you will see him.

This is not a scene from a movie. This is a real moment from Yves Gomes' life. He is part of an all too often unseen community of South Asian undocumented immigrants. Yves joins us this week and generously shares his story with us. He walks us not only through what happened with his family, but also how he stumbled into the undocumented youth movement. He educates us on some of the problematic language that is used around this issue and how the "model minority" myth may be a big part of why this community is so unseen. He also updates us on his status and how community and social media are helping him stay in this country to pursue his Master's Degree. There are episodes that help Akaash and I understand why this podcast can be important. This is one of them.