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A Texas high school valedictorian announced Thursday that she has been in the United States illegally since 2010 and she blames the U.S. immigration system for maintaining her undocumented status.
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Larissa Martinez, from McKinney Boyd High School in Texas, told her classmates she is one of the 11 million undocumented people living in the United States.
The 18 year old, who has been offered a full scholarship to Yale, said she felt powerless and put down due to her status.
She said immigrants are people too “that yearn to help make America great again, without the construction of a wall built on hatred and prejudice,” referring to Republican nominee for president Donald Trump and his proposal to build a wall to prevent Mexicans from entering the U.S.
Martinez said she has been waiting seven years for her citizenship application to be processed.
“We are here without documentation because the U.S. immigration system is broken and forces many families to live in fear,” said Martinez.
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“If I was able to break every stereotype based on what I’m classified as—Mexican, female, undocumented, first-generation, low-income, then so can you. We do not have to let expectations become our reality,” said Martinez.
Martinez’s speech came a day after another Texan student announced the same situation on social media. Mayte Lara, from Crockett High School in Austin, tweeted: "Valedictorian, 4.5GPA, full tuition paid for at UT, 13 cords and medals, nice legs, oh and I’m undocumented."
Her message prompted an angry backlash on social media from anti-immigrants, telling her to move back to Mexico.
Federal laws don’t prohibit states from giving tuition to undocumented students. At least 17 states, including Texas, have legislation allowing undocumented graduates to pay in-state tuition for colleges and universities.
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