WATCH: OITNB Star Diane Guerrero Protests Hate, Describes Parents’ Deportation

By Sameer Rao Feb 09, 2016

Diane Guerrero was 14 years old when she came home to an empty house. The "Orange is the New Black" and "Jane the Virgin" star’s parents and brother, all undocumented immigrants, had been deported back to their native Colombia while she was away. 


Since then, she has been an advocate for immigration reform and the end of deportations. She describes her family’s all-too-familiar story in a new video from the Immigration Legal Resource Center, imploring viewers to fight against the legal and cultural barriers placed on immigrants:


With all the hate speech and the intolerance these days, it’s easy to forget that we are a nation of immigrants. Whatever our personal reasons, whether we were born here or our parents came here for a shot at the American dream, we need to stand up to reactionary policies aimed at targeting and criminalizing the immigrant community.


The video comes amidst controversial deportation raids spearheaded by the federal government. 


(H/t JezebelThe Washingon Post)