Randolph Sealey(01 of09)
Open Image ModalBorn in Mexico of Caribbean heritage, Randolph Sealey first confronted his status as an undocumented immigrant in high school, while applying to colleges. Eventually, he was accepted to Duke University - which he was able to attend through private donations and scholarships - but would undergo a lengthy and risky ordeal to convince an immigration judge to cancel a deportation order against him. He won his case, and was granted his citizenship the same day he graduated from medical school from the State University of New York. He now practices as an orthopedic surgeon in Connecticut.
Farah Bala(02 of09)
Open Image ModalFarah Bala was raised by a single mother in Mumbai, India, where divorce was considered taboo. Finding a safe place for self-expression, Farah immersed herself in acting and, in 2001, moved to the United States to study theater at Sarah Lawrence College on a scholarship. She has gone on to become a U.S. permanent resident and a critically acclaimed actress; in 2010, her show, Tales from the Tunnel, was picked up for an off-Broadway run.
Cleto "Sundy" Chazares(03 of09)
Open Image ModalBorn in Mexico, Cleto "Sundy" Chazares and his four siblings were brought to the United States by their father. By age eight, Cleto worked in Florida's fields, picking fruits and vegetables. Attending sixteen schools in one year and falling behind, Cleto dropped out of ninth grade and joined a gang. But a persistent guidance counselor convinced him to return and to move in with her family. He excelled in class and in track but thought he had to turn down college scholarship offers because of his undocumented status. A Catholic school in Texas admitted him on a private scholarship, and he later obtained his green card through the 1986 amnesty legislation. He has since graduated with a master's degree in education leadership, and today he is a U.S. citizen and a high school principal at a school outside of Tampa, where he was recently voted the county's principal of the year.
Jack Gilad(04 of09)
Open Image ModalJack Gilad moved from his home in Ontario to study at Boston University's dental school. He went on to graduate from Harvard University in 1998 with a master's degree in medical science and post-doctoral certificate in endodontics. There he met Doug, a fellow student, and the two fell in love. They were then married, but because U.S. immigration officials did not acknowledge same-sex relationships, Doug could not sponsor Jack's citizenship. Instead, Jack had to pursue a green card through his employer.
Tien "Johnny" Nghe(05 of09)
Open Image ModalKnowing that he would soon be forced to fight on the front against Cambodia, Tien "Johnny" Nghe fled Vietnam in the 1970s, crouched inside a bamboo basket on a crowded boat. He was caught and sent to jail, working eight months on a chain gang. His father paid the government thousands of dollars to get him out. Tien then fled to a refugee camp in Malaysia, where he lived for six months. He was then relocated to Connecticut and moved to New York, where he has since worked to reunite his family in the United States.
Marielos Vega(06 of09)
Open Image ModalMarielos Vega was nineteen, adrift and attempting to work odd jobs while on a tourist visa in New Jersey after fleeing a tumultuous family life in Costa Rica. She was taken in by a widow named Elayne, who sponsored and encouraged her as she went on to obtain her GED and undergraduate and graduate degrees in nursing. Becoming a prominent researcher and registered nurse, Marielos gained her citizenship by joining the U.S. military through a pilot program. She was admitted into the rank of captain and now works at the Brook Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas.
Mario Pikus(07 of09)
Open Image ModalFleeing anti-Semitism, Mario Pikus left Argentina for the U.S. at seventeen; his sister, who lived in the U.S. with her husband, had applied for Mario's green card. He ran into complications with the U.S. Selective Service when registering for the draft. Due to a language barrier, he believed he was signing a medical waiver based on various illness and unknowingly signed a military service exemption, which effectively forfeited his right to become a citizen. Now a renowned artist, Mario is fighting the legal system to get become a citizen of the country he has known as his home for over forty years.
Nelly Boyette(08 of09)
Open Image ModalNelly Boyette was an undocumented immigrant from Peru when she met her future husband, Jeff, at the flea market where they both worked in Tampa, Florida. He was a day laborer, and carried a radio with a sticker telling immigrants to speak English. The unlikely couple fell in love and got married. Then, immigration officials threatened deportation on the grounds of marriage fraud. At their hearing in 2008, supporters from the flea market community poured into the courtroom, and the judge ruled in their favor.
Newton Campbell(09 of09)
Open Image ModalNewton Campbell was raised by his paternal grandparents in Jamaica. When his mother, who was living in Florida and married to a U.S. citizen, obtained a green card for him, he moved to the U.S. to continue his education. He graduated from Temple University in 1994 with a bachelor's degree in business administration, but after working for a few years, he became disenchanted with corporate life and quit his job. He has since discovered yoga and now owns his own studio outside of Los Angeles.