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Luis Miranda, Obama's Former Hispanic Media Director, Recounts Experience As Undocumented Immigrant

Former Obama Communications Director On Being Undocumented
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By 

National Reporter, HuffPost

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The South Portico of the White House. Washington DC. The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the President of the United States.

Luis Miranda is living proof of the power of immigration reform.

The Obama administration’s former communications director for Hispanic media recounted his experience as an undocumented immigrant Tuesday in a column published by USA Today that makes a forceful and personal argument for immigration reform.

Miranda says that as a child he “dreamed of becoming a fighter pilot,” but saw his aspirations dashed when he couldn’t provide a Social Security number to join the Civil Air Patrol.

“I began to understand what it meant to be undocumented,” Miranda writes.

He suffered from the experience, seeing his grades decline, and lowering his career expectations.

Fortunately for Miranda, Congress came together to craft an immigration reform that President Ronald Reagan signed in 1986. The measure legalized the status of some 3 million undocumented immigrants and put Miranda on a path to citizenship.

Miranda describes the bill submitted to Congress last week by a group of senators known as the “Gang of 8” as a tougher bill than the 1986 reform, pointing to the billions of dollars it pours into border security and its requirement to put in place a national employer verification system.

But overall, the piece is a personal appeal that highlights how his story reflects those of the estimated 11.1 million undocumented immigrants hoping that Congress finally reforms an immigration system universally described as “broken.”

“For many immigrants, there was never a path to come legally,” Miranda writes. “But they’re here now and they’ve put down roots. They’re not looking for a handout, just a chance to work hard and do the right thing.”

Check out Luis Miranda’s column at USA Today.

Before You Go

7 Things To Know About Immigration Reform
No Age Cap For DREAMers(01 of07)
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Immigration rights activists are cheering the Gang of 8's decision to include the provisions of the DREAM Act in the immigration bill without including an age cap. Incidentally, that means that journalist and immigrant rights activist Jose Antonio Vargas, who didn't qualify for deferred action, would qualify for a path to citizenship if the new legislation were to pass as currently written. The DREAM Act, as written in the new bill, allows most immigrants who arrived in the United States under age 16 to adjust their immigration status and then apply for naturalization if they have clean criminal records and attend college or serve in the military.IMAGE: FILE - In this file photo taken, Aug. 1, 2011 in Chicago, Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn signs the Illinois Dream Act into law surrounded by students and supporters of the bill. After keeping a low public profile leading up to the 2012 November election, Quinn now faces one of the most critical times of his tenure where his every move will be scrutinized by Republicans whove said the 2014 governors race is their top priority after devastating losses to the party last week.(AP Photo/M. Spencer Green)
Allows Deportees To Reunite With Families(02 of07)
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The bill allows some deportees to return to reunite with their families, a measure that could potentially reunite thousands of undocumented immigrants with their family members in the United States.IMAGE: LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 15: Mitzi Pena, 19, (C) her mother Vlamca Pena (R) her sister Yaretzi Pena, 5, and her cousin Karina Terriquez, 20, (L) wait in line with hundreds of fellow undocumented immigrants at the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles offices to apply for deportation reprieve on August 15, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. Under a new program established by the Obama administration undocumented youth who qualify for the program, called Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, can file applications from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services website to avoid deportation and obtain the right to work (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
Has A Path To Citizenship(03 of07)
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Most undocumented immigrants without criminal records would be able to work legally in the United States within six months, after paying a $500 penalty and back taxes, if owed. After 10 years, they could apply for a green card and after another three years, they could apply for citizenship. IMAGE: WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 10: Immigration activists gather on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol for an All In for Citizenship rally April 10, 2013 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Tens of thousands of reform supporters gathered for the rally to call on Congress to act on proposals that would grant a path to citizenship for an estimated 11 million of the nation's illegal immigrants. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Pathway To Citizenship Contingent Upon "Triggers"(04 of07)
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Before undocumented immigrants can solicit legal permanent residency, however, the bill requires the federal government to demonstrate that it has taken steps to boost border security. The "triggers" aren't based on a hard-and-fast metric, but rather require the federal government to submit a plan to ramp up border security and show it to be operational. IMAGE: FILE - The unmanned Predator B taxis back to the hangar in El Mirage, Calif., in this Sept. 6, 2001 file photo, after a test flight over the Mojave Desert. The Federal Aviation Administration approved the expansion of unmanned aircraft flights Wednesday June 23, 2010 to patrol the entire Texas-Mexico border. The Predator B to be used in the patrols can fly for 20 hours without refueling, compared with a helicopter's average flight time of just over two hours. (AP Photo/Doug Benc, File)
Adds New, Merit-Based Visa For High- And Low-Skilled Workers(05 of07)
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Those wanting to enter the United States from foreign countries will have to go through a merit-based evaluation to receive their visa. The bill also includes a new start-up visa for foreign entrepreneurs and a boost for H1-B visas for skilled workers. IMAGE: ANNANDALE, VA - APRIL 28: Arnoldo Borja (L), a community organizer of Virginia Justice Center, talks on his cellular phone on Little River Turnpike where Latino day laborers wait for construction and landscaping jobs April 28, 2006 in Annandale, Virginia. Borja, an immigrant who came to the U.S. in 1989 from Mexico, visits the site every morning to mediate between day laborers, police and local businessmen to help solving any upcoming problems. Fairfax County government is looking currently for a location to create a new official day labor site, and Borja hopes the new center will serve laborers from all over the world and will provide English and Spanish language classes and job training. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Pours Billions Into Border Enforcement(06 of07)
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The Congressional Budget Office hasn't assess the bill yet, but NBC News puts the bill's cost around $17 billion, mostly related to security.The new bill would focus the federal government's efforts on "high-risk" areas where the border is porous, like stretches of the Arizona desert. The bill sets of a target of stopping 90 percent of illegal crossings. ABC/Univision compiled a list of 15 companies that profit from border security. IMAGE: A fence runs along the US-Mexico border between the Otay Mesa and San Ysidro ports of entry in and near San Diego, California, across from Tijuana, Mexico (L). The barrier seperating the two countries known to many as the 'border fence' or the 'border wall' is in reality several barriers, designed to prevent illegal movement across the border, backed by supporters and criticized by opponents. AFP PHOTO/Frederic J. BROWN (Photo credit should read FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images)
Employment Verification(07 of07)
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It's not clear what the system will look like yet, but the bill orders the federal government to design and implement an employment verification system. IMAGE: FILE In this file photo taken April 27, 2009, Latino workers till an asparagus field near Toppenish, Wash., on the Yakama Indian Reservation. Bringing unlikely allies together, a measure being backed by both farmers and immigrant advocacy groups is hoping to slow down the use of a federal immigration program that check's a workers eligibility to work in the U.S. Known as E-Verify, the program has been adopted by 11 cities in Washington state. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File)
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