TX State Rep: I Was an Undocumented Immigrant
“[A]fter it was all said and done and HB 12 was passed, Houston Rep. Ana Hernandez Luna gave one of the most poignant personal privilege speeches in the history of the Texas House.
Hernandez Luna told the chamber that she had grown up undocumented in Texas. The amnesty granted by President Ronald Reagan in the 80s had allowed her family to come out of the shadows, she said. “I remember the constant fear I lived with each day,” she said. “The daily task to go buy groceries, it was a simple task for you but for us it was a death sentence because at any time one of my parents could be deported. Some say immigrant children are a drain on public schools. I don’t consider myself a drain. I graduated at 16 with honors got a bachelors degree, got a law degree and was elected to the Texas House at age 27,” she said.
“I know firsthand the impact HB 12 will have on families who are undocumented, the fear mothers will feel when they go to the grocery store.” There was scarcely a pause to consider her words on the House floor, before the next bill came up for debate.”
Melissa Del Bosque, May 10, 2011.