GetEQUAL‘s new National Field Director, Felipe Matos, today said he is “thrilled” that President Obama has decided to halt deportations of some DREAM Act-eligible illegal immigrants. Matos, who self-identifies as queer and an undocumented DREAM youth, offered us his personal thoughts:
“I’m thrilled that the president has decided to take this historical step in helping DREAMers,” Matos told The New Civil Rights Movement in an email exchange. “I will be personally watching closely the implementation of this new policy and hoping he signs the ENDA Executive Order. Now that I will be given a work permit I want to feel ensured that I won’t lose my job based on my sexual orientation or gender identity.”
Last month, Matos gave an exclusive interview to The New Civil Rights Movement. He is in a unique position to comment on the President’s new DREAM immigration policy, having served on the Board of Directors of the Florida Immigrant Coalition. Matos was a core leader from Students Working for Equal Rights, and is part of the National Coordinating Committee of the national organization United WE DREAM and an online advocate for the national group Presente.org.
“I was brought to the USA by my older sister who was living here for 4 years then,” Matos explain last month. “My mother had developed a chronic back disease that prevented her from working. I had grown used to being oppressed by extreme poverty in my country of origin, Brazil, so the US was definitely a promising way to finally find freedom- I was wrong.”
Matos hope to develop broader coalitions among minority groups, and certainly stands well-positioned to do so.