Axel Herrera, a DACA recipient in North Carolina, faces uncertainty as local police checkpoints increase, impacting his community and prompting him to pursue further education at Yale.
Since the election of President Trump, Axel Herrera has witnessed a troubling rise in local police traffic checkpoints throughout his North Carolina community. As a DACA recipient, Axel enjoys legal protection from deportation, yet he has seen friends and family members detained or deported following random traffic stops. This has left many undocumented individuals in his community living in a state of constant fear. “It’s creating a hostile environment,” Axel states. “It’s pretty clear what the government is trying to do.”
At 27 years old, Axel has lived in North Carolina since he was seven, when his family fled Honduras in search of a better life. Achieving DACA status felt like the realization of his family’s dreams. He earned a scholarship to Duke University, becoming the first in his family to attend college, and graduated with multiple awards, including a prestigious Congressional internship.
Following his graduation, Axel took on the role of civic engagement director for Mi Familia en Acción, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting Hispanic communities. Over the past few years, he has focused on registering citizens to vote, creating youth programs, and mentoring immigrants as they pursue educational and professional opportunities. “All I ever wanted was to belong, and to give something back,” he reflects.
However, the current political climate has posed significant challenges. Ongoing legal battles surrounding DACA’s validity threaten Axel’s protection from deportation. He must renew his DACA status and employment authorization every two years. Although he was able to process his paperwork just before Trump took office, he remains uncertain about the future of his status when it expires in 2026. He is aware that some Dreamers are struggling to get their applications processed, and the Trump administration has already deported at least one DACA recipient under the claim of an outstanding deportation order. “Right now, everything is up in the air,” Axel admits. “I’m very concerned about the future.”
One potential outcome is that courts may uphold DACA but revoke the work authorization for its recipients. Due to this uncertainty, Axel has decided to leave his hard-earned job and return to school. This fall, he will relocate to Yale, where he has secured a scholarship to study business and public policy. “It’s a great opportunity, but also a hedge against losing my status,” he explains. “If I lose my work authorization, then being a student might buy me some time and let me find a different path forward.”
Despite his current protections, Axel feels conflicted about leaving his community. Many of his friends and neighbors are constantly communicating via WhatsApp, assessing police conditions whenever they leave their homes. He knows numerous young Venezuelans whose humanitarian parole has recently been revoked, rendering them unable to work or study. In the past six months, he has witnessed families torn apart by raids and deportations, or those too fearful of ICE to attend school. “I speak all the time with young people whose whole future is on the chopping block,” Axel shares.
Yet, despite his protections, Axel senses a looming threat that conditions could deteriorate rapidly. Under Trump, anti-immigrant sentiment and policies have become more entrenched. He is particularly concerned about the long-term implications of a new state law mandating that sheriffs cooperate with ICE. Axel fears for his and his family’s future, stating, “After 20 years, we’re barely scratching the surface of dealing with our status issues. It never ends—and the Trump administration is rolling back so much of the progress we’ve made.”
Source: Original article