I’m sure you remember when Donald Trump (R-N.Y.) told us that Mexico is sending us its criminals and rapists during his announcement he was running for president. Since that memorable moment, Trump has also laid out his plans to deport all undocumented immigrants.
He has promised to end all state programs that provide tuition help to undocumented students. He’s told us over and over again how he’s going to build a big beautiful wall on the border to keep those pesky Mexicans out.
One high school graduate recently had a perfect answer to Trump’s racist rants.
Mayte Lara Ibarra was the valedictorian of her Austin, Texas high school class. On graduation day, Ms. Ibarra lead the Pledge of Allegiance, gave a speech to her classmates, and received her diploma.
Then she went home and tweeted out how she was of her success.
Buzzfeed reports that Ms. Ibarra tweeted a picture of herself in a yellow dress, wearing her graduation mortarboard and a huge smile. She described herself this way:
“Valedictorian, 4.5 GPA, full tuition paid for at UT, 13 cords/medals, nice legs, oh and I’m undocumented.”
That last word lit the fuse. The reaction to the tweet was immediate and intense. There were the expected Trump trolls out there, of course. People sent the young lady photos of a wall, pictures of Trump, and even an image of a Immigration and Naturalization Service form.
https://twitter.com/paperless_me/status/741069752789958656
There were a lot of positive and supportive tweets, too.
Some people appreciated the brashness of Ms. Ibarra’s tweet. Many of them admired her accomplishments. Several pushed back at the negative reactions.
On that note, #MayteLaraIbarra is AWESOME! So inspiring!! And if anyone is hating on her it's clearly because they're jealous and stupid
— Jasmine R (@JjasmineR) June 9, 2016
Mayte Lara was shocked by how many retweets she got and how intense the reactions were. The post was retweeted 9,500 times and got 20,000 likes before she deleted her Twitter account. She has no plans to restart it.
There are a few very important points to note about this story.
First of all, Mayte Lara Ibarra explained to the Austin American-Statesman that she sent the tweet to express her pride in her Mexican heritage and to show that undocumented people can overcome all kinds of obstacles.
She said that she never intended to mock anyone.
More importantly, the State of Texas doesn’t distinguish between documented and undocumented immigrants when it comes to college admissions or financial aid. The University of Texas grants two semesters of tuition waivers to the Valedictorian of every Texas high school, without regard to their residency status.
Mayte Lara Ibarra worked really hard. She studied, did her work, and excelled in all areas of her education.
She has been granted a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), which means that she is not truly “undocumented.” She has a social security number, a work permit and a job. She pays taxes.
Mayte Lara Ibarra is exactly the kind of young person we need in this country. She is hardworking, smart and determined. She undoubtedly has a bright future ahead of her.
Her only mistake, it seems, was in sharing her success story in the time of Donald Trump.
Watch this Daily News video for more on this inspiring teen:
Featured Image Screenshot Of New York Daily News Video Via YouTube.
