When ASU junior Belen Sisa posted a selfie on Facebook last week, she was trying to make a point. But she didn’t expect it to go viral.
Sisa is an undocumented immigrant and a “dreamer” who is now legally in the country as part of President Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA.
The post read “MYTH BUSTER: I, an undocumented immigrant, just filed my taxes and PAID $300 to the state of Arizona.” It showed her holding up her Form 1040.
Before long, it was everywhere. To date, it’s been shared almost 7,000 times and more than 16,000 people have reacted to it. Sisa has received messages from strangers attacking her looks and integrity, and threatening to report her to immigration authorities.
It’s been a roller coaster of a week for the 23-year-old, and, when I spoke with her more about this, I asked her to explain why it was so important to her to show people that she — and other undocumented immigrants — pay their taxes.
