Part 1 - “Imperfect Paradise” Presents: Finding Home con DACA
Imperfect Paradise
LAist Studios
4.5 • 535 Ratings
🗓️ 2 May 2023
⏱️ 21 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
California is home to around 2 million undocumented people. And in Southern California, roughly 80,000 of them have DACA, Deferred Action Childhood Arrival (although some stats put that number higher). It allows people to get a work permit, to pay in-state tuition, and to get a drivers license. But there are a lot of freedoms it doesn't grant, like freely traveling outside the US.
How to LA host Brian De Los Santos has had DACA for about a decade. He recently got approved to do something big: he's going to Mexico for the first time since he was 2 years old, through a process called advance parole.
It's a travel permit that allows DACA recipients to leave the country and come back. However, the permit is issued with a very specific time window, and is only given for certain travel reasons.
And the big one: it doesn’t guarantee admission back into the country. But despite the stress, Brian's taking the opportunity to go Mexico and see family he hasn't seen since he was a toddler.
In the first part of this series, Brian's bringing in a couple of his friends and fellow DACA recipients to talk about all of his hopes and fears for the trip, and what it's like to live with DACA in the U.S., which is very much like living in limbo every day. We've got more of Brian's story over on LAist.com, so be sure to check that out.
As A DACA Beneficiary, I’ve Been Waiting For This Trip To Mexico All My Life
If you have DACA and want to apply for advance parole, it's very important that you consult with an immigration attorney. These organizations can help get you started:
CALIFORNIA MEXICO CENTER https://www.california-mexicocenter.org/cmdsummer2023/
CARECEN LA https://www.carecen-la.org/can_i_apply_for_advance_parole?locale=en
Guests:
Chris Farias, LAist social media producer; José Alonso Munoz, deputy communications manager for United We Dream, an immigrant youth-led support network
Music Credits This Week:
Chris Schlarb, The Mod Archive, Quetzal, Naran Ratan, Natalia Lafourcade, Austin Cross, Old Saw, & Anthony Barilla
Support How To LA and other LAist Studios podcasts by donating now at LAist.com/join
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Support for LAIS comes from Car Pros Kia, featuring the 2027 Kia Telluride hybrid with a striking new design and family-friendly seating for up to eight. |
| 0:09.5 | You can learn more at CarPros Kia in Glendale, Huntington Beach, and Moreno Valley. |
| 0:15.1 | LAISD is supported by Elephant Energy. |
| 0:17.7 | Elephant Energy is LA's expert in installing modern and efficient heating and cooling systems, |
| 0:22.6 | the new standard for whisper-quiet comfort year-round. |
| 0:25.6 | They handle the design and the rebates to save you thousands. |
| 0:28.6 | Claim your rebates at elephantenergy.com. |
| 0:31.6 | Hi, and Perfect Paradise listeners. |
| 0:33.6 | I'm Brian De Los Santos, and I host a podcast from LA.A.S. Studios called How to LA, where I help |
| 0:39.7 | Curious Angelinos connect with our beautiful and complicated city. I'm also one of roughly 80,000 |
| 0:46.3 | DACA recipients in Southern California, and in the series we're about to share, you'll hear my |
| 0:51.3 | very real and very personal story of receiving advanced parole to return to |
| 0:55.6 | my homeland for the first time since I left 30 years ago. Stay tuned to hear part one of our |
| 1:02.0 | four-part How to LA series on my journey home to Mexico. Oh my God, this looks official. This looks |
| 1:10.7 | official. What is this? |
| 1:12.6 | Remember a couple weeks ago when I told you I was getting ready to go on a trip to Mexico? |
| 1:17.6 | Authorization for parole of an alien into the United States. |
| 1:21.6 | Department of Homeland Security. |
| 1:22.6 | If you haven't heard that episode yet, to recap, I was approved for something called advanced parole. |
| 1:28.3 | It's a travel document that allow some DACA recipients like me to travel abroad without applying for a visa. |
| 1:34.3 | World purpose is DACA. Authorization is valid for one entry. |
| 1:38.3 | DACA has been life-changing for hundreds of thousands of young people. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from LAist Studios, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of LAist Studios and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.