New book humanizes the journey of undocumented children in US

Though it was 30 years ago, Margarita Quiñones-Peña still remembers hugging her grandfather goodbye when her pregnant mother took her and her older sister by the hand to make their way to Chicago from Mexico to meet their father.

She was 3 years old. Though the memories are blurred, the feeling of leaving the place she knew as home has never faded, she said.

She is now 33 and still has not been able to return. Tita, as she was called by her beloved grandfather, is undocumented. She was brought to this country unauthorized as a child. For a long time, she was ashamed of her status and felt powerless, until she eventually realized that thanks to her family’s resilience, they had created a home of their own in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood, despite all their struggles and sacrifices.

“There is nothing to be ashamed of. Rather, be proud of the sacrifices our parents have made and our resilience to succeed despite being undocumented,” said Quiñones-Peña, now a software…