Speaking exclusively on condition of anonymity with our sister station Telemundo 39, a young teacher in Dallas says she lost her job due to delays in renewing her work permit under DACA. The educator, who has 10 years of experience with the district, says she does not know what will happen. Meanwhile, she clings to her memories of everything she has accomplished. This case reflects the real impact of immigration delays in North Texas. “I’ve been waiting five months and nothing … I miss my students so much,” said Diana, a pseudonym she agreed to use with Telemundo 39. The Dallas Independent School District granted her a 30-day grace period, after which she would lose her job. “So on March 20, I had to leave the district, and now I’m unemployed,” Diana said. But the hardship does not end there because not only does she no longer have a salary, she is a single mother of two kids, and her youngest has autism. Local The latest news from around North Texas. “He needs a lot of things, medical appointments, medicine and that has me very worried and overwhelmed,” Diana said. A harsh reality that is becoming increasingly common, according to the North Texas Dream Team. “It’s something that hurts a lot, especially within the immigrant community, that this is happening. For years, we’ve been filing applications, giving our money to the government, doing everything they’ve told us to do,” Mariay García, a spokesperson for the organization, said. Diana turned to the office of her district’s U.S. Representative, Jasmine Crockett, for help. Her request was received, and she was told that USCIS responses typically take 30 to 60 days, but no outcome is guaranteed. On Monday morning, Telemundo 39 sent a request for information about the case to the Department of Homeland Security, but has not yet received a response. The wait, Diana said, is agonizing. According to an immigration attorney, the recommendation for Dreamers is to file work permit renewals months in advance. Diana explained that she submitted her application three months in advance and did not realize the delays were already in effect. Reflections from a dreamer Telemundo 39: What have these nearly five months been like? Diana: It’s been very difficult, especially mentally, because sometimes I get depressed. Every day you find yourself checking the immigration website to see whether your case has been approved, and you see it’s the same, the same, the same, and it takes such a toll on you mentally. Telemundo 39: What scares you? Diana: I’m very scared of the future of not being able to return to my classroom with my students and teach. Telemundo 39: What messages have you got from your students? Diana: At the beginning, since I wasn't separated from the district yet, I was receiving some emails telling me that I hope you're doing OK. We pray for you. We miss you. It's just hard to not tell them what's going on. Telemundo: If you can speak with USCIS officers or the people in charge of your process, what would you tell them? Diana: I want them to have compassion for us, because we are human and we just want to work to provide for our families. I want them to approve our permits so that this wait can end, all this uncertainty that ends, which is very hard for us mentally, emotionally, and financially. I wonder if they can have compassion for us, too. Telemundo: What would you like people to know about what you're struggling with or what you are experiencing right now? Diana: I want people to know that it's hard, it's hard to be in this position. It's not easy to come and speak up about it, but I want the people and all the dreamers to know that they're not the only ones going through this. They should come up and speak about their cases so that something can be done. Maybe our representatives from the state can help us, the senators. We just want to work. We are here to work and provide for our families. We're good people. Like I said, we just want to work and we love our jobs. Like myself, I love being a teacher and I just want to be there for my students and teach them. And it's hard to find teachers. It's hard and especially teachers that love their profession and I love my profession. I want to be there with my students.