The Good Place actor Bambadjan Bamba is sharing his story of being an undocumented immigrant for the first time.
The 35-year-old actor came to the United States with his parents at age 10 after their was a civil war in his home country, Cote D’Ivoire. He is currently registered under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, implemented by the Obama administration in 2012, but President Trump is moving to end the program.
Bamba didn’t realize he was undocumented until he tried to get financial aid while applying for college.
“Immigrants are not criminals,” Bamba told the Los Angeles Times. “We’re your neighbors, your doctors, the teachers of your children, and sometimes we’re on TV in your home, characters that you love. We’re just one of you. The only difference is [that you have] a certain piece of paper that’s supposed to allow you to navigate freely in the country.”
“There’s all this fear that’s being perpetuated. We just can’t be scared anymore,” he said about revealing his status now.
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