Immigration stories are complicated. Some people enter the United States without authorization. Others arrive legally and later become undocumented because a visa expires. Many are children when it happens and have no say in the matter at all.
Here are ten more notable immigrants whose stories show how undocumented people have contributed to American politics, literature, activism, entertainment, education, and public life.
1. Adriano Espaillat
Adriano Espaillat was born in the Dominican Republic and came to the United States at age 10. His family overstayed a tourist visa, making them undocumented for a period before they were able to obtain green cards. He later became a U.S. citizen and, in 2016, made history as the first formerly undocumented immigrant elected to the United States Congress. (freedomandcitizenship.columbia.edu)
Why notable: Espaillat represents New York’s 13th Congressional District and became the first Dominican American to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives. He has also chaired the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. (Rep. Adriano Espaillat)
2. Catalina Cruz
Catalina Cruz was born in Colombia and came to Queens, New York, at age 9. According to her official New York State Assembly biography, she grew up as a DREAMer and lived in the United States for more than 10 years as an undocumented American. (New York State Assembly)
Why notable: Cruz became a New York State Assemblymember representing District 39, which includes Corona, Elmhurst, Jackson Heights, and nearby Queens neighborhoods. She is an attorney and has focused much of her career on tenant protections, immigration reform, and workers’ rights. (New York State Assembly)
3. Tereza Lee
Tereza Lee, a Brazilian-born Korean American, moved to the United States with her family when she was two years old. She later became known as the “first DREAMer” because her story helped inspire the original DREAM Act, a proposed law meant to create a pathway to legal status for young undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children. (PBS)
Why notable: Lee is a pianist and immigrant-rights advocate whose personal story helped shape one of the most recognizable immigration-policy debates in modern U.S. history. PBS describes her as going “from undocumented and afraid to DREAM Act immigrant activist.” (PBS)
4. Cristina Jiménez Moret
Cristina Jiménez Moreta arrived in the United States from Ecuador as an undocumented immigrant at age 13. She later became a co-founder of United We Dream, one of the most influential immigrant youth-led organizations in the country. (MacArthur Foundation)
Why notable: Jiménez became a major national voice for immigrant youth, helped shape the fight for DACA, received a MacArthur Fellowship, and was named to the TIME 100. In a 2025 essay, she wrote that she and her husband, who had also been undocumented, are now U.S. citizens. (MacArthur Foundation)
5. Lorella Praeli
Lorella Praeli immigrated from Peru to Connecticut with her family at age 10 and grew up undocumented. She became active in Connecticut, co-founding CT Students for a Dream and working for tuition equity for undocumented students. (American Civil Liberties Union)
Why notable: Praeli went on to serve as director of advocacy and policy at United We Dream, later became the ACLU’s deputy national political director, and served as Hillary Clinton’s national Latino vote director during the 2016 campaign. She became a U.S. citizen in 2015. (American Civil Liberties Union)
6. Prerna Lal
Prerna Lal, born in Fiji, became a leading immigrant-rights advocate after living undocumented in the United States. Lal helped pioneer online organizing by undocumented youth and co-founded DreamActivist, a network that used digital advocacy to stop deportations and push for DACA. (Lal Legal)
Why notable: Lal became an immigration attorney and founder of Lal Legal. In 2018, Lal wrote publicly about being sworn in as a U.S. citizen after an 18-year journey that included becoming undocumented, facing removal proceedings, and eventually winning a green card. (Lal Legal)
7. Reyna Grande
Reyna Grande was born in Mexico and entered the United States as an undocumented immigrant at age 9. She later attended Pasadena City College, transferred to UC Santa Cruz, and earned an MFA from Antioch University. (cccco.edu)
Why notable: Grande became an award-winning novelist and memoirist. Her books include Across a Hundred Mountains, Dancing with Butterflies, and The Distance Between Us, which explores her life before and after immigrating to the United States. (cccco.edu)
8. Dan-el Padilla Peralta
Dan-el Padilla Peralta came to the United States from the Dominican Republic at age 4. His family overstayed tourist visas, and he grew up undocumented while navigating poverty, homelessness, elite private schooling, and eventually the Ivy League. (American Immigration Council)
Why notable: Padilla Peralta became a classical scholar and author of Undocumented: A Dominican Boy’s Odyssey from a Homeless Shelter to the Ivy League. He earned degrees from Princeton, Oxford, and Stanford, and later became a Princeton professor of classics. (Princeton Classics)
9. Bambadjan Bamba
Bambadjan Bamba was born in Côte d’Ivoire and came to the United States at age 10. In 2017, the actor publicly disclosed that he was undocumented and protected under DACA. (ABC News)
Why notable: Bamba has appeared in The Good Place, Grey’s Anatomy, Suicide Squad, and Black Panther. By coming forward, he also helped broaden public understanding of undocumented immigrants, emphasizing that undocumented people are not only Latino but also Black, Asian, Middle Eastern, and from many other backgrounds. (ABC News)
10. Karla Cornejo Villavicencio
Karla Cornejo Villavicencio was born in Ecuador and raised undocumented in New York City. She later graduated from Harvard and became known for writing about immigration, mental health, class, beauty, and the lives of people who are undocumented in the United States. (Center for the Humanities)
Why notable: Her nonfiction book The Undocumented Americans was a finalist for the 2020 National Book Award, and her novel Catalina was longlisted for the 2024 National Book Award. (National Book Foundation)
Final Thought
These stories do not all follow the same path. Some people became citizens. Some received legal protections. Some used public attention to push for reform. Others turned their lived experience into art, scholarship, organizing, or public service.
Together, they show that undocumented people are not an abstract political category. They are writers, lawmakers, teachers, artists, lawyers, neighbors, students, parents, and leaders whose lives have helped shape the United States.