SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) — When Santa Clara County poet Laureate Yosimar Reyes was commissioned to write a play by Teatro Vision, he knew what he wanted it to be about.
“I wanted to write a love letter to the people that inspired me to be the poet that I am today,” said Reyes, who grew up in the Mayfair neighborhood of East San Jose.
That play, ‘No Llegamos Aquà Solos’, (translated as “We Did Not Arrive Here Alone”) is premiering this month at the Mexican Heritage Plaza.
It tells the story of Ignacio, a young activist who wants to organize his undocumented neighbors against immigration raids but finds out many have other priorities.
“He’s going around trying to convince them but the reality is his grandmother just wants to celebrate her birthday,” explains Reyes. “So there’s this tension between how do you prepare and how do you live in the moment.”
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Reyes, who was named poet laureate in 2024, is undocumented but protected under the Obama-era program Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).
He was brought to the United States from Mexico when he was three years old.
The play draws from his own experience living with and caring for his grandmother.
In the play, the protagonist, Ignacio, also lives with his grandmother and questions her about why they never pursued legal residency.
Ignacio learns how his grandmother and other undocumented people push aside fear and instead focus on the things that bring them joy.
“A lot of them lived through Proposition 187, so there’s been like waves of immigration movements that they’ve lived. And so the best way that they survive has been through staying focused on just trying to pay the rent,” said Reyes.
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The play was commissioned by Teatro Vision. It was originally supposed to be about the gentrification of the Mayfair neighborhood but the focus shifted as fear of immigration raids and deportations rose since President Donald Trump began his second term.
“We’re telling this story that if feels so current, so written for this moment,” said Rodrigo Garcia, artistic director of Teatro Vision.
Garcia was also undocumented before legalizing his immigration status. He sees the play as a powerful statement.
“It’s an act of resistance to be on stage because according to society, we’re not supposed to be, we’re not supposed to exist right now. The government is trying to erase who we are, our legacy, and for me, it’s an act of resistance,” said Garcia.
Reyes wants his community to see themselves reflected in the play and to let them tell their own story.
“There’s nothing physical about being undocumented. There’s nothing in my hair, my eyes, my skin. It’s social conditioning. And I think that is the difference that I want to showcase in this play. We’re not just undocumented people, we’re thinkers, we’re philosophers, we’re small business owners. We have lives and joy is an essential part of the lives that we live,” explained Reyes.
Teatro Vision’s “No Llegamos Aquà Solos” runs until February 22, 2026 at the Mexican Heritage Plaza in San Jose.
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