Bay area DACA recipient leads immigrant rights workshop

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — A Tampa Bay area DACA recipient is using his experience to educate immigrants and their allies about their rights as immigration policies continue to change.

Diego Dulanto Falcon, an immigration advocate, was born in Peru and immigrated to the United States as a child. He graduated from USF in 2022 with a bachelor’s degree.

He said navigating school and his immigration status was a challenge.

“It’s been incredibly difficult, both financially and socially,” Dulanto Falcon said. “There’s not a lot of students like me.”

Dulanto Falcon said his immigration status left him feeling isolated.

“I had all these different issues and problems that no one really had an answer for,” he said.

Without many people who could relate to his experience, Dulanto Falcon turned to professors who became mentors, including Judith Bryant, a professor at USF.

“Maybe I’m more a person who tries to encourage him and again help brainstorm or generally problem solve,” Bryant said.

That support later inspired Dulanto Falcon to help others. He has mentored immigrant students, participated in local immigration advocacy groups and now works with the national nonprofit Stories of Immigrants.

It was founded last year by Rosa Bello. The idea of the nonprofit was a tool for immigrants to change how the country sees them and has provided a platform for those immigrant stories to be told.

Dulanto Falcon recently hosted his first workshop, Prepared, Not Powerless, which was aimed at educating immigrants and their allies about their rights. The workshop covered different immigration statuses and practical information about how immigrants can protect themselves and respond to encounters with authorities.

For Dulanto Falcon, the workshop is also a way to use his own experience to help others navigate situations he once struggled to understand.

“It’s making sure we stay connected, so that way we can continue to support each other because no one is going to protect us if not for us,” he said.

Dulanto Falcon said he hopes participants leave with “a sense of inspiration and motivation to take back power in their lives.”

Dulanto Falcon said he is trying to build the kind of support network he once needed so others do not have to navigate uncertainty alone.

Stories of Immigrants shares Dulanto Falcon’s story along with the experiences of other immigrants from across the country.