Diane Guerrero

Diane Guerrero is a Colombian-American actress, author, and activist who has become a prominent voice in the fight for immigrant rights in the United States. She is best known for her roles in Orange Is the New Black and Jane the Virgin, but she has also been vocal about her own personal experience with family separation due to deportation.

Born in New Jersey in 1986, Guerrero grew up in Boston and grew up speaking Spanish at home. Her parents were undocumented immigrants from Colombia who were deported when she was just 14 years old. Guerrero was left to fend for herself, living with friends and family and struggling to cope with the trauma of losing her parents.

Guerrero has been open about how her own experiences have influenced her work as an actress and an advocate. In 2014, she wrote an op-ed for the Los Angeles Times about her family’s experience with deportation, which helped to bring national attention to the issue. She has also testified before Congress about her own story and the need for comprehensive immigration reform.

In her acting career, Guerrero has played a number of powerful, complex female characters. In Orange Is the New Black, she played Maritza Ramos, a young Latina inmate who struggles to find her place in the prison hierarchy. In Jane the Virgin, she played Lina, the best friend of the show’s titular character. More recently, she starred in Doom Patrol, a superhero series on HBO Max.

Through her advocacy work, Guerrero has become a leading voice in the movement for immigrant rights. She has worked closely with organizations like the Immigrant Legal Resource Center and the Women’s Refugee Commission to help advance policies and programs that support immigrants and refugees. Her activism earned her a seat on the board of the Latino Victory Project, a progressive political action committee that supports Latino candidates for office.

In 2016, Guerrero published a memoir called In the Country We Love: My Family Divided, which recounts her own experience with family separation due to deportation. The book was widely praised for its honesty and its insight into the complexities of the immigration system. Guerrero has also spoken publicly about her own struggles with mental health, including her experiences with anxiety and depression.

Today, Guerrero continues to be an outspoken advocate for immigrant rights and social justice. She uses her platform as an actress and public figure to raise awareness about issues affecting immigrant communities, including government policies that harm families and individuals. She has also been a vocal supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement and other racial justice initiatives.

Guerrero’s work has earned her numerous accolades and awards. In 2018, she was given the Impact Award at the Hispanic Heritage Foundation’s annual celebration. She was also named a Champion of Change by the White House in 2015 for her work in the immigrant rights movement.

Through her work as an actress and activist, Diane Guerrero has become a powerful and influential voice in the fight for immigrant rights. Her personal story of family separation has helped to shine a spotlight on a critical issue facing immigrant communities today, and her advocacy has helped to push for change at the national level. With her talent and her passion, Guerrero is sure to continue making a difference for years to come.