Claudia Belongs!

Claudia Belongs!

10 years ago, Claudia García Curzió moved to Telluride to become a part of this community as a proud and public DACA recipient. For many years, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program has provided Claudia with the space to work, study, contribute, and belong in the United States, and in fact its inception in 2012 was part of her impetus to move to Telluride and build an independent way of life here.

However, DACA status is under perpetual uncertainty and threat, not to mention the ongoing burden of paperwork and requirements for proof of belonging in our state and country. Especially with upcoming elections looming, Claudia has made the thoughtful decision to seek a more permanent pathway to citizenship. Telluride, this is our chance to show our appreciation for Claudia's innumerable contributions to our community. It’s our time to support her as she seeks to begin the process to officially immigrate and secure her future in the place she calls home. Claudia belongs, and we can help as she makes her belonging a secure reality.

The Challenge:

Claudia has been openly and proudly a DACA participant and undocumented member of our community. From her very first days here, she made the choice to help represent and bring visibility to this topic- many folks simply cannot publicize their immigration status, but Claudia has used her platform to bring visibility and education and to remind us that a large segment of our community exists within some kind of undocumented status. She has also, like many DACA recipients, remained in constant hope that Congress could eventually move forward with allowing recipients of DACA a legal pathway to citizenship.

Despite all of Claudia's dedication to this cause, DACA and the future of every human being involved in it remains uncertain. The program is constantly being debated and destabilized by opposing political powers. Even under the best of circumstances, DACA status still requires its recipients to go through a colossal amount of paperwork biannually. And with the state of national leadership in a critical balance, immigration is in the crosshairs of political upheaval. There is a real possibility that Claudia could eventually be forced to leave her home, her family and friends, and the life she has so consciously built here.

How You Can Help:

To secure her future and continue contributing to our community, Claudia is seeking to officially immigrate to the United States. The immigration process is complex, time-consuming, and costly. Legal fees, application costs, and related expenses amount to many thousands of dollars- around $10,000 for legal fees and USCIS application filing fees, plus around $5,000 for the multiple trips to the USCIS office in Denver that are required to complete her immigration process. Since Claudia wants to be sure to complete this process in a timely manner, she will be working with Huddleston Law Group, trusted attorneys based in Texas who have assisted members of her family in this process as well.

We all know that Claudia belongs here. She has been an integral part of our community as a partner and co-parent, an advocate, librarian, volunteer, activist, friend, athlete, board member, and beyond. She has shared her heart and her passion with us for ten years, and this fundraiser is just one way that we can show her how we believe in her belonging into the next decade and beyond.

Every contribution of any size is welcomed and celebrated, and will bring Claudia a step closer to achieving the next step of her journey as a permanent, secure member of our community.