In the Country We Love: My Family Divided

Diane Guerrero is an American actress best known for her roles as Maritza Ramos in the Netflix series, Orange is the New Black, and Lina on ABC’s Jane the Virgin. She is also an author and an immigration activist. Guerrero was born in New Jersey on 21 July 1986 to undocumented parents from Colombia. She has an older half-brother named Eric, who also lived in the US without documentation. Guerrero was traumatized when ICE deported her parents at the age of 14. The experience left deep wounds that lasted well into adulthood. Depression, alcoholism, and debilitating debts followed. With medication, therapy, and sheer grit, Guerrero rose above her circumstances to become a successful actress. Her childhood experiences prompted her to use her platform to help undocumented immigrants. She penned an op-ed piece for the Los Angeles Times before telling a more complete version of her story in this memoir. She is an ambassador for the Immigration Legal Resource Center, a nonprofit organization that aims to educate the public about issues touching immigrant communities. In 2018, she was recognized at the Phillip Burton Immigration & Civil Rights Awards.