Sergio Romo, the Latino star pitcher for the San Francisco Giants, posted a video on Youtube in which he expresses his full support for "The Dream is Now" campaign, which is in favor of immigration reform and a path to citizenship for all immigrant youth that is currently in the country.
"I firmly believe that there should be a path to citizenship for the 2 million undocumented students so that they can lead productive lives and contribute to the only country they have called home," Romo said in a statement.
The Mexican-American from Salinas, who was born to immigrant parents, has brought to light the issue of immigration with the controversial shirt he wore during the parade celebrating the Giants' World Series win. The shirt read "I just look illegal" printed on the front. Soon after Romo wore the short, there were numerous media outlets that claimed that the pitcher was politicizing the event and claimed that he was way out of line in doing so. Romo responded that immigration reform was a pressing matter and that awareness was needed.
In reference to his shirt, Romo, 30, said that he was discriminated against many times in the past because of his appearance and was even detained by authorities in Arizona who assumed he was undocumented.
"My dad always talked about the American dream as a working man just looking to make a living and care for his family and I see nothing wrong with that," Romo says in the video.
"The Dream is Now" campaign was founded by the widow of Apple's Steve Jobs, Laurene Powell Jobs, in an attempt to help fix the current broken immigration system through immigration reform and raising awareness for the issue. The organization aims to give a voice to all undocumented youth and their families so they can have the opportunity to get citizenship.
Part of the campaign includes a 30-minute documentary that tells the story of four young dreamers raised and educated in United States, but undocumented, and whose plans for the future depend on whether immigration reform is passed.
"My hope is that with this project, people see the lives that are at stake," Jobs said when she launched the project.
The Silicon Valley activist's documentary was screened for several members of the U.S. Congress who are currently debating the specifics on an immigration reform bill that could set the pathway for citizenship for more than 11 million undocumented workers.