Who is Greisa Martinez Rosas? The ‘undocumented and unafraid’ queer at Hands off protest – The Times of India

Greisa Martínez Rosas, the executive director of United We Dream, ignited a controversy on immigration after boldly declaring her undocumented status at an anti-Trump rally in Washington, DC.
At the ‘Hands Off 2025’ protest, Rosas announced “I am an immigrant, I am undocumented, unafraid, queer, and unashamed.”
Who is Greisa Martínez Rosas?
Originally from Hidalgo, Mexico, Rosas moved to the United States with her family at a young age and grew up undocumented in Dallas, Texas.
Rosas’s activism began in 2006 when she helped lead student walkouts in Texas, part of a nationwide mobilisation against anti-immigrant legislation. Since then, she has played a pivotal role in registering young Latinos to vote, founding youth-led organisations, and co-founding the council for minority student affairs at Texas A&M University, the first undocumented youth-led group in the university’s century-long history.
Today, she leads United We Dream (UWD), the largest immigrant youth-led network in the country with over one million members. The organisation focuses on the dignity and fair treatment of immigrant youth and their families, particularly those who are undocumented.
She played a crucial role in the fight for the deferred action for childhood arrivals (DACA) programme and helped defend it before the US Supreme Court in 2020.
Her statement has since gone viral, garnering a lot of attention, drawing fierce criticism from users. While many social media users have demanded her deportation, others have applauded her courage and used the moment to spotlight the ongoing challenges faced by undocumented individuals in the United States.
“Damn… So we can just publicly state we are breaking laws and get away with it?” one user qustioned.
“Her online info says she’s a DACA recipient and holds a work visa. If that’s true, she can still be deported, but I think she’s trying to become famous by baiting @ICEgov and becoming a martyr with a gofundme.”