A Philadelphia-based comedian, Che Guerrero , is using laughter and jokes to teach others about the ongoing uncertainty surrounding his immigration status after growing up undocumented.
For Guerrero, making people laugh is just one reason why he gets up on stage.
His main motivation lies in sharing what it means to grow up undocumented.
“People usually think that being undocumented means you don’t have papers at all,” Guerrero said. “You fall in and out of status all the time … Sometimes I do shows where people go ‘I never thought about laughing about this, about not having a social, about how crazy it is to not have a driver’s license.’ Yeah, it’s goofy.”
Before starting his 16-year-long comedy career, Guerrero came to New York City at 6 years old from the Dominican Republic.
His family was in search of a better life.
Guerrero said he wasn’t fully aware of his immigration status until he couldn’t accept a college scholarship.