#daca

I learned America

through cafeteria lunches,

school bus windows,

and the sound of my name

being called during attendance.

I grew roots here

before I even understood

what roots were.

My childhood lives in these streets.

In scraped knees on playgrounds,

late-night talks with friends,

first heartbreaks,

first dreams,

first moments that made me feel human.

Every important memory

wears the colors of this country.

Yet somehow,

I grew up with the feeling

that the ground beneath me

could disappear.

People talk about freedom

like it’s something simple.

Like breathing.

Like sunlight.

But some of us learn

that freedom can come with conditions.

With paperwork.

With fear.

With the quiet panic

of not knowing what tomorrow could take away.

I watch airplanes cross the sky

and wonder what it feels like

to move without fear.

To buy a ticket

without thinking about borders,

questions,

or whether you’ll be allowed back home.

Because this is home.

Not in theory.

Not on paper.

But in my heart.

My mother’s voice is here.

My child’s laughter is here.

My memories are buried here

like time capsules beneath the soil.

And now that I have a son,

fear feels heavier than ever.

I’m no longer scared only for myself.

I’m scared of absence.

Of separation.

Of becoming a story he has to explain

instead of a father he gets to hold onto.

So sometimes I travel through a screen instead —

watching oceans, cities, mountains,

living through strangers

with passports and freedom in their pockets.

And I wonder

what it must feel like

to belong somewhere completely.

Still, despite everything,

I love this place.

I love the people who raised me here.

The life I built here.

The version of myself

that only exists because of here.

That’s the hardest part about it all:

loving a place deeply

while feeling like it may never

fully love you back.

But hope is stubborn.

Maybe one day

fear won’t follow people like me

through every stage of life.

Maybe one day

home won’t feel temporary.

Maybe one day

I’ll stand in another country,

look at the sky,

and know I can return freely

📌 19 Mayıs 2026 Amerika gündemi Türkleri ilgilendiren başlıklar; San Diego’daki cami saldırısı, DACA belirsizliği, Dünya Kupası vize kolaylığı, Fed faiz beklentileri ve FDA’nın gıda geri çağırması etrafında şekilleniyor. 📌 Alaturka Amerika Gündem Notları’nda bugün, Amerika’da yaşayan Türklerin güvenliğini, göçmenlik statüsünü, seyahat planlarını, ekonomik kararlarını ve günlük tüketim…