Hillary Clinton Campaign Press Release - Millions of Kids in the U.S. Fear That Their Parents Will Be Taken. One of Them Told Her Story

Nobody should go through life this way.

Imagine you come home from school to find that your parents aren't home.?

In a moment of panic, you wonder: Did they just run out to the store? Or were they taken?

Millions of kids live with this fear every day. Betsaida Frausto is one of them.

Betsaida is a 17-year-old. Her family lives with the constant fear of deportation.

Betsaida with her familia.

Families like Betsaida's are living with this fear and uncertainty every day.

President Obama took executive action to help young people who were brought to the US as children—and one year ago today, President Obama authorized "DAPA" (Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents). But a federal court in Texas issued an injunction blocking the action. And many families who would have gotten relief from deportation are right back where they started: living in fear.

Betsaida's parents brought her to America so she could have a brighter futuro than they did. And so far, she has.

Betsaida participates in a magnet high school program, and has her sights set on attending one of the nation's top universities. She wants to become a doctor. She also founded Puerta Abierta, a support group for students whose families are at risk of deportation.

When the federal court put DAPA on hold, it was hard on Betsaida's family. For them, the immigration debate isn't just a sign of our country's political dysfunction—it's an emotional rollercoaster.

" My dad had a bright future. He was going to open his own mechanic shop, he's currently a mechanic and he thought he was going to be able to expand his business. However, since the delay, he can't do anything with it."Betsaida Frausto

One step forward, two steps back. Un paso para adelante, dos pasos para atr?s.

"I remember my family getting excited ... ," explains Betsaida, but with DAPA held up by the courts they can't leave the country, because they might not be allowed back in. For some families, this means being cut off from friends and family back home, not being able to visit a sick parent, or celebrate a relative's wedding.

Even if the Supreme Court rules in favor of DAPA, it expires in January of 2017, so its fate is in the hands of the next president. All of the Republican candidates have said they won't renew it.

A few months ago, Betsaida had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Last Spring, Hillary visited Betsaida's high school and sat down with DREAMers.?Betsaida had the chance to tell her family's story to a presidential candidate—one who listened, and even complimented Betsaida on her exceptional grades.

But for Betsaida, this was more than an opportunity to meet a role model. She and her family are paying close attention to our upcoming elections, because the stakes are incredibly high.

" I want to do everything in my power not only to continue the executive orders that President Obama has put forth—DAPA and DACA and the kinds of changes that he has made... I will not be deporting parents. I will not be breaking up families. I will not be doing what we've seen too much of, which is trying to make immigrants the scapegoat for everything that people are concerned about in the country."—Hillary Clinton, Rancho High School, May 5th 2015

Mientras, Betsaida will have to wait—and hope she doesn't one day return to an empty home.