Atziri “Jacks’' and Yajaira Peña, two immigrant sisters, came to the U.S. at the age of five and nine in pursuit of the “American Dream.” Being a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipient comes with many obstacles but that didn’t stop these sisters from pursuing their dreams.
DACA is a U.S. immigration policy that temporarily protects undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as children from deportation. It gives undocumented immigrants protection from deportation and a work permit.
DACA recipients can get a temporary stay against their deportation for two years at a time, yet they cannot receive any federal benefits such as college financial aid.
DACA requirements
- Under 31 years old as of June 15, 2015
- First came to the United States before applicant’s 16th birthday
- Lived continuously in the United States from June 15, 2007 until the present
- Physically present in the United States as of June 25, 2021 and at the time of application
- Came to the U.S. without a “valid” document before June 15, 2012, or your lawful status expired as of June 15, 2012
- Currently enrolled in school, earned a certificate of completion for high school or GED, or have been honorably discharged from the U.S. armed forces
- Must have a clear criminal record
While attending college, both sisters needed a form of income in order to pay for books and college expenses. They told their dad, Jaime Peña, that they wanted to create a business separately. Their dad gave them $50 each and they founded their separate shops online.
Atziri was selling band t-shirts and Yajaira sold vintage clothing. With money generated from their separate shops, it led them to team up and create a business together in 2017 called Adelitas Apparel before it was changed in 2023 to Barrio Drive.
Atziri explains that the inspiration to start Barrio Drive came from not seeing much representation for undocumented immigrants that were young adults, and wanting to create something that spoke to that experience.
“I wanted something that really talked about being a young adult immigrant because when one talks about DACA they see us as children, but nobody really talks about immigrants at the age we are in,” said Atziri.
The name of the business reflects what the brand is about: Barrio, which is Spanish for neighborhood, and Drive, as in motivation.
“We are driven by our community and family. And we wanted that to be reflected in our brand’s name,” said Atziri.
For Yajaira, Barrio Drive represents more than just a brand, “It embodies a safe space and the true definition of community. It’s where we can be unapologetically ourselves and celebrate others in all our diversity,” she said.
Shining a light on the Latiné community through merchandise
Atziri creates many of the designs and embroidery on the merchandise, including the logo.
In May of 2023, Barrio Drive made their first pride collection that represented aspects of Latiné culture. “I never owned a [piece of] pride merch and part of that was because I really never saw a [Latiné] pride merch that really talked to me,” said Atziri. “There have been bigger brands that have made pride merch, but little… representation to different cultures.”
Atziri expresses that a lot of the merch they create is an attempt to have a conversation and create visibility for the Latiné LGBTQ community. The two sisters believe that the Latiné queer community deserves to feel seen and celebrated for who they are.
Maggie Nuñez, a queer supporter of Barrio Drive, said that the merch resonates with her.
“I love the transparency and honesty they have with the community, and I felt very seen. And I think their values really aligned with mine,” said Nuñez.
Nuñez explained that she loves seeing Barrio Drive’s beautiful graphics. The art features members of the same gender kissing, which can be hard to find amongst Latiné brands.
“Their videos are constantly talking about their values, they are getting their target audience, and they are really empowering a community that sometimes feels unseen or unheard of,” said Nuñez.
She went on to say that very few brands would give back to their communities, but Barrio Drive does.
Barrio Drive has created many collections where a portion of the proceeds go towards the DACA merchandise funds, such as Resilience, OAXACA and Abolish ICE.
Barrio Drive’s DACA Fund helps potential recipients cover the cost of application fees. Atziri explained " we specifically create merch for [the DACA section] because we want to make sure that we’re constantly having money so that we could help more [DACA recipients] people.”
As of April 2024, the fees for a DACA renewal have increased up to $555 for an online renewal and $605 via mail. The Advance Parole application now costs $630. Before April the renewal fees were set at $495, which did not include any attorney fees that some applicants may incur while receiving assistance with their filing.
The requirements to apply for Barrio Drive’s DACA Fund
- Who can apply?
- Anyone who is renewing their DACA application. Barrio Drive is not accepting new DACA applicants at this time.
- How can one apply?
- You “purchase” a DACA scholarship when it’s available
- When the DACA scholarship is sold out, it means that they currently have no funds.
- Potential applicants can subscribe to receive alerts for when Barrio Drive has funds again.
- How to support their DACA Fund
- Make a purchase from their DACA Fund collection
- Donate directly
- Via “DACA FUND” product
- Venmo/CashApp @BarrioDrive
Barrio Drive has helped over 80 DACA renewal applicants so far through this program.
“It’s crazy to think about it because we started the DACA fund because we couldn’t pay our own, so to see how much the community as a whole has been able to help out one another through this initiative is really rewarding,” said Atziri.
Currently Barrio Drive is working on a collection called “Home” for their DACA Fund. Atziri says they hope to slowly expand and connect with creatives from different places around the world to create “souvenir” shirts that reflect all the places immigrants are from.
“As Mexican immigrants ourselves it’s a blessing to always be represented when the conversation of immigrants comes up, but there’s immigrants from different parts of the world that aren’t highlighted so we want to create merchandise that highlights those places,” they said.
Freedom through entrepreneurship
Atzriri says she feels freedom as a DACA-recipient through running Barrio Drive.
“I can’t travel outside of the United States, I can’t travel back home or even like Canada or Europe, but being able to send these items, it feels like I’m sending a piece of me out there,” she said.
Yajaira hopes that through their website they can empower and uplift the community while raising awareness. “We use our platform to educate and support others through content sharing. We share educational content, stories, and resources that resonate with our mission, helping to inform and inspire our audience,” she said.
The brand focuses on creating a movement that celebrates and elevates diverse perspectives, emphasizing cultural pride and community empowerment.
“Barrio Drive is a voice for those who are frustrated with the political climate and lack of visibility of undetected voices like ours. We aim to create a community that uplifts marginalized voices through fashion, art and storytelling,” said Atziri.