Paola Garcia
Paola Garcia
Paola Garcia is a student at Transylvania University. She resides in Lexington, Kentucky.
Early Life
Garcia was born in Mexico. Her family brought her illegally to the United States when she was 2 years old. Garcia is part of President Barack Obama's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, which has allowed her to study.
Outing by Taylor Ragg
In September 2017, Garcia's classmate Taylor Ragg outed her as an illegal immigrant on Facebook. Ragg's post led to Garcia getting harassed and threatened.
Transcript of Video
Garcia's YouTube video telling her story about the threats she received; she calls for Taylor Daggs' expulsion
Threatening post from Taylor Ragg.
Garcia's YouTube video telling her story about the threats she received; she calls for Taylor Daggs' expulsion Hello, my name is Paola Garcia. I'm a senior at Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky. I'm undocumented and a recipient of DACA.I'm scared of what my future holds, because [?].My parents and I have been living here since I was 2 years old. 19 years later, America still doesn't feel like a home to me. I've dealt with Racism, discrimination, Threat s, name calling, just blatant ignorance. But I usually suck it up, bite my tongue, and let it go.I've never asked for help, but that's what I'm gonna do now.Threatening post from Taylor Ragg. Over the summer, a student at Transylvania University posted me on a racial hatred page called the 10th Crusade Enthusiast with a comment, "Everyone go report this illegal at my school bragging about breaking the law." hat night, I received numerous messages on Facebook from members of that group, threatening me with [?] Someone actually sent me pictures of him filling out a [?] form to Homeland Security. And I received messages like, "I can't wait 'til you're fucking cunt ass is gone," "You and your N-word boyfriend need to leave," and "Hope you enjoyed your visit. Back to the dirt floors of your homeland, stinky ass." So, I took screenshots of everything and reported it to the administration. But, according to them, it doesn't-- his actions don't violate the school's non-discrimination policy. If you read it, it's obvious that he did. And it just doesn't make sense to me how that was their conclusion. Their reasoning was that, "Mr. Ragg reposted your comment with recommendation to readers about how to respond to it," talking about my bio, which said, 'Undocumented, unapologetic, and unafraid.' I'm trying my best to explain the real threat that deportation has been to me and my family. And not only that, but racism emboldened today. And he's inciting them to harass me and report me. He's still here, and I have to see his face every day. It's such a small campus. I ask that you guys contact my school's administration and ask for Taylor Raggs's expulsion. Because hopefully, we as a group can do something, because being on my own isn't enough. I'll post contact information, links, and details with this video. And I want to thank you guys for taking the time to listen and to help me. It means the world to me right now.