In June 2021 a young man who grew up in Northern California qualified in the World Championships in Oregon to run in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in the 1500 meters.  That young man was Luis Miguel Grijalva Morales.  What transpired between that Monday in June and the end of July was nothing short of history.  It was life altering for Luis, his attorney Attorney Jessica Smith Bobadilla (host) and people all over the world.  Luis was the first DACA Olympian and required an advance parole permit to travel to Tokyo and return safely to the United States.  The media attention Luis attracted and the significance to the DACA and DREAMER community was nothing short of extraordinary.  In addition, the precedent was set for emergency advance parole for non medical/humanitarian emergencies a process that usually takes upward of five months to obtain a DACA travel permit if filed through the normal channels.  

In this episode we discuss:

1) How Luis and Jessica connected to make history as attorney and client;

2) Luis' history with the sport and his childhood and history as a runner;

3) Luis' love of the sport of track and field and what he feels it has contributed to his life;

4) The impact of the victory for Luis in the Olympics making it to the finals and setting records for Guatemalan and Central American runners;

5) Luis' recent victory as 4th fastest in the world in the 1500 meters in Oregon in July 2022;

6) Luis' recent trip to Europe in June and plans to head back to Europe again in late August provided he is granted another permit to travel for more races;

7) Jessica's love of jogging and running as stress relief, leisure and preventative medicine:

8) What the future holds for Luis as an athlete and what he does in his spare time;

9) The special place Guatemala holds in Luis' heart and the love he and Jessica have received from the Guatemalan community in the country and abroad;

9) The impact of all the attention on his career and the significance of the media attention for the case.

BIOGRAPHIES

JESSICA SMITH BOBADILLA (HOST) 

Jessica Smith Bobadilla is an attorney, podcast host, media commentator, former law professor and expert in immigration and human rights law and policy.  She is the attorney for today's guest, Luis Miguel Grijalva Morales and has represented immigrants and refugees from all over the United States in her 20 year career of practice in private firms, non-profits and law school teaching.  She can be reached through the podcast email at iamattorneyjessicapodcast@gmail.com or on Facebook or Instagram at I Am Attorney Jessica.  Her law firm website is http://www.attorneyjessica.com.

LUIS MIGUEL GRIJALVA MORALES (GUEST)

Luis Miguel Grijalva Morales was born in Guatemala and arrived in the United States when he was one year old.  He learned at a young age that he had a gift for running.  Following the rollout of the DACA program Luis obtained a scholarship to attend Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona and joined the track team as part of his entry into university life.  Luis wants to expose others to track and field and running.  He recently took 4th place at the World Championships in Oregon in July 2022 following his ascension to the finals at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games held in August 2021.  Luis can be contacted through the podcast at iamattornyjessicapodcast.com or on Facebook and Instagram at I Am Attorney Jessica.