Prerna Lal (born 14 December 1984) is a United States citizen, born and raised in Fiji Islands with roots in the San Francisco Bay Area. Lal is a founder of DreamActivist, an online advocacy network led by undocumented youth. Through the use of social media, they have been credited for organising an online network to stop the deportations of undocumented youth and they are well known as one of the pivotal figures and leaders of the DREAM Act movement. A clinical law professor, Lal is a frequent writer on immigration, racial justice, sexual orientation, and how these forces intersect. Lal is a graduate of The George Washington University Law School, and works as an immigration attorney.
Early life and education
Prerna Lal was born on 14 December 1984 in Lautoka, Fiji. Growing up, Lal attended Nehru Memorial Primary School and St Joseph's Secondary School, Fiji. When the government of Fiji was overthrown in a militant coup in 2000, Lal's family decided to emigrate to the United States. The Lal family applied for lawful permanent resident status through Lal's US citizen grandmother but that process took over a decade and in the meanwhile, Lal fell out of status and became an undocumented immigrant in the United States. Lal attended Hayward High School in Hayward, California and graduated with the class of 2002. Because Lal was an undocumented student, they did not qualify for federal financial aid or loans to attend colleges. Lal's family established a cleaning business and Lal worked long hours to attend Chabot College, a community college, near home. In 2005, Lal obtained a Bachelor of Arts in political science from California State University, East Bay. Having limited career options as an undocumented immigrant, they continued their schooling at San Francisco State University where they obtained a Masters in International Relations. Lal matriculated at The George Washington University law School in 2010, and graduated in 2013.
Career
Lal became active in the DREAM Act movement in 2008 and 2009, as a founder and Communications Director of DreamActivist and served on the Steering Committee of United We DREAM. They were among the first undocumented students to share their story publicly and speak openly about their immigration status in the media. Through the use of social media, Lal helped build DreamActivist and United We DREAM into a nationwide network of undocumented youth who organised to push for the DREAM Act and ushered in a new age of community-led deportation defense. By combining story-telling, legal advocacy, lobbying and social media as organising tactics, Lal effectively helped to stop the deportations of dozens of undocumented immigrants. While the DREAM Act failed to pass the Senate in 2010, Lal's organisation continued to push for executive action to stop the deportations of undocumented youth, and was rewarded when President Obama announced the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program in 2012.
Despite being undocumented, Lal matriculated at George Washington University Law School in the fall of 2010. They worked at several D.C. area law firms, and received merit and need-based scholarships from both the school and immigration advocacy organisations to fund their education. Lal graduated from law school in 2013, becoming the first undocumented graduate from the George Washington University Law School. At a special awards ceremony, they received the Justice Thurgood Marshall Distinguished Accomplishment Award in Civil Rights and Civil Liberties for their immigration and LGBT work. Lal was also licensed and sworn into the bar of the District of Columbia while they had no immigration status.
Lal is a writer and prolific social media architect who has received attention for their immigrant rights and LGBT activism. In 2011, the South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT), honoured Lal with a Changemaker Award on the 10th anniversary of 9–11, for their leadership role in the undocumented youth movement. In 2013, Fusion listed them as among the "Top 20 Immigration Experts to Follow on Twitter" while Colorlines showcased their in "Here's 15 Smart Women of Color on Twitter." In 2016, Bustle named Lal as one of the 27 activists to follow on Twitter.