Ivan CejaJustino Mora

There is a fearlessness and resolve in the Undocumedia co-founders that is emblematic of their movement. In telling their own stories as organizers fighting for their right to live, work, and stay in America, Ivan and Justino have built a massive social media following of DREAMers and allies. Here the real narrative of undocumented youth is crafted, distributed, and weaponized. Through their platform, the bravery and beating hearts of America’s best is on full display.

Iván Ceja’s Bio:

Ivan Ceja is an undocumented immigrant from Michoacán, Mexico. Just a few months old, his parents brought him to the United States in 1992. They settled in Compton, California, where Ivan still lives today. Ivan demonstrated creative ability at an early age through drawing. Thanks to the unconditional support of his parents, he was determined to someday become a comic book artist. It was not until high school that Ivan changed his focus towards engineering, having attended a math and science academy. He joined the robotics team and was fascinated by the art of invention and problem solving. Upon graduating high school, Ivan enrolled in Fullerton College to explore communities beyond his immediate surroundings.

In 2009, he helped to establish the Fullerton Dream Team, a campus club, and would engage in advocacy for undocumented students. Through his involvement he found out about the CA Dream Network and became a part of the statewide steering committee in 2010. During his term, Ivan met Justino Mora and several other undocumented student leaders throughout the state. In 2011, Justino and Ivan would work closely with other statewide representatives to lead and organize community efforts to ensure the successful passage of the CA Dream Act. In addition, Ivan collaborated with Justino and friends to stop the deportation of a close friend, Ricardo Muniz. The campaign to halt the deportation was a success with 14,604 signatures, a feat that was not common at the time among undocumented youth or even national networks. That same year, Ivan was selected to be among the first undocumented students to participate in Dream Summer 2011. He was assigned to the UCLA Labor Center and helped to see the development of the Dream Resource Center with a focus on their social media presence. Ivan was able to combine his passion for art and informing others through social media.

Justino Mora’s bio:

Justino Mora is an immigrant rights activist, entrepreneur, and self-taught programmer. He recently graduated from UCLA with a B.A. in Political Science, co-founded Polibeats (a civic-tech startup), and works as an online consultant. In the summer of 2000, Justino and his family immigrated to the United States to find refuge from extreme poverty and domestic violence. He defied the odds by becoming the first member in his family to graduate from high school with high honors and attend college. It was in community college where Justino decided to become involved in student organizations and the immigrant rights movement.

Justino began organizing with IDEAS at Mt. San Antonio College, an undocumented student support group, and eventually with the CA Dream Network (CDN) and CHIRLA. Justino served in the Steering Committee of the CDN and helped lead and organize the statewide campaign to pass the CA Dream Act in 2011. Through his involvement in the CA Dream Network, Justino worked with other national leaders and organizations to push for the passage of the Federal DREAM Act and comprehensive immigration reform. In 2012, Justino played an important role in the “Right to Dream” campaign that proved pivotal in pressuring the Obama Administration to grant deferred action to undocumented youth. Justino worked as CHIRLA‘s Online Coordinator for about a year and helped plan and develop CHIRLA’s Dream Center – an in-house center that assists DACA-eligible youth apply for deferred action.

In May 2013, Justino was one of seven immigrant rights activists who were invited to share their story and discuss immigration reform with President Obama and Vice President Biden in the Oval Office. Justino also participated in the FWD.us DREAMer Hackathon and DEBUG DC Growathathon in November 2013 and June 2014, respectively. At these two hackathons Justino shared his story and ideas on how to use technology to push for immigration reform with several Silicon Valley leaders including Mark Zuckerberg, Reid Hoffman, and Drew Houston. He co-founded Push4Reform and Text4Reform, two web and text-messaging platforms that allow people to contact their representatives and engage in online advocacy to push for immigration reform. Having collaborated with Ivan on projects in recent years, Justino joined Ivan Ceja to create UndocuMedia.