Born in Mexico, and a veteran community activist, Rico Ocampo is now the lead organizer for Make the Road, an immigrant justice non profit which recently opened an office in Reno on E. Plumb Lane, further expanding from its Nevada base in Las Vegas.
One goal is to help the undocumented Hispanic community in northern Nevada.
The organization is working to find free resources such as free children’s eye exams or even free mammograms for the undocumented or uninsured and under insured. Make the Road or Se Hace Camino as it translates in Spanish means that those fighting for undocumented rights are paving the road for the next generations to advance.
“Our organization was formed in 2017 in response to the Route 91 Harvest Festival shooting [during which 60 people were killed and over 400 injured.] Many undocumented immigrant workers [who] are now survivors face significant barriers [to access] basic medical and mental health services due to their immigration status,” he said.
According to its website, Make the Road has also established a presence in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania.
Senator Catherine Cortez Masto visits the Make the Road Nevada team. Photo by Rico Ocampo with permission to use.
Ocampo himself has had to face struggles as a DACA recipient. Ocampo tells the story of the time when the healthcare system in the United States failed him and his family. Ocampo’s older brother was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer at the age of 17. “The fact that we were undocumented, our entire family, including him, I saw firsthand the injustices that take place in this country every day when it comes to undocumented folks,” Ocampo says of not having access to Medicare.
His brother ended up dying from the disease. On top of the emotional toll of losing a loved one the family accumulated tremendous debt. After the hospital placed a lien on the family home, he says they lost it.
“I think it was one of the earliest moments that I can remember being stripped of my dignity,” Ocampo says. In turn what drew him to Make the Road Nevada was being able to call out injustices and advocate that regardless of someone’s immigration status, everyone deserves to live with dignity and justice.
A woman on the frontlines of a recent Make The Road Nevada organized protest. Photo taken by Rico Ocampo with permission to use.
“We let them know that undocumented people are worthy of being loved, they're worthy of breathing the same air as anyone else, and that they have power in their stories,” Ocampo says of the people they are trying to help. “I think that's what separates us is that folks who otherwise would've felt alone, feel like they're at home with us and they feel like they're heard.”
As of now the Make the Road Nevada team is focusing on the 2023 legislative season and priority bills that have the potential to change the lives of immigrant families. They are even getting prepared for the presidential elections in 2024 and looking into candidates that will stand with the undocumented community.