Chicago lawyer will become a citizen and voter for the 1st time on Election Day

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Election Day will be a special day for Chicago lawyer Karen Villagomez, who will be sworn in as a naturalized citizen and is voting for the first time.

Villagomez is preparing for a flood of emotions.

"Finally feeling in a place where I am stable and no one can ever place me in removal proceedings again," she said.

Just 13 years ago, the then-University of Rochester freshman was trying to get back home to Chicago for spring break when she was detained by border patrol agents at the airport.

"That's the thing undocumented people fear their whole lives," Villagomez said.

Villagomez, who came to the U.S. with her family from Mexico when she was a toddler, was detained for two days.

Her case was sent to an immigration judge. Even though it was eventually dropped, the experience inspired her to change her career plans.

"I knew what drove me to go to law school, the law had affected my life and how important the laws are in our society," Villagomez said.

Right after she finished her undergraduate degree in 2012, DACA was established. Villagomez married an American citizen in 2018, which put her on a pathway to citizenship.

Tuesday she will be thinking about the DACA recipients whose futures in this country remain in limbo.

"I would feel so much more satisfied if I was becoming a U.S. citizen because of a change in the law," Villagomez said.

As an American citizen, Villagomez said she promises she will continue to use her voice to help people in need, including those who are undocumented.