The mission of the Undocupoets is to bring recognition to the work written by undocumented poets and to spread awareness about the societal barriers they face as writers.
[2] "As an undocumented person, it’s ingrained in you to read the fine print, so I knew from the time I got serious about writing that many contests barred us from entering ...
It was out of anger and disbelief that no one else seemed to know about these exclusions that we [Hernandez Castillo and fellow cofounders Christopher Soto and Javier Zamora] started circulating the petition.
The feature brought attention to the experiences of writers navigating the challenges of undocumented status, showing the intersection between immigration and literary expression.
“I don’t think it’s ever occurred to people that we are also writers, thinkers, philosophers, and that we’re actually the agents of our own stories.”[10] Additionally, the fellowship inspired similar programs and conversations within the literary community, such as other journals and presses examining their inclusivity practices.