Daniel Hatoum, a Texas native, considers himself a Texan “right down to [his] cowboy boots.” But despite growing up in America, Hatoum, who is the son of a Muslim immigrant, learned early in life that many people saw him as anything but. 

“I was in elementary school when September 11th happened,” Hatoum recalls. “I remember how, almost overnight, people started to turn against my family, including folks in positions of power.” Once, in high school, a student put a note in his twin brother’s locker, accusing him of being a “terrorist” who wanted to blow up the “utopia” of their small Texas town. 

The experience gave Hatoum a sense of purpose—and ultimately, a career path. “Honestly, I became a civil rights attorney to fight my own personal bullies,” Hatoum says. “I had a bone to pick against the discrimination I faced in my life.” 

Hatoum now works as a Senior Supervising Attorney for the Texas Civil Rights Project (TCRP), which challenges policy and practices that violate American citizens’ civil rights, particularly in areas like voting or immigration. The organization is organized into different programs, each with its own focus, and Hatoum’s team specifically advocates for the humane treatment of people living and traveling through the Texas borderlands. Often, his clients are arrested by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and held in detention facilities, sometimes alongside their entire families. For Hatoum, it’s a reality that hits close to home. 

“The parents came to this country to raise their children and give them hope for a better life—the same reasons my parents are here,” he says. “These parents have the same hopes as my family, and frankly, seeing those hopes locked in a detention cell ticks me off.” 

But it’s also taught Hatoum that while their struggles are connected, so is their liberation. The work can sometimes be exhausting and emotionally draining, but it’s ultimately his way of fighting for a more just society.“By fighting for other........

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