Diane Guerrero was born on July 21, 1986, in New Jersey, USA. Her parents and older half-brother had fled Colombia when the country was going through violent turmoil.
The family had overstayed their temporary visas and were deported back when Guerrero was 14 years old. The actress recounted when talking to NPR:
So I was walking home from school. I went inside. My parents’ cars were outside. And food was on the stove, but it wasn’t done. Lights were on. My mom’s sweater was on the chair, and - but they were gone. And then a neighbor came and told me that immigration services had come and taken them.
Separated from her family, Guerrero relied on the hospitality of a friend’s family to survive until high school.
