Diane Guerrero of “Orange is the New Black” and “Jane the Virgin” is set to star in a CBS drama based on her memoir, “In the Country We Love: My Family Divided,” Deadline reports.
The memoir chronicles a traumatic ordeal from Guerrero’s past. When she was 14 years old, her parents were taken from their home in Boston by immigration agents and deported to their native Colombia — all while Guerrero was at school. Guerrero, who was born in the U.S., relied on the love and support of family friends to continue living her life in the country she knew as home.
Guerrero is teaming up with three key behind-the-scenes figures from “Jane the Virgin” for the CBS TV Studios project: executive producer/showrunner Jennie Snyder Urman, executive producer Ben Silverman, and executive producer/writer Paul Sciarrotta. Urman has an overall deal at the studio.
Immigration is definitely an important issue in the upcoming election, particularly when the GOP platform supports mass deportations. As a result of the issue being such a key one in politics, the topic is making its way into entertainment: “In the Country We Love” is the second broadcast drama in development for next season that addresses the issue. “Casa” is set to hit The CW next season.
In 2015, Guerrero was made a White House Ambassador for Citizen and Naturalization. As a result of her family’s experience, she is an outspoken advocate for immigration reform, and has worked with the Immigrant Legal Resource Center and Mi Familia Vota organizations.
