An Interview

As my first blog stated my main goal is to bring to light the real lives of undocumented people in this country and to break the stereotype of them being viewed as criminals and illegals. I would like to present a side of the immigration debate that actually discusses the lives of immigrants. The first interview I conducted was with a 22 year old male who would like to remain anonymous. The interview went as follows:

(me): How long have you lived in The United States?

(interviewee): Um, I would say for about 20 years.

(me): How old were you when you found out you were not in this country legally?

(interviewee): Let's see, during the first wildfires in San Diego, what year was that, oh 2003, when I was in eighth grade, I was thirteen.

(me): So before that time you had no idea you were here illegally? How did you feel when they told you?

(interviewee):No, I had no idea, I never even thought about it really. I didn't know how to feel, I didn't realize how big of a deal it really was, but I knew that I was probably not going to live my life the same way as everybody else.

(me:) So who told you? Why at that time?

(interviewee):Both my parents told me, I had actually brought it up because a week or two before that we had border patrol come to our school and just tell us about what they do, just like when the police and firemen would come to our school.

(me): So border patrol came to your school to talk about illegal aliens? Did you think at that time that you could be one? Why would you ask your parents about it?

(interviewee): Not necessarily about illegal aliens, they just showed us their vehicles and talked more about drugs and enforcing the borders. One of the other students brought up illegals being caught and asked if they had ever caught any illegals. After he answered the question then a couple kids asked me and my other friend if we were illegal because we were the only Mexicans in the class. So I went home and asked my parents because the kids asked me and I didn't know.

(me): That sounds like it was a difficult thing to deal with, did you have a lot of restrictions through high school, like not being able to do certain things that other kids did?

(interviewee): It was, but I didn't want anyone to suspect anything, so I just went ahead and did things that put me at risk, but when I knew the stakes were too high I would say I could go but at the last minute cancel.

(me): So you risked yourself just so that you could fit in? Did anyone know about your situation aside from your family?

(interviewee): Of course because I also had to deal with being a teenager with low self-esteem and wanting to be cool. No, no one knew besides my family.

(me): So when your high school graduation rolled around what did you do?

(interviewee): I knew that going to college would be an option but I would have to lie about information and in the end make things worse for myself. So I decided I didn’t want to do that if I ever could get a chance to fix my situation. So I just worked with my father for a while.

(me): So did you ever get a chance to fix your situation? 

(interviewee): Luckily I did. I met a fantastic amazing girl in high school who I fell in love with and she gave me the courage to tackle every obstacle. We married and hired a lawyer and we were able to get me my proper documentation.

(me): Did you ever get a chance to go to school? Or are you planning on going to school now that you can?

(interviewee): Well the possibility is always there now, I do plan on going as soon as we get enough money.

(me): You know they were trying to pass that DREAM ACT when you were younger, if it had passed would you have gone to school or joined the military then? What do you have to say to those on both sides who fought against it?

(interviewee): Oh I definitely would have gone to school or joined the military if  it meant that my situation would have been cleared up. I would say, ughh this is hard, let's see.....you can’t politicize life and make it about personal gains when it involves an entire group of people who have no say. I was just a kid and I didn’t choose that life for myself, I don’t think anyone wants to be illegal, my parents didn’t want to, but they were taken advantage of here in The United States by lawyers who said they were getting us legal status but really they just stole thousands of dollars my parents had worked hard to earn to be able live in this country. 

(me): Well now California has their own form of the DREAM ACT, do you think this is good?

(interviewee): I think it is very good, I think it is very good for kids and people like me who want an education, who want to be a part of society and give something back. It is a step in the right direction, statewide and nationally, it is a good opposition to states like Alabama and Arizona who have no tolerance for kids and people like me. 

(me): Thank you so much for opening up about this topic, I know it is difficult.

(interviewee): You’re welcome, even though it is hard to speak about it, it is good to put this information out there.

This interview is meant to help us realize that the life of an undocumented isn’t a life that is always chosen. Sometimes things just happen without intention and plans get ruined or changed, an illegal or undocumented isn’t always a “criminal” themselves, they are just a consequence of someone's actions. Parents may bring their children here to provide them a life they cannot have in their home country, we must realize that for some life in the country they were born in in so difficult or dangerous in some cases that living in the U.S. illegally is far better and safer than living at home legally. Next time I will explore some of the politics of the debate, especially concerning where our two Presidential candidates sit.

Who is Undocumented?

Often we have this idea of what an undocumented person looks like, how they behave, the activities they partake in. We often see them as Mexican, as poor, as criminals, but these are ideas that have been fed to us, they are stereotypes of an "illegal" or an "undocumented". However, this is not the truth of the matter, the images that come up in our minds are not what is real. Here is what is real: A seventeen year old girl, brought to the United States without papers at the age of one. She has spent her entire life in this country, knows the language, knows the culture, attended public school and is preparing to graduate. She is an honor student, was in the theater club, and was on the volleyball team. She is excited to graduate, but scared at the same time because she will not be able to attend the University she would have been able to go to with her high achieving grades, she will soon be eighteen and will be a legal adult who has to carry identification, but she has no way of obtaining any because she doesn't have a social security card. She cannot travel, she cannot drive, she cannot get a job, she is stuck. If her parents have managed to earn enough money she may be able to go to community college, at least if she lives in California. You know this girl, she sat next to you in your science class, she helped you make flyers for the school fundraiser, she was one of your best friends. She is certainly not a criminal, she is just one of the many unfortunate children who were brought to this country without any paperwork.
     These are the stories I will be telling you, these are the real lives of undocumented immigrants. Some came here as adults some as children; they may have come because they were struggling to survive in their country or to simply provide a safer and more stable living environment for their families. These people are no more criminal than you or I, we break the law everyday when we drive 70mph instead of 65 mph or answer the phone while we drive. This is why I will be sharing with you a side of the immigration debate that we never get to hear, the side of the immigrant, the people we talk a lot about but never take time to listen to, the people we have such emotional strong feelings about without even taking the time to realize who they are. Now you will know them, and you will understand why they are here, and what struggles they have been dealing with, particularly those who were brought here as children and have had to inherit the difficult situation of being undocumented.
     I will end this post with something to think about, this statement comes from a conversation I had with a friend. She explained to me, "Have you ever driven over the speed limit? I assume yes, because we all have. Now the real question is why did you do it? Many people will say they did it because they were late and they needed to get to work or to school. Are these people criminals? You will probably say, well no, they shouldn't speed but just because they did it a few times doesn't make them a criminal, we don't demand that they go to jail. Yet when you think about it, speeding involves a lot of risk, the potential for a traffic ticket which can cost anywhere from hundreds to upward of a thousand dollars, not to mention the mark against your driving record and the increase in your insurance. Then you have to think about the risk of a car accident, your life, your passengers life, and the lives of the others on the road. That is a lot of risk to not be late, and for what? For a JOB.....sound familiar? Breaking the law, risking so much for what? Ah yes, that's right.....a job, a livelihood, the thing that gives you a future and all the comforts of life. "