(English → Français) View originalTranslators:
Sometime when we write about the issues that pertain to the immigration debate, the same comments come up. “Why don’t you just do it the right way like everybody else!?” These statements frustrate me because the notions of how one becomes a U.S. citizens are deeply misconstrued and misunderstood. 48m4aeal4l7qdbznnp2uspcmxxqo1l01 I became a U.S. 5vw15qxi1upcvfjtpyb70j4d5t29g4zvcitizen through my mother. 48m4aeal4l7qdbznnp2uspcmxxqo1l01 My parents came to this country in 1984 with very little. 48m4aeal4l7qdbznnp2uspcmxxqo1l01 In 1986, Reagan signed a monumental amnesty legislation that was meant to be a crackdown on border security yet aimed to provide a road to legalization for the undocumented immigrants that had been in the country prior to 1986. My mother was granted amnesty as part of this program and the road was paved for us to someday become U.S. Citizens.5rzvo1ujqbhzmyorlvgih8fvoezddlx3
A Reagan Legacy: Amnesty For Illegal Immigrantstc1g5yjjbb84vyvdr0y3cryfcpp1weez
This experience led me to pursue a law degree. 48m4aeal4l7qdbznnp2uspcmxxqo1l01 I remember sitting at a Catholic Charities office and feeling so grateful as an attorney filled out our paperwork. 48m4aeal4l7qdbznnp2uspcmxxqo1l01 I remember crossing back and forth between Juarez and El Paso and having to pretend that I was asleep so we wouldn’t get caught as we drove through. Once, I saw Border Patrol beat a man near the crossing in El Paso. 48m4aeal4l7qdbznnp2uspcmxxqo1l01 That image burned in my mind and I remember crying and asking my parents why they were hitting him.vyg8qqai5ej85fottqcwz83p2cml07d4
The process took a long time. I remained undocumented all through high school. I learned I was undocumented and what it meant to be “illegal” when I was in kindergarten. 48m4aeal4l7qdbznnp2uspcmxxqo1l01 I had entered and won an art competition for an organization called Limbs for Life. 48m4aeal4l7qdbznnp2uspcmxxqo1l01 I attended a fancy dinner with my parents and they gave me a big cardboard check with my name on it. In the following days, I remember my kindergarten teacher, Ms. 93rd2zhfmgh5isrpc4mm68e9dyybxtlhMoreno, taking me aside during recess and telling me that I was not going to receive the scholarship because I did not have a social security number. 48m4aeal4l7qdbznnp2uspcmxxqo1l01 Her tears made me realize that this must be serious and I immediately began to rattle off numbers, hoping that one of them would by my “social security” number. dzij9bcchczhqbf7dbwkugzrx7co4e3cBy the time I got home that afternoon, my parents had already been informed and my grandmother was waiting for me. 48m4aeal4l7qdbznnp2uspcmxxqo1l01 She didn’t say anything about it, but her silence was all I needed in that moment. 48m4aeal4l7qdbznnp2uspcmxxqo1l01 I was angry. I decided that I would not feel this anger ever again and allow someone to take away something that was rightfully mine.y2665hb1wn3229qepy1w5h6wpmz500h3
I worked hard in school and many of my friends never knew I was undocumented. My parent’s instilled in me a tenacious work ethic and I excelled in my academics, leadership, and sports. I knew I had to excel in order to receive scholarships for college. 48m4aeal4l7qdbznnp2uspcmxxqo1l01 My parents each worked two jobs when I was growing up and I didn’t want them to pay for my school. By the beginning of 2000, I received my permanent residency. khv35u32yd5viqhhmo9ae30croej5f89It took 14 years for me to receive my “Green Card.” 14 years of living in the shadows and lying to friends everyday. 48m4aeal4l7qdbznnp2uspcmxxqo1l01 14 years of living in fear of police officers and deportation. 14 years of watching my dad break his back as a mechanic so that we could live a normal “American” life. I was the undocumented Homecoming Queen of my high school and very few people knew the anxiety and nervousness that I lived with. I never allowed it to deter me from any of my goals and continued to persevere.5j2ksexqw7wyvxtcb534ung80sl4dksh
You never know what brings someone to this nation, and in reality, most people who are here, do want to go back home. If you don’t want amnesty, then perhaps compromise on creating visas that allow migrants to enter to work temporarily and return to their home country. 48m4aeal4l7qdbznnp2uspcmxxqo1l01 When I speak with immigrants in New York City, they tell me similar stories. They all want to just save up some money and go back home to be with their loved ones. 24ju9oystgp7p5odjlndy9numtcs0ia7 48m4aeal4l7qdbznnp2uspcmxxqo1l01 The current labor visas are usually for highly specialized or trained immigrants such as professionals. It’s not easy to try and do it the right way because there are few options that allow this and even if you are eligibly, the wait time is almost 50 years for some categories! I waited 14 years in one of the “fast-moving” immigrant categories. dk750swqpw65due3bt9fy7vviggvy6l4If you can think of a faster way for people to become residents or citizens then let your legislators know, but in the mean time,understand that this is not a simple and fast process and for many families it takes years for the entire family to become “legal” residents.cgrzof1ttuvpx9scjhg7nqfjtj31kesx
On March 24, 2010, I finally became a U.S. Citizen. It took me 24 long years to become a citizen the “right” way. In August of 2010 I graduated with my law degree from the University of Denver. It’s not easy doing it the “right” way because even when you do, you’re at risk of deportation, but people try. Nobody likes living with this anxiety and fear. So have some compassion and try to understand their plight, before you begin to judge.wsmwh2ijfxdflx36byq21zjfw77t9pq8
For a better chart on this process visit:62jgjm33ugqs66x0m2xk9esvwbyz6c5n
What Part of Legal Immigration Don’t You Understand?crif4i1i246fymv5apggxyj6sd5czr4n
A guide to America’s labyrinthine immigration bureaucracyvv4c2zju16jafkdewbh7vvbqyhzjcpfm
By: Shikha Dalmia & 48m4aeal4l7qdbznnp2uspcmxxqo1l01');" rel="author">Michael Flynn 48m4aeal4l7qdbznnp2uspcmxxqo1l01
zlud9adv007ihdxltbgquc45sgag2qak48m4aeal4l7qdbznnp2uspcmxxqo1l01
(original) View Français translation
Sometime when we write about the issues that pertain to the immigration debate, the same comments come up. “Why don’t you just do it the right way like everybody else!?” These statements frustrate me because the notions of how one becomes a U.S. citizens are deeply misconstrued and misunderstood. I became a U.S. citizen through my mother. My parents came to this country in 1984 with very little. In 1986, Reagan signed a monumental amnesty legislation that was meant to be a crackdown on border security yet aimed to provide a road to legalization for the undocumented immigrants that had been in the country prior to 1986. My mother was granted amnesty as part of this program and the road was paved for us to someday become U.S. Citizens.
A Reagan Legacy: Amnesty For Illegal Immigrants
This experience led me to pursue a law degree. I remember sitting at a Catholic Charities office and feeling so grateful as an attorney filled out our paperwork. I remember crossing back and forth between Juarez and El Paso and having to pretend that I was asleep so we wouldn’t get caught as we drove through. Once, I saw Border Patrol beat a man near the crossing in El Paso. That image burned in my mind and I remember crying and asking my parents why they were hitting him.
The process took a long time. I remained undocumented all through high school. I learned I was undocumented and what it meant to be “illegal” when I was in kindergarten. I had entered and won an art competition for an organization called Limbs for Life. I attended a fancy dinner with my parents and they gave me a big cardboard check with my name on it. In the following days, I remember my kindergarten teacher, Ms. Moreno, taking me aside during recess and telling me that I was not going to receive the scholarship because I did not have a social security number. Her tears made me realize that this must be serious and I immediately began to rattle off numbers, hoping that one of them would by my “social security” number. By the time I got home that afternoon, my parents had already been informed and my grandmother was waiting for me. She didn’t say anything about it, but her silence was all I needed in that moment. I was angry. I decided that I would not feel this anger ever again and allow someone to take away something that was rightfully mine.
I worked hard in school and many of my friends never knew I was undocumented. My parent’s instilled in me a tenacious work ethic and I excelled in my academics, leadership, and sports. I knew I had to excel in order to receive scholarships for college. My parents each worked two jobs when I was growing up and I didn’t want them to pay for my school. By the beginning of 2000, I received my permanent residency. It took 14 years for me to receive my “Green Card.” 14 years of living in the shadows and lying to friends everyday. 14 years of living in fear of police officers and deportation. 14 years of watching my dad break his back as a mechanic so that we could live a normal “American” life. I was the undocumented Homecoming Queen of my high school and very few people knew the anxiety and nervousness that I lived with. I never allowed it to deter me from any of my goals and continued to persevere.
You never know what brings someone to this nation, and in reality, most people who are here, do want to go back home. If you don’t want amnesty, then perhaps compromise on creating visas that allow migrants to enter to work temporarily and return to their home country. When I speak with immigrants in New York City, they tell me similar stories. They all want to just save up some money and go back home to be with their loved ones. The current labor visas are usually for highly specialized or trained immigrants such as professionals. It’s not easy to try and do it the right way because there are few options that allow this and even if you are eligibly, the wait time is almost 50 years for some categories! I waited 14 years in one of the “fast-moving” immigrant categories. If you can think of a faster way for people to become residents or citizens then let your legislators know, but in the mean time,understand that this is not a simple and fast process and for many families it takes years for the entire family to become “legal” residents.
On March 24, 2010, I finally became a U.S. Citizen. It took me 24 long years to become a citizen the “right” way. In August of 2010 I graduated with my law degree from the University of Denver. It’s not easy doing it the “right” way because even when you do, you’re at risk of deportation, but people try. Nobody likes living with this anxiety and fear. So have some compassion and try to understand their plight, before you begin to judge.
For a better chart on this process visit:
What Part of Legal Immigration Don’t You Understand?
A guide to America’s labyrinthine immigration bureaucracy
By: Shikha Dalmia & Michael Flynn