After a forceful return to Mexico due to a deportation in 2009, rebuilding a life of 20 years in the U.S. can seem an insurmountable task. There is no doubt that I miss my friends, my community, my neighborhood…life as I knew it, was forever gone.
I suppose that many other deportees as well as undocumented immigrants that have returned to Mexico by choice are hopeful that someday they will return to the U.S. Right after my arrival in Mexico, I felt the same way. I used my limited resources to contact my attorney to file a petition to re-open my case in hopes that an immigration judge could see the injustice done to me. I was only a nine year-old child brought into the U.S. by no choice of mine, living under a broken immigration system that did not allow me to change my status during my stay in the U.S., and with no criminal history, I was sent back to Mexico within hours after my detention.
My friends were also unwilling to accept that I could not return to the U.S. for at least 10 years. But unfortunately, hope did not overcome my unchanged legal reality – I had no means to be able to return legally to the U.S. and the Board of Immigration Appeals confirmed that when it denied my motion to re-open my case in 2011.
On the other hand, I feel fortunate that I was able to re-settle, at least temporarily, in a border town which is only a two-hour drive from my community of friends in Los Angeles. I still get to see my friends that cross the border to visit me. In return, I tour them around a city that has much more to offer to tourists than the typical “Revolucion Blvd.” experience including BajaMed food dining, wine tasting, and the breathtaking drive along the Baja coast. On their visits, we talk about our shared experiences and relive the cherished moments of the time I used to be “en el otro lado” (Spanish term to refer to the other side of the border). It does not take too long into our conversation when we begin to talk about “my hopeful return” to the U.S. which is now 6.6 years away, assuming the best case scenario I get granted a pardon by the U.S. government.
Over the last year, I began to experience a shift of perspective of my return to the U.S. as I realize that it is no longer my only option for a better life. Recently, I read an interesting piece in the The Guardian titled Undocumented migrants back in Mexico hope to some day return to US that made this contrast much clearer for me. It shared more stories of DREAMers just like me, that will not be able benefit from any type of immigration reform as they are back in Mexico, in their case by choice. Many of them had the same fears as I had of being unable to progress economically in Mexico, but with time are discovering that that such opportunities are also available in their own country.
For many of us that lived as undocumented immigrants in the U.S., our fears to restart a life in our native countries are based on conditions that we remember it to be when we left, and we expect it to be the same or worse when we are forced to return. In some cases, resettlement can be tough, especially for immigrants that do not have a skill that may be in demand, like being bilingual, or may lack the skills to find a job in growing industries such as manufacturing. Although we are still a developing nation with much more work to be done to improve the quality of life so its citizens are not forced to emigrate, I feel Mexico is no longer the country my parents escaped from in the early 1990s. Although at times it can be classified as mediocre, some progress has been made to grow a middle class and improve opportunities for employment.
I am not implying I would support all undocumented immigrants to return to their native country. I believe comprehensive immigration reform should be the first course of action. I do remain hopeful that a much anticipated immigration reform would solve the legal limbo of the 11.2 million undocumented living in the U.S.
Can I expect it to factor deportees and undocumented immigrants that are now residing outside the U.S.? I doubt any reform proposal will bring the flexibility needed in the immigration system to address our plight. Some will be waiting for an opportunity to rejoin family members in the U.S., and others like me, will have moved on to pursue the “American Dream” somewhere else.
Mundo Citizen 
Thank you for sharing your insights and experiences, the American dream isn’t working out so well for many “non-immigrant” Americans either.
True, the economic crisis is blind to legal status.
intersting read. i hope you get what you want.
thanks
Wow, it’s nice to know the government is ridding us of “dangerous criminals” like yourself. Hopefully, no other honors students will slip through their net. But seriously, so sorry to hear about your situation and hope all goes well, whatever you decide to do and wherever you get to do it. Congrats on being freshly pressed!
Thank you. Yes, part of the reason why I am sharing my story is to shed light on the types of individuals that are getting thrown out by the U.S. government. Yes, some are criminals, but the majority are hard-working individuals. And for others like me, the U.S. was our only home.
This is a difficult problem. There are currently millions of desperate people all over the world who would like to come to the U.S. We can’t take them all. How do you decide? I can sympathize with your situation, but your parents may have broken the law to come here. That is not our fault. One future solution should be better law enforcement. Many American citizens are currently unemployed, including many immigrants. The first responsibility for the government is citizens and legal residents. Many of these are suffering greatly, and I feel that increased immigration will only make things worse for them. You are an innocent person caught in a mess. I wish you only the best, and I understand your plight. I am glad you have other options.
You raise a good question which currently U.S. political leaders are attempting to answer in upcoming immigration reform proposal – who gets to stay/immigrate into the U.S.? Should part of the answer factor in those that have been in the U.S. for many years and in some shape and form have also being contributing members of society? Thanks for the well wishes.
I’m happy to have stumbled across your blog. I agree that this is a complex issue — one that deserves comprehensive and well thought out action. I’m glad to be able to think about in the context of your personal experience. It’s a good reminder that there are millions of stories like yours. Thanks for sharing your perspective.
Thank you Kate. That is what I had hoped my post would accomplish.
really like your post! thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Thank you for your voice.
Touching and beautiful, thank you so much for sharing.
Sorry you can not return to the US. You probably should make the most of your current situation and be happy! There are immigration laws for a reason whether we agree or disagree, right?
That is what I am trying to do, although it is tough to overcome physical and emotional displacement. I think we should constantly evaluate if the reasons why we have certain laws in place make sense. Circumstances change and so should laws. Thanks for reading the post.
Wow. That is a fascinating, well written story. It is an injustice to deport a 9-year-old girl. Where does the US government draw the line on who gets to stay and who has to go? It is a tough call all around. I am glad that you are happy and moving on.
That is the million-dollar question which the U.S. government is currently trying to answer in the upcoming immigration reform proposals they are considering. But in the meantime, lives like mine will continue to be irreversibly impacted. Thank you for your comment.
Thanks for bringing a more personal perspective to a difficult debate. I can’t imagine being forced to leave the country I consider my home. You make some very good points and I respect your honesty and openness.
Undocumented immigrants are not in “legal limbo”. Their status is “illegal”, not “semi-legal”. There are thousands of people trying to come to America legally. Why should so-called undocumented immigrants benefit from immigration reform when plenty of people who have gone the legal route will wait and wait and wait and not even be allowed to reside in the US while a decision is made on their application? While I have some sympathy for people who, like you, were brought to the US as children and had no say in the matter, I don’t think you should get any preferential treatment and I don’t think the immigration system should be “fixed” in order to benefit people who came illegally. As someone with experience first as a prospective sponsor and now as a migrant myself, I have a lot more sympathy for people who try to migrate legally and if the immigration system is going to be “fixed”, it should help legal migrants first.
Clearly this is a subject that will spark some sharp rebukes, even as the majority of commentors try to keep their remarks respectful.
housewifedownunder – I also understand your perspective but I think it is missing a point. The U.S. has also benefited from the labor and contributions of undocumented immigrants that for over two decades it willingly turned a blind eye to. I do not believe it is a question of special treatment. Rather, what to do now given the circumstances of millions living in the U.S. in unlawful presence. Deport them all? Some argue that, but the U.S. would be hypocritical if it treated them like criminals when immigrants, whether legal or not, have been part of its foundation, history, and growth.
Now that I have a choice in the matter, if I wanted to immigrate legally into the U.S., what are my options? I would have to wait 10 years before petitioning a very unlike pardon the U.S. might not even grant me, before I can file an application to “wait-in line”? In essence, I might never be able to return legally unless immigration reform especially addressed circumstances of deportees like myself. This is just another example of how we often assume immigration laws are fair, but they aren’t really.
Some people have benefited from the labour of undocumented migrants and some people have suffered from it. It depends on your perspective and what you value. If you are a an employer that values cheap labour and don’t have a moral problem with contributing to the creation of an underclass that is virtually enslaved, then I guess you might benefit. If you are a working class American looking for a job, then you’ll suffer by having to compete with people who are working off the books. But I suspect the vast majority of Americans wouldn’t notice a difference. That labour would get done one way or another and people would just go about their daily lives. I think migrants vastly overestimate how “needed” they are.
Nor do I think it is hypocritical to deport them all. It might be a logistical challenge, sure, but not hypocritical. No one asked these people to come to America. They chose to do it themselves and chose to do it illegally. Why should they not be deported? Because they are already established there? That excuse would never fly in any other country in the world. If I overstayed my tourist visa in Australia, they would have found me and deported me and I would not have gotten a second chance to apply for residency. If I were caught working illegally, it would be a violation of my visa and I would be deported and my residency application denied. I don’t think it is an unreasonable expectation that you do things by the book when it comes to immigration.
I do, however, agree with you that the US needs to address the way children of illegal immigrants are treated, even those that have been deported. It is not reasonable to expect a child to abandon one’s family and go back to their home country alone, nor is it reasonable to hold said child accountable for having accompanied illegally immigrating parents. I think people like you should be pardoned, assuming they didn’t commit any serious crimes while in the US. It isn’t fair that you should be deprived of a fair chance to immigrate because of something your parents did.
But yes, you should have to wait in line like everyone else. The process sucks, probably more so in American than many other places, but I don’t think there should be exceptions for some people and not others. I’m a US citizen and I can’t even sponsor my Australian husband on a spousal visa because I don’t have enough US income. He doesn’t even have the option of “getting in line” (which is why we live in Australia), so you can see why I might disagree with giving preferential treatment to undocumented immigrants when my spouse, who would normally be a high priority migrant, isn’t allowed to live with me in the US just in case we might go on welfare within ten years of his arriving there. Immigration reform is definitely needed, but I think you and I might have to agree to disagree on what kind of reforms those should be.
I will be honest, I do tend to support legal immigration. I think you have to understand that my great uncle paid the Chinese head tax back in the early 1920’s that the Canadian govn’t required.
It was a racist tax that was only the Chinese paid at the time. The purpose was to make it prohibitively expensive for the Chinese men (not allowed to bring their wives) to settle in Canada. There was high fears of Canada being over run with Chinese..after the gold rush ended, etc.
In the late 1970’s, I assisted my father to type up the immigration forms to sponsor some cousins to immigrate to Canada. These cousins had to wait in line, for…7 yrs. while they lived in mainland China. When the Canadian govn’t approved, they came..
Try to understand there is a huge group of immigrants, many thousands, who have patiently waited for years after submitting their application forms, etc. to the govn’t.
May you go forth with your life in Mexico and make it count positively.
Jean – thank you for your comment. It is aligned to a topic I would like to write more about; a comparative of immigration laws across various countries. Glad Canada has come far along in their immigration policies since the early ’20s as your great uncle experienced.
Interestingly, I have been looking at other places I could legally immigrate and Canada seems by far more progressive than the U.S. Of course, they currently do not have the same immigration issue as the U.S. has, but I find it ironic that if I were to file my paperwork today, within 2-4 years I can find myself being a permanent resident of Canada, given the level of education I have obtained. I say that to illustrate how backwards things are in the U.S., a country that allowed me such educational opportunities and is not willing to embrace me as a contributing citizen.
But, I am moving forward and looking to do the best I can whether it is here in Mexico or abroad.
Sorry, you and your parents as well as all illegal immigrants committed a felony when you came here illegally. What part of illegal do you not understand? I support legal immigration but I think people should at least be skilled or know a trade before they go through the process to come here.
I bet you didn’t know that your restaurant and deli food is prepared by these same illegals, as well as thousands of construction labor. Slavery was also illegal immigration. I’ve never heard people complain of illegal immigration when they gain from it.
I wonder what skill your ancestors had when they came to this country?! Maybe they shoveled horse manure. You certainly seem to excel at it.
People like you would never understand, judging by your self-righteous question of “what part of illegal do you not understand?” to a little girl who was brought here when she was 9, that children have no control over their parents actions. And NO ONE who came here as a child, who this is the only country they’ve ever known, should be deported — EVER! It’s just wrong and very unfair. And it’s not a felony to be undocumented in this country – shows you don’t even know what you’re talking about – it’s only a felony if you’ve been deported and you come back without permission.
All of these people who are so up on deporting everyone, they need a point of reference. Most of them are WHITE (I can say that because I’m white) snobs who moan about jobs – yet these people who come here work jobs that most LAZY Americans wouldn’t be caught DEAD working! Which one of your unemployed friends wants to go and pick the orchards in the heat of the summer and work their asses off for minimum wage? Oh, I’m sorry… not seeing any takers. They’d rather stand in line, collect an unemployment check while they whine about the unemployment rates and ‘illegals’ taking their jobs and then stop by McDonalds on their way home and super-size their mediocrity!
We’re all lucky that the Native Americans didn’t get a chance to decide whether we get to stay or go — because unless your last name is ‘Sitting Bull’ your family immigrated here at one point, So show a little humility… because but for God’s grace, this woman you’re directing your snarky comments to could be you!!
One little fact most Americans miss is that the Souther US was stolen from mexico in 1898, not so long ago, from the disintegrating Maximilian’s empire. Latin Americans still regard South as their own. Personally I feel that the territiry stolen from them in 1898 does belong to them. So, they are not really illegals, we are illegals!
Sometimes I think the “American” dream is long dead and burried. I live in Europe and I often meet or hear of Americans who have moved to Europe and are trying to live a “European” dream of, for example, having easy access to healthcare and long vacations every year.
You should live YOUR dream, wherever you are.
You are correct. It is not so much about the “American” dream, but the pursuit of happiness and economic mobility we are all seeking, regardless of our nationality. Prior to my deportation, my dreams were of someone that grew up as an American. Now it is a question of finding a home, physical and emotional. Not sure I am there yet, but my pursuit of a dream is still there. Thank you for your comment.
Thanks for your perspective; I think it’s important for us to hear real stories about real people, and not just anonymous profiles. Although I have a somewhat strict view on immigration – meaning that I do consider it completely acceptable for someone who is living in a country illegally to be returned to their home country – I think it’s a completely different story when we’re talking about a child who was brought to a country by their parents. That child – in this case, you – didn’t have a say in the matter. In the meantime, your “home country” may not really be your home. Some children immigrate when they’re four; they may not remember where they were born and often have holes in their knowledge of their first language. All this to say, again, thank you for telling your story – and congratulations on being freshly pressed.
Thank you for the note. You touch on a good question I ponder on regularly; where is home? That is certainly the impact of deportation and displacement that many of us experience.
I appreciate your perspective, and I also appreciate your willingness to make the best of things. I’m glad that the comments here – for the most part – are respectful, even from those who do don’t necessarily agree with your position. Thank you for sharing your story.
Immigration reform is a serious issue here because ICE operates without specific guidelines. They can pick up someone and deport them immediately, even a person who has been here for 20 years and pays taxes; and they can allow someone to stay who might be a criminal but knows the right people. They split up families for simple reasons.
http://terrytreks.wordpress.com/
Absolutely, part of the immigration reform should include more oversight on ICE to ensure they are following proper guidelines. A person who killed someone under criminal law has more legal representation than hard-working immigrant taken into ICE custody. Family separation and the impact of deportation is the humane side of immigration that is probably not convenient to think about, especially for those that advocate for such policies.
I feel sorry for your situation, but like most commenters here, I support legalized process. Going through the proper channel not the easy way cos there are those including myself who went through rigid process, interviews just to get in. I abide the US law, paying taxes and,never took anything for free,but ultimately I will return to my birth country and will not retire in US, so if I were you consider your situation a blessing.
Believe it or not, I am not an advocate of illegal immigration. If I were, I would probably had crossed the border within days of my deportation. I opted out to find the legal avenues by which I could go back to the U.S. and figure out the “proper channel” for me.
Unfortunately, I cannot even get in line right now to go through this “rigid” process you mention. I had also paid taxes, and never asked for free rides. I competed equally among others who had more resources to advance academically, and despite all the obstacles, I excelled. But the government never accounted for the fact I never made a choice on my own to enter illegally to the U.S. as a nine-year old child. Of course, there are worst situations, so I certainly count my blessings, but that does not preclude me to question a system and process that is not working for so many.
Thanks for reading the post and glad it is sparking some great dialogue on a complex issue.
Wow. I feel for you. I can’t imagine being in your shoes. I sometimes wish there were no borders between countries–that things could be different for everyone everywhere. But then I wake up and realize we live in a messed up world, and there’s a reason things are the way they are. My best wishes to you as you rebuild your life in or out of the U.S.
Many thanks. Me too, part of the reason why I call my blog Mundo Citizen (spanglish for “Citizen of the World”) is my vision of a world without borders.
🙂 Keep on. And I like that title.
WOW: Some of the people in these comments are SO ignorant. Some of you idiots might want to ask yourselves…. “Where do I originally come from???” – “Did my ancestors *legally* immigrate?” – Answer is no: Your ancestors didn’t. They invaded, killed off the Native American’s, and stole their land that you all now live on. And NOW you think you have the right to say who should be allowed in the U.S and who shouldn’t. Pfffft. What a joke.
Most of them did, actually. In my case, none of my ancestors came to America til the early 1900s and settled in areas that were already part of the US. And that’s probably true for many Americans. So they didn’t steal anybody’s land. And the Native Americans sold and traded away their land as often or more often than it was forcibly taken from them. That’s not to say the way the Native Americans were treated was right, but just because some people who are now dead mistreated other people who are now dead, that doesn’t make it okay for people today to immigrate illegally. The US is a sovereign nation today and has every right to set reasonable restrictions and requirements on immigration, not least of which are the obligatory health and police checks that legal immigrants must obtain. If you’re going to talk about ignorant people, at least get your facts straight before making accusations.
Reblogged this on Oyia Brown.
Thank you for re-blogging
I agree with DAKOTA, and find it pathetic to read things like ”what part of illegal immigrant do you not understand”? I also am a little bit surprised to see that ”people from all over the world” are trying to live in the USA. That really does give a misleading impression. The language used about ”Mexicans” in mainstream media is generally very offensive. Iran and Europe take in many more people per capita than USA anyway – Iran? Yep..surprise surprise! (Albeit many countries around Iran are at war or recently were).
South American countries used to take in many more immigrants than USA less than 100 years ago, and they are set do so again this year.
I thought the post gave superb insight and was very interesting. Comment too often showed ignorance. ”Illegal immigrants” are a political tool.
I once read in a tweet….”If you are asked what part of illegal don’t you understand?” reply with “what part of American don’t you understand?” I guess I am as much American as “illegal” as others prefer to call me. It is interesting how many of us prefer to distance ourselves from others by using labels such as “illegals”, “aliens” etc. instead of seeing them through our humanity. Thank you for your comment and your kind words….and your blog is amazing. Look forward to following you as well.
That you can share your experience and see a glimmer of hope makes it easier to read this, I can’t imagine how destabilising it must have been to have been removed from the country of your upbringing, in fact you experienced it twice, once as a child and then as an adult.
I hope you find your place and some meaning in all this.
After getting out of survival mode after my deportation, that is the realization I had – that I had experienced “displacement” not only once but twice, the second a more forceful and abrupt. Me too, I am in the search of how to turn this experience into something meaningful. This blog has been a starting point. Thank you for your comment.
It must have been a tough call …one you did not have a choice to take ,,,but glad you have decided to move on.. and in the meanwhile I am sure you’ll make more and more friends so that if and when your American Dream comes true, .. a tug of war ensues between your friends here n the ones across the border to have you with them….n then it’ll be time to take your call… God Bless !!!
Hopefully that day arrives =) Thanks for stopping by…
Good article, and as an expat living in Honduras, I have no desire to return to the States. Once you experience other countries, it opens your mind to all kinds of opportunities to live out your dreams. Plus, with technology what it is, friends don’t seem so far away!
It is very true – there is a whole world to explore.
Good for you! When they deported me, I stole the American Woman and came home 🙂
I am glad you have a piece of America with you 😉
So good that you are sharing what you went through like this.. really sad that the government can’t take a fair call on who should stay and who gets deported.. i hope you get what you want in life… take care..
That what I intend to portray, that the immigration system is broken and it’s effects it has on individuals like me. Thank you for the well wishes.
This is a really difficult situation, and personally I think the US has lost an excellent citizen. Am surprised that the US Govt. does not treat this on a case by case basis or at least give immigrant children who are now adult Americans a chance to legalise and remain (as long as they are upstanding citizens.) The biggest reform that needs to happen to US Immigration is the “citizenship by birth” law which am surprised has not changed till today. Thank you for sharing your story. Good luck
Thanks for your reference on my story in your recent post. I hope this changes with upcoming immigration reform so individuals like me who had an entire life built in the U.S. and are contributing residents can be legalized.
Great article. From my own experience, I can say that life as an immigrant is much more complicated than it sounds.
I admire your efforts to stay positive, it sure isn’t an easy chapter of your life, and I can only imagine all the opinions and critics you’ve had to deal with.
Stay positive and stay strong.
I appreciate your words of encouragement. Yes, there are the critics, but finding out more of those that are open to understanding an issue that is much more complex than we would like to think about. Thank you for following Mundo Citizen.
I really enjoyed your post. I actually left the country voluntarily about two years ago, shortly after my 18th birthday. It is very hard getting used to life in Mexico, but if you can manage to stay positive, it all works out. I applaud you for writing this, it really encourages people in similar situations to keep working hard and it gives us hope that someday we will get to go back to the U.S. someday. I am really appreciative of people like you. Thank you for your post.
Thank you for your comment. I hope that the resettling for you gets a lot easier with time and as you said, it is a matter of staying positive. I also feel it is important to be surrounded with a support group. Feel free to stay in contact.
I’m sorry to hear about your deportation experience. I does seem very unfair indeed, since you were living there so long. I hope that you are in no sense living in limbo now. The big button on the right of the page, saying ‘6.5 years to go’ makes me feel that you are feeling like someone doing time. I’m relieved to hear that the economic situation isn’t quite as bad for you as it was for your parents.
It is an unfair situation and unfortunately, we have had a growing number of individuals in similar circumstances. Yes, at first, that was exactly my experience; of someone that sentenced to serving time but now I keep it to remind myself to do something to turn this experience into something positive.
Thank you for sharing your story and thoughts on this matter! As an American who left the U.S. by choice I too once wished to return to pursue that ever elusive American Dream… but have found that the kind of life promised to me as a child growing up in America has become quite difficult to attain. In fact it has been easier for me abroad. Sadly, I’m not sure when I’ll be able to return. I wish you all the best and hope you find happiness in your life.
Indeed, may we both find our dreams where ever life takes us 😉
..very, very sad reading about your plight.
i know exactly where youre coming from….i spent more than 6 years trying to get into the USA, through the proper and legal way, as a graduated engineer with more than 15 years of experience, but despite all those job applications, nothing came of it!
and it wasnt as if i was applying from a 3rd world country, etc…i was living in the UK….
anyways, i was offered employment in canada instead and thats where i am now!
my advice to you, is this…..if the USA wont have you, then the hell with it….ive been to the USA on holiday many times…and what i see there i dont like at all….mexico is coming up nowadays….stay there, in your own blessed and beautiful country and enjoy it…life is too short!
Cheers to that. Indeed, the immigration process is broken and those that say “do it the proper way” do not fully understand its complexity. Cannot understand why someone with your experience and skills was not given an opportunity to legalize. I guess the same goes with me. But moving forward, I think once I find myself in a place where I feel at home (more emotional than physical), I think the rest will follow. Thank you for the reblog 😉
no probs…and best of luck with your life!
Reblogged this on filmcamera999.
ignoramusdownunder – “So they didn’t steal anybody’s land. And the Native Americans sold and traded away their land as often or more often than it was forcibly taken from them. That’s not to say the way the Native Americans were treated was right, but just because some people who are now dead mistreated other people who are now dead, that doesn’t make it okay for people today to immigrate illegally. The US is a sovereign nation today and has every right to set reasonable restrictions and requirements on immigration”
Natives might have traded lands, under false pretense, as they were often promised something that was never delivered. Most Native Nations of the new world would not have gotten the concept of ‘selling’ their land, for it was not their property, but their community’s. Even nowadays, the concept of ‘private property’ is non-existant in reservations, the land is leased by the Bureau of Indian Affairs to the people. Nothwithstanding, if you’d like the US as a sovereign nation to establish immigrations laws, as they have done, why couldn’t we expect the Indian treaties to be respected? for they were often broken. Once ancestral lands are returned to their respective caretakers, we could discuss a way to establish a nation that welcomes foreigners, but also empowers the indigenous populace that inhabited within.
I hope the same goes for the Aborigenes, Down Under.
As for the post; thanks for sharing, always great to hear the not-so-worst case scenario for DREAMers who can no longer apply. It’s not until recently that I found out about the group called Dream In Mexico – apparently creating awareness of opportunities to Mexicans who have lived in the US. I have often thought of the wasteful spending that the US spares in the education of millions of undocumented migrants as high school students, college students, etc…and these people are often times not able to work in their specialized fields because of lack of a work permit. If these people were open enough to go abroad again to use these skills, and usually their multilinguistic and multicultural experience, they would be successful in other countries that would welcome them – and the US would be with one more less educated person (which they paid to educate). Where is the sense in that?
And here comes the bashing: “well, they’re freeloaders, and don’t pay taxes”
Wrong, guess again. Students work hard to get scholarships or grants…and most do pay taxes, often not seeing a return.
Best of luck in your future dreams.
I appreciate your commentary that brings a historical context to the issue of immigration that is conveniently forgotten by those that seek to criminalize immigrants.
I was also fortunate to connect with Dream in Mexico (I have them listed on the friends and resources link” and hope to have more DREAMers that are back in Mexico join this support community. I always said, “I can be stripped of everything, my life, my identity, my status….but not my education.” Thanks for the well wishes.
Funny world, because as a college student in the mid 60’s my dream was to go to medical school in Mexico and work as a doctor in what I considered to be a most beautiful country. That was a long time ago, and sure, things have changed a lot with the increase in population, but I hope one day to get back to Mexico and spend time seeing all the places and meeting all the people I dreamed of when I was young.
I ended up sailing my own yacht New Zealand, then Australia where I live now, but dreams of Mexico still linger with me as though I once lived there in a past life.
I am sorry for you plight, and I hope you are happy in the future. I am happy living in Australia and never intend to return to the USA. Funny world, ¿no?
And I agree, Mexico is a beautiful country. Hope at some point its beauty can bring the feeling of “home” I felt growing up in the U.S. Belonging and identity are aspects I think a lot about as I work towards re-integrate into a country that was and continues to be foreign to me. I wished that my migration either to the U.S. and back to Mexico were more choices of mine rather than forced circumstances. I also do not intend to return to the U.S., but would be nice to have the freedom to travel as a visitor, which I am not able with the 10 year ban (funny I live in a border town and do not have the mobility most do). Thank you for the comment.