When one hears the word “immigration” in the United States the first thought in one’s head is more often than not the word “Mexican”.
In Dr. Wilson’s Intercultural Communications class we watched a film titled “Little Alien” in class dealing with the illegal immigration of unaccompanied minor refugees. In the film, the immigrant boys were constantly moving from one country to another in search for a better life. The application for migratory relief is a long process, and the boys choose to risk what they and migrate without proper documentation. The main difference between the two forms of migratory relief is that asylum seekers are already on U.S. soil, while refugees are outside the U.S. In the film, the young minors discuss being beaten and mistreated by immigration officers and police when they are caught or deported. In recent years the controversy regarding illegal immigration in the United States has rapidly taken off, especially during the political office campaigns.
Leaving one’s home to pursue the dream of a better life gives one the strength and courage to move forward through the hardships which life places before them. This is exactly what the underage refugees do in the film. They go through the tough reality of being unwanted for being outsiders, the struggle of having little or no money for food and shelter, and the hardship of not having an adult to care and protect them. However, though these feelings may be magnified because they are minors, the feelings and notions apply to anyone, no matter their age.
My Mother left her entire family and came to the U.S. in order to offer me a better future. We crossed the border illegally, and we were caught by immigration the first time. However, she was persistent to cross in any way that she could. By no means am I saying that our living situation in Mexico City was bad, because my family in Mexico is well established. My father was already living in the U.S. with his siblings and my grandmother, and he convinced my mother to leave it all behind to cross over saying it would all be worth it. In asked why she left everything she responded, “You really need to ask? I did it for you and your sister. I wanted you and your sister to have a better life and more opportunities to succeed.” She told me the first time we attempted to cross the border we were caught by immigration at a safe house near the border. “I remember immigration coming into the house with guns telling everyone to stay in place. I just held you in my arms and you just looked at me and at everyone with a look of innocence wondering what was going on.”
As I asked her about the second time we crossed she explained how many of them were nervous to have a woman carrying a baby. “It was a lot of risk. The risk of you crying and getting us caught. The risk of something happening and holding the group back. Not once did I let go of you though”, she said with a prideful look on her face. She explained how I was asleep but once we began entering the water I woke up. “When you were a baby you were fascinated with the moon. I’ll never forget how the moon looked the night we crossed. It was a full moon and I don’t think it has ever looked so big. You would just look at me and say ‘luna? luna?”
Though immigration was a large struggle for my family, I’ll never be ashamed to say I’m an immigrant. I fully understand why people choose to risk it all in order to immigrate into a new country. The chance for a new life with greater opportunity and pursuit of happiness are worth risking it all. The stakes may be high, but the end result is something much greater. As I look back through the struggles and the tears, I realize that it made me into the person I am today. The boy who started school knowing only the word “teacher”, and who was taught by his own mother who didn’t speak English as well, is now the college guy writing this blog.
“Remember, remember always, that all of us, and you and I especially, are descended from immigrants and revolutionists.”
– Franklin D. Roosevelt
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