A parents story : My moms perspective
My mom came to the United States in 1996 with my father. She left behind her entire family, including her siblings, father, and step mother. It took my parents almost a month to travel to the United States. My mom said that coming to this country was scary. She knew there wasn't a 100% guarantee that she would survive because a lot of people don't survive the journey and the struggle it takes to get here, but she wouldn't hesitate to do it again.
On her first try, they traveled by land and they went from El Salvador to Guatemala to Mexico. When arriving at the Mexican-American border, my parents got deported back to Guatemala, where they had to start all over again. This time, they would travel by water. My mom says, "That was the most horrible experience I ever had". She says that while they were on the boat, there was another boat that shot at them and they tried to invade the boat. The mens intentions were to capture all the women and rape them. Luckily though, they fought back and got away. She then arrived back in Mexico and they traveled on buses, which got them closer to the Mexican-American border. Once they got close enough, they had to walk for one full night where they would reach the river. My mother swam, but once she reached the other side which was the United States, she was caught by immigration. She was taken to a police station where she was asked questions and she was let go. Then, the smuggler was waiting for her in Texas and he brought her to New Jersey. She came to New Jersey because my fathers siblings were here, along with my maternal grandmother and uncles. She immediately got a job in a restaurant and learned the language. My mom says "I feel safe here, with my kids. El Salvador is not safe, there are so many gangs and violence. There is a better future available here for my kids then back in El Salvador". She also says, "This is my home. I've lived here more than I've lived in El Salvador. I like it here a lot better". |
A Students Story : Fernando's Perspective
Fernando Lobo started his journey to the United States in March of 2015. He arrived in May of that same year. He came to the United States for two reasons; to finally meet his parents, and to get away from all the violence and delinquency from Honduras. He left behind his grandmother (which was practically his mother because she raised him), and his brother. Fernando says that he was very scared coming to the United States because he was traveling alone and he was afraid he would be kidnapped, and attacked. He says that if he could turn back time, he would do the journey again in a heartbeat.
On his first try here, he said that at first the journey was pretty easy. He claims that he saw new cities and countries that he never saw before, he passed by beautiful places and he was having fun. He traveled by car and train to Mexico. He says that when he got to the Mexican border, he was in a taxi and his "coyote" (smuggler) was in a separate taxi in front of him. Immigration told the taxis' to stop, and that was when they took all the immigrants to jail. He says that in jail he was treated like a dog. He barely ate, barely slept, and he couldn't even get in contact with his mom to tell her what was going on, or even ask her what she was going to do to get him out of there. He was in that jail for almost 20 days, but fortunately, his mother got in contact with the jail and told them that she would pay whatever amount to get her son out of jail and send him back to Honduras in a plane, so she did. Once he arrived back in Honduras, his mother called him and asked if he wanted to come to the United States and try again. Fernando said that he did want to come to the United States and that he felt more comfortable because he knew what to expect. On his second try, he was captured again by immigration, but this time it was the US. They first sent him to "la llelera" which is the nickname for an immigration detention facility. It has that nickname because it is very cold and to keep warm, they give the immigrants aluminum foil blankets. He then was sent to "la casa hogar" which is the nickname for a refugee home, where he had to wait for his mom to claim him. He stayed a total of 20 days in both la llelera and la casa hogar.
After his mom claimed him, he came to New Jersey and started school. He said that he cried a lot because it was like he was living with strangers. He barely knew his parents and he felt alone without his grandma. He started the seventh grade, and says that it was a very hard adjustment. He claims that the hardest thing about living in this country is learning the language, and not being able to communicate to whoever he wants, but hes grateful that he overcame that obstacle. As of right now, his is awaiting a letter from immigration to settle a court date. He has an I.D that immigration gave to him but that is all he has. He says he wants to become an American Citizen and sponsor his parents because he has the opportunity to become legal before them. He also says that he has plans on going to college, he just doesn't know what he wants to do just yet. He does know though that eventually, he wants to own land and property in Honduras.
On his first try here, he said that at first the journey was pretty easy. He claims that he saw new cities and countries that he never saw before, he passed by beautiful places and he was having fun. He traveled by car and train to Mexico. He says that when he got to the Mexican border, he was in a taxi and his "coyote" (smuggler) was in a separate taxi in front of him. Immigration told the taxis' to stop, and that was when they took all the immigrants to jail. He says that in jail he was treated like a dog. He barely ate, barely slept, and he couldn't even get in contact with his mom to tell her what was going on, or even ask her what she was going to do to get him out of there. He was in that jail for almost 20 days, but fortunately, his mother got in contact with the jail and told them that she would pay whatever amount to get her son out of jail and send him back to Honduras in a plane, so she did. Once he arrived back in Honduras, his mother called him and asked if he wanted to come to the United States and try again. Fernando said that he did want to come to the United States and that he felt more comfortable because he knew what to expect. On his second try, he was captured again by immigration, but this time it was the US. They first sent him to "la llelera" which is the nickname for an immigration detention facility. It has that nickname because it is very cold and to keep warm, they give the immigrants aluminum foil blankets. He then was sent to "la casa hogar" which is the nickname for a refugee home, where he had to wait for his mom to claim him. He stayed a total of 20 days in both la llelera and la casa hogar.
After his mom claimed him, he came to New Jersey and started school. He said that he cried a lot because it was like he was living with strangers. He barely knew his parents and he felt alone without his grandma. He started the seventh grade, and says that it was a very hard adjustment. He claims that the hardest thing about living in this country is learning the language, and not being able to communicate to whoever he wants, but hes grateful that he overcame that obstacle. As of right now, his is awaiting a letter from immigration to settle a court date. He has an I.D that immigration gave to him but that is all he has. He says he wants to become an American Citizen and sponsor his parents because he has the opportunity to become legal before them. He also says that he has plans on going to college, he just doesn't know what he wants to do just yet. He does know though that eventually, he wants to own land and property in Honduras.