Immigration; the American Dream

Immigration; the American Dream

A hot topic in the media since before the last General Election is intensifying right about now.  A good head of household (correction; Great) doesn’t just worry about where the next meal is coming form but actually develops a vision, and a plan of action to provide for those under his care.

1943 Congress creates the Bracero Program a guest worker program bringing temporary agricultural workers into the United States from Mexico. The program ended in 1964.

1954 Operation Wetback forces the return of undocumented workers to Mexico.

The Immigration Laws passed in 1943, and 1954 (above), are the Laws that most affected the Mexican people.  Many other Laws were passed during that time, before and since, and believe me when I tell you that Political Correctness was not in use at the time.

My parents were fortunate to have the means to hire attorneys on the Mexican side of the border, and relatives in Los Angeles that also hired attorneys to represent our family’s effort to immigrate.  If you’ve ever been involved in undertaking a large project that completed on time and on budget, you will understand when I say that this was not one of those. 

Originally my father’s attorney told him it shouldn’t take any more than 6 to 8 months, and would cost an agreed upon amount of money.  The process was started while we were still living in a very prominent port city in the Gulf of Mexico, as the big day to finalize the effort neared my father and mother sold all their possessions and we moved to a border town on the Mexican side across from the State of California.

To our dismay the system kept requiring that my father travel across the country to gather more information and letters of reference and on and on.  It wasn’t long that the only thing that crossed the line was the amount of money budgeted for the attorneys.  Both my father and his relatives kept pouring money into the effort.  The time spent spending money without even knowing if or when we would cross the border was starting to takes its toll on my mother and father’s relationship.

My parents did a great job of keeping the problems and pressures away from my sister and myself that we had no clue that our family was falling apart.  Not knowing when we would complete the project my father easily got a job to be able to keep up with the legal expenses.  The total effort took well over a year, and I don’t think even my father had a handle on how much money was spent.  I do remember that even after we were notified that on a certain day we would be issued our Permanent Residency Cards, all four family members were interviewed individually, almost as if they were trying one last time to trip us (to get conflicting stories).

Almost one year later, after crossing to the Unites States of America legally, my parents separated and eventually divorced within a couple of years.  My parents are no longer alive, but I will forever be grateful for the sacrificing of that love that didn’t die and until they did.  I am so grateful for the opportunities, for myself and my family.  The American Dream is alive and well!!  The best is yet to come….