Raul and his family immigrated to the United States in May of 1982 when he was 12 years old. Raul, who requested to use an alias for this article, said he came to the country for a better lifestyle.
One of the obstacles Raul and his family faced was getting visas because they had to do a lot of paperwork. They even had to go through a physical check.
When coming to the United States, he traveled to Redwood City by car with his two younger siblings. When they arrived, he and his siblings moved in with their uncle in an apartment.
Raul found life to be better here in the United States. He said, although it was difficult making a new life here, it was easier than it would be in Mexico.
He remembers a difficult childhood in Mexico. His mother was never around, and he was left to be raised by his relatives. Raul says he “never had the love of a parent."
When he arrived in Redwood City, he noticed it was very different from his home in Mexico. He remarked on how back home all the buildings were old, and the roads were made of dirt. Here in the United States, the roads were paved and the buildings were much newer and nicer.
Not all of these new feelings were positive, however. In Mexico, Raul had a large ranch: “I felt free, and when I came here I lived in a small apartment and felt trapped. It felt like I was living in a box,” he explained.
Raul often remarked about how much he misses Mexico. He said of the community back home: “I miss the community because in Mexico you know everyone, and here you don’t really know your neighbors.” He went on to say of Mexico: “There was freedom, and I felt at home.”
The process to become a U.S. citizen or permanent resident takes a long time to go through. It can take years, but, even after waiting for all of those years, there’s no guarantee that a person is going to get their citizenship or residency.
For people who go to the United States undocumented and who want to get their residency, one of the options is to wait until one of their children born in the country is 21 years old and unmarried and can sponsor them.
According to the American Immigration Council, current law “allows the United States to grant up to 675,000 permanent immigrant visas each year across various visa categories. On top of those 675,000 visas, the INA sets no limit on the annual admission of U.S. citizens’ spouses, parents, and children under the age of 21.”
According to the Public Policy Institute of California, California is home to almost 11 million immigrants—about a quarter of the foreign-born population nationwide. In 2017, the most current year of data, 27% of California’s population was foreign born, more than double the percentage in the rest of the country.
Maria had a similar, but also very different experience from Raul regarding immigrating to the United States. Maria came to the country in 1978 at 9 years old. Because she is undocumented, we have chosen to use an alias for this article.
Maria had a difficult experience coming into the United States. Maria, her parents and her four siblings had to endure many questions, a physical check, and a long wait for the paperwork to be approved.
After finally making it into the country, Maria was surprised by the sights she saw. She said: “It was exciting to see such big lights and such big cities.”
After a long bus ride, Maria made it to her new home in Redwood City. Her family, much like Raul, stayed with an aunt.
Maria had a very different experience from Raul when it came to adapting, however. This was not her first time living in the United States. Maria lived in the country from age 2 to 5, but she came illegally and was deported.
She returned to the United States only four years later. Maria had never known a life outside of the United States, so she never had the chance to miss Mexico.
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