Many people wonder what it is like to live in an underground economy. Undocumented immigrants live that life. Living in a country without documents and being a part of an underground economy is something I have experienced. I know what it’s like to live in a country where you want to become a citizen, but cannot.
Readers probably are thinking that I wanted to be a citizen of the U.S., but that is not the case. I am a U.S. citizen. I was living as an illegal immigrant in Mexico.
Living undocumented and underground gave me an interesting perspective on U.S. immigration policy. Reflecting on it now, I can feel empathy for the 11 million U.S. undocumented people living in the U.S.
Reflection also brings to mind the saying, “Don’t judge me until you’ve walked a mile in my shoes.”
Walking in my Shoes:
I was facing 123 years to life for a residential burglary under California’s Three Strikes law. Before my trial, I got out on bail and fled to Mexico.
Authorities from both countries hunted for me as a fugitive from the U.S. and I had to live underground in Mexico. Even though my entire heritage was Mexican, I couldn’t be a citizen while undocumented.
While working on a farm, I met a beautiful woman, settled down and started a family. I had to look over my shoulder all the time. Despite that fearful feeling, I did my best to settle into my life.
That fear of dodging the authorities made me think of my heritage — of my father when he first came to the U.S.
My situation in Mexico was the opposite of my father’s situation. My father was illegally in the U.S.; I was illegally in Mexico. The difference: My father wasn’t wanted by the law. Nevertheless, we both lived fearing the authorities.
U.S. History Generally Untold:
During World War II, as many U.S. citizens were pressed into military service, there was a gaping need for laborers in the workforce. When Mexico joined the Allied Forces in 1942, the U.S. and Mexican governments entered into the Bracero agreement.
The Bracero program was a series of diplomatic agreements whereby the U. S. hired temporary contract laborers from Mexico for manual labor. However, the program created a new underclass of American workers who were underpaid and who could not climb up the socioeconomic ladder. Americans looked down upon this new immigrant class.
When the war was over, the Braceros were supposed to go back to Mexico, but many had established families in the U.S. Going back to Mexico would mean uprooting their families and going into a situation best described as uncertain. Moreover, there was an estimated half billion dollars still owed to ex-Braceros. The fight for that money continues even today.
My father came to the U.S. under the Bracero agreement. But, he didn’t want to go back to Mexico. He stayed because marriage to my mother brought the responsibilities of raising nine children. Being a hard worker in the U.S. provided the resources to care for them. Thus he became an illegal immigrant.
If the Shoe Fits:
Reflecting on my family history, I am able to see that the Bracero program altered the fate of many people, the many Mexicans who came to the U.S. seeking a better life for their families.
When I worked as a farm laborer in Mexico and my beautiful daughter was born, I also took on family responsibilities. But, that didn’t change the fact that I was a fugitive and living illegally in Mexico. I was caught between two worlds of my own creation—being an outlaw and wanting to take care of my family. In the end, my family came first.
When it comes to the immigrants who are now working in the U.S. but are outside of the law, I think we should reach out and change the rules because these people are human beings and doing hard labor that really helps the U.S. economy.
It is a “tough on crime” mentality — not wanting the U.S. to look weak — that makes some citizens steadfastly say, “The law is the law.”
But we need to face reality: The people who would be helped by immigration reform are people who break their backs to create a better life for their family. There has to be a balance if America is to be considered a place where compassionate people live and it is a country of opportunity in the eyes of the world.
I am suggesting that U.S. immigration policy should provide a path for law-abiding undocumented workers to become citizens. They are the hard working, family-first type of people who Americans respect.