Crossing The Valley Migrant Interview

I met Maria at my brother’s Tae Kwon Do school.  She’s been taking her son Roberto to the school for over a year.  This young lady caught my attention since the first time a saw her because she always keeps a big smile in her face.  She is friendly, easygoing, and a great person to have a conversation with. The interview took place at my brother’s business when Roberto was done with his lesson and all the clients left. We sat down comfortably and talked about her experience for about an hour. Roberto played with his portable videogame in the meantime. The language used in the interview was Spanish.

It was a sunny day in the summer of 1997 in Sonora, Mexico.  My boyfriend and I drove from my hometown of Caborca, Sonora to the border town of Nogales.  That drive felt like the longest drive I’ve ever had in my entire life.  The whole way I kept asking  my self the same question over and over: am I doing the right thing? I was nervous about what I was about to do; but I had already taken a decision so there was no turning back.

 I was 18 years old when I crossed the border illegally.  I’ve been living here in the US for 12 years now.  What’s ironic about my story is that I never really planned to come to the United States.  I moved here, and I stayed here because different situations I have faced in life have forced me to be in this country.

When I was 17 I ran away from home and I moved in with my boyfriend.  He was 22 years old, 5 years older than me. I was still in high school and the only person I had at that time was him.  He was supporting me, paying for my school, food, etc.    He was the one that came up with the idea of us coming to the US.  Since he was 18 he had been coming to Tucson for work every single summer and he always returned home with a lot of money. That year he had recently lost his job in Mexico and he was struggling to get money over there.  So he planned that year when he came to Tucson, he was going to stay working for a little longer to save up  money. So he asked me to come with him. He said we would be here for about a year, work, save up money and go back to Mexico; he told me I could finish my high school over here too.  To be honest with you, I didn’t like the idea that much, but I didn’t have another option.  I wasn’t going to go back to my parent’s house and I wanted to be with him because I was in love. So I agreed to come to US with him.

When we first got here everything was going just right.  We were living with my brother in law.  My boyfriend had a job, and I was feeling better that I thought I would.  The only thing that bothered me was the language barrier I had because I didn’t speak much English; the little English I knew back then I had learned at school in Mexico. I remember of times when I was at the store, and somebody would ask me something and I would stay quiet with a big face because I dint know what they were saying.  That was so embarrassing!   For many people, the one of the worst things they have to face when they get here is the heat of this state, but for me that wasn’t a problem because Sonora’s weather is pretty much the same as here.

Our plans of coming for a year and go back to Mexico were unexpectedly changed when me and my boyfriend found out I was pregnant.  We concluded it would be better for the baby to be born here, so we decided we were going to stay here until they baby was born.  Constant doctor appointments in which I needed to be able to communicate with the doctors forced me to learn English more quickly.  So I signed up at a Learning Center over in south Phoenix; they offered free English classes for migrant adults.  By the time I was half way into my pregnancy my English was getting better and we had already moved into our own house with my boyfriend. 

After giving birth to my son Roberto, we realized that I also needed to work to have enough money for the bills.  A friend of mine told me about a housekeeping position a family was offering.  I had never worked as a housekeeper in my life and I never thought I would be one. But at the time, it was an easy job, with good pay, and I didn’t need papers for it.  So I took the job.

A few months after I started working my boyfriend and I broke up.  I was devastated emotionally and afraid about living on our own with my son.  I didn’t know what to do.  I felt that if I went back to Mexico I was going to be too hard for me start a life.   And then if went over there and didn’t like it I wasn’t going be able to come back because of my legal status. So at the end, even when it was a tough decision to make, I decided to stay here.

  Days became months, and months became years.  Sometimes I don’t even realize I’ve been living here for 12 years; I can’t believe it!   I’ve been working in housekeeping all this time.  It’s going to be almost ten years of working with the same beautiful family.  They love me and I love them.   They love my son Roberto too.  They recommended me to other families and companies; I currently work in 4 houses in Scottsdale and 3 businesses in downtown Phoenix.  This job has given me and my son more than enough to support ourselves and live a happy life here in this country even when I am an illegal immigrant.   Now that I look back, I see that all the expectations I had and everything I imagined about the US before coming here were right; a country were one can have a job, make money, and live safe.

I do feel things changed dramatically for all immigrants after the 9/11 event however.  I personally think that’s when more discrimination towards immigrants started.   It was different back then. In the Nogales border for instance, there wasn’t that many Border Patrols before, there wasn’t as much security in the border, they didn’t have all those cameras. The immigration laws weren’t as strict as they are today either.  I Remember people used to cross the border back and forth without having any problem at all. ‘Cruzabas la  frontera como Pedro por su casa’.  You could cross the border walking or by car just by saying “I’m a US citizen” to the Immigration agents; most of the time they didn’t even ask for a passport or any ID.  Some people used to cross the border everyday for work.   I knew people that worked in Nogales US; they would leave every morning, cross the border, work, and then return to Mexico at night.  The big wall wasn’t there before; I mean, it was there but it wasn’t that big and that long.  In many areas there was just a wired fence with big holes which people use to cross to the other side.

Today, people can’t cross the border illegally anymore; also, people who are living in the US illegally that used to go back to Mexico to visit their families and then come back illegally again, they  can’t do that anymore either.  For many years I’ve been wanting to go back to visit my family but I can’t do it.  I can’t risk losing all have here.  All I can do is to proudly preserve my culture.  Never forget my roots and where I come from and passing on my culture to my son.  Even when hamburgers and fries have been added to my food menu (she laughs) my Mexican culture stays intact.  I celebrate ‘Semana Santa’ (The Holly Week) every year, I do my ‘oraciones’ (prayers) every night, I cook the plates my mom taught me to how to make, I celebrate the Mother’s Day May 10^th of every year,  I have ‘piñatas’ everytime I celebrate a birthday, and most importantly I keep putting into practicing the values I learned.   Regarding my son, I raise him with all the fundamentals of the Mexican culture.  At home, we speak Spanish and live like Mexicans but I let him and encourage him to learn his American culture at school.

What would I want Americans to know about my culture? I would want them to stop all the stereotypes.  Most of the time Mexicans are portrayed as criminals, as uneducated, as lazy people who don’t want to succeed in life.  That’s not true! There may be cases were those statements apply, but those statements could be applied to individuals from other races too, right?   I would like people to know that 5 de Mayo is not a holiday (she smiles).  This day has limited significance in our country and we don’t celebrate it; a common misconception in the United States is that Cinco de Mayo is Mexico's Independence Day, which actually is September 16 (dieciséis de septiembre).  5 de Mayo is ‘Dia de la Batalla de Puebla’ (Puebla’s Battle Day).  I think that in order to learn about our culture people need to educate themselves and travel to Mexico so they can see what the country is all about. 

The worst problem I have faced while living in this country is the separation between me and my boyfriend, and supporting my son and I on my own.  ‘Con la ayuda de Dios’ (with the help of God) I’ve been able to overcome all the tough times.  Today,  me and my son are happier than ever; I have a house, I have a car, I have a job,  I’ve given my son everything he needs without any trouble.  I am really glad I decided to stay here and now I realize that has been the best decision I have made.  I have everything I ever dreamed of. I also have matured in this country. I have learned many things about life; I have learned that when you are a good person God rewards you. Today, ‘la unica espina en mi corazon’ (the only fear in my heart) is that one day when I drop off my son at school, I get caught by immigration and get deported.  If this happens I would die.  I couldn’t take being away from my son.  But so far God has protected us.  

Three years ago I met my soul mate.  His name is Javier and he is an Ecuadorian man naturalized American.  We are getting married this year.  We are going to go live in Ecuador and process my papers from there.  My fiancé owns a house and businesses in that country.  We are leaving in a couple months.  But before that, I decided I am going to Mexico.  I’m going to see my family who I haven’t seen in years!  I also want to travel within my own country.  Go to different states, see al l the beauty, and learn more about my culture. My dream is to have a functional family, dad, mom, and children.  I am going to take a break from working, so I can focus strictly on raising my kids and spending time with my husband.  I am ready to this new life.  I’m so excited!