My student’s immigrant experience

As a high school teacher at a low-performing Title I school, I have learned more than I could have imagined when I applied for the job four years ago. Over 85% of our student population is made up of minority students, particularly Hispanic and African American; I am white. As I’ve developed my teaching skills, I’ve also been exposed to what the families in our community experience. My students tell me about their day-to-day lives: they are regularly followed down the street by cops, ridiculed for their heritage, and deemed suspicious due to their skin color. They also see the need for change and want to be catalysts for that change.

Last week, I had the opportunity to sit down with a former student to talk about what she’s seen and experienced as a member of an immigrant family. She’s a senior this year, almost 19, has scholarship offers coming in, and she’s off to college next year.

She’s the kind of kid who helps keep the American Dream alive for me; in spite of her family’s struggles, I know she has a stronger work ethic than I ever did, and our conversation confirmed that she won’t let anything- or anyone- keep her from living the life her parents fought for her to have.

Her story is just one in a multitude I could have captured, and I’m so grateful she was willing to share it with FRAY readers.

Note: Due to the sensitivity of this conversation, I don’t share her name.

Where is your family from?

My family is from a small town in central Mexico.

Have you ever visited there? What was it like?

Yes. It was a really humbling experience, education-wise and financially. Over there you have to buy your own lunch [at school (without government assistance)], find your own transportation to school. So sometimes it was unsafe- you had to walk to school and some kids had to walk through forests [without adult supervision or protection]. They only have one elective class, like P.E., so having that transition from here [U.S.] with all the opportunities- it made me value [my] education more.

It was also really humbling because you have to work to survive. I remember sometimes we didn’t have enough for a meal. We’d just make tortillas with salt and that was it.

What was the process like for your family to move here?

I was born here- only me and my sister were born here out of 13 siblings. When I was about 6 or 7 we moved [back to Mexico] because my grandparent had died, so my father wanted to go visit over there. We lasted over there 2.5 years. Not all of my brothers and sisters who had previously immigrated with my parents went back because they were scared of [getting arrested] coming back; they liked [the U.S.] better and wanted to stay here because there are better opportunities.

My mom and three of my sisters came [back] first, and that was hard on them because they lasted five days in the desert. Through that process they even got stopped by robbers and then they also got really dehydrated and skinny. I wasn’t there, but that’s what my other brothers who were already here [who had not traveled to Mexico] told me. That was really hard for them.

Me and my sister [closest in age], we are documented, we stayed with my dad over there and then we came with him. I think he was scared to come alone. So even though we could travel, we came in a sneaky way. We went traveling by car and slept at this house of a person my dad knew. After there, we went through this bridge in some part of Mexico that crossed into Texas. We just had to show them our papers and say our names and that’s how we passed. We stayed with a stranger for three days until my dad walked through illegally for three days. From there, we were already traveling without my dad, me and my sister alone, and we just had to trust strangers. Then we came to this house where a lot of people like my dad were coming […] but it was really dangerous [and] they wouldn’t let us go out[side]. From there, my family had to send money so they could bring us back [here].

How old were you then?

I was nine.

How many people in your family live in the U.S. without documentation?

Eleven of my siblings live here undocumented. My brother has a permit and one sister is in the process for that, too. They’re not sure if they’re going to keep having it [a green card and/or the process to get a green card] because of the presidency right now.

What has kept family members from pursuing citizenship?

The fear of being deported. They already have their families here, they already established a life.

What is your family’s life like here?

My dad has a lot of medical bills. We’ve received donations for that- and that was really nice of those people- and besides that, we just get a lot of bills from the hospital. Eight people live in our house, including my parents. My brother pays for the bills and everybody else tries to pitch in with my dad’s medical materials and stuff he needs.

What is the overall reaction from your family and community from the latest immigration policies and President Trump’s promise of a wall?

Fear and anger. He says he just wants to deport the criminals and the bad people, but then I’ve heard stories of when they do the license checks. They put them in places to attack Hispanics, like the one they put here behind the school.

[Note: About a month prior to this interview, there was a license check on the edge of the property where most students leave campus. Parents park there to pick up their students. There has never been a license check this close to campus before.]

Can you talk a little about that? What happened that day?

They put a checkpoint back here behind the school right when we got out of school. They stopped five students — that’s what [my friend] told me. I was staying after school for tutoring and then one of our friends called my teacher and he was trying to find rides for us so our parents wouldn’t have to come.

That information spread really quickly about this checkpoint. So how did it make you feel to have the community come around you in that moment? The people who helped you specifically- they weren’t Hispanic. What does that feel like?

It feels good to know not everybody is racist and they’re trying to help out. Coming to a diverse school, they see that we want to progress too. They get to see our side of our story.

Did you participate in the Day Without Immigrants?

I didn’t participate. A lot of my friends did. I didn’t want to get behind in my classes. I was hearing my teachers saying that they see why people would not attend their job, but education-wise, that’s not going to impact anyone but us. Many students were missing, but that’s going to hurt them more than help them.

Did family members participate?

Not that I know of because mostly- my brother has his own company- they work with him.

When you think about your family, are you fearful or worried?

Yes. When everything was going on [and spreading on] social media, I was really scared. Most of my siblings are undocumented so I was like, what if they get deported? And they already have children and homes, who would they leave them with? If they go over there [Mexico], it’s a really dangerous life over there- at least now more because of a lot of murders and the government isn’t protective of its citizens. I want them to have more- and their kids to have the same opportunity to get an education.

What are your goals in life? How does your background inspire these goals?

I want to graduate from a four-year university, get my bachelors in science and then go to grad school and get my doctorate in medicine. Right now, I want to be a general doctor [referring to specialties], but I don’t know if I’ll change my mind. I don’t know what my passion is specifically yet. One thing I do want to do is study abroad in an indigent country and help people there.

Do you feel like there is anything holding you back?

I used to think financially — that my financial situation was holding me back, but that’s why I’ve tried my best to get good grades to get financial aid. But it still worries me because my sister is having that struggle right now, [she’s] worried about paying for grad school.

There are so many more questions I could have asked her about her family, her experiences, and what she envisions for her future. At the end of our conversation, she threw in a thought that has stayed with me: “Why can’t we just be treated equally?” When I look at this young lady, on the cusp of an incredible future, I’m thankful for the opportunity I had to influence a small part of her education and for the even greater impact she had on me.