| | |  Editorials | Issues 
Jesus ‘Comes Out’: Immigrant Courage in Profile
 Mark Alvarez - PVNN
go to original
November 15, 2010
A story in a continuing series profiling the lives of undocumented immigrants. Positioned far away from the political noise that clutters the debate about immigration reform, these stories offer a humane, realistic, and intellectually honest portrayal of individuals who stand to be most affected by reform.
 |  | I respect a person that has had to fight and howl for his decency and his bit of goodness, much more than I respect the lucky ones that just had theirs handed out to them at birth.
- Tennessee Williams (The Night of the Iguana) |  | | |
Jesus was born in Mexico 24 years ago. Thirteen years later, Jesus and his family got tourist visas and came to Utah. They belong to the LDS Church. They stayed.
Jesus has light skin. When he went to ninth grade and spoke English with a strong Spanish accent, his classmates laughed. They thought he was joking. They thought he was American—U.S. style.
Jesus studied English and spoke well after a year. Children can do that. Several years later, his English was better than his Spanish. Today, he speaks both languages well although he says, “When I am nervous, my accent in English sometimes shows up.”
Jesus has studied business management in college. He has worked in construction, landscaping, sales and customer service. Several years ago, he started consulting to help new businesses form and thrive. “Getting a business license is like getting a job,” he says. “Go with the flow.” Give the right impression and answers, and fewer questions are asked. Jesus is a natural.
He knows the immigration risk he and other undocumented immigrants run. “Today could be your last day here. Any day we could be picked up, raided at work,” he says. “You can’t run a red light or even a yellow light. You can’t get in any trouble.”
People deal with this stress in different ways, according to him. Some drink and party a lot to escape the fear. Unfortunately, some of his friends have become dependent upon alcohol and other substances.
Others resign themselves to a second-class existence. Jesus remembers comments by his father after the family had been treated poorly at a bank: “We don’t belong here. We can’t do anything. We don’t have any rights.” He disagrees.
Uncertainty is a factor each day but it also has provided important lessons, particularly helpful to Jesus as he consults with Latino businesspeople and entrepreneurs who also face uncertainty.
Likewise, the lessons have helped his efforts for advocacy. Early on, Jesus observed that many Latinos resign themselves to having little hope and power as they wait patiently for better times and more just laws. They wonder how he got his papers. Jesus does not have papers. As he has become open about this, his resolve for assertive, action-focused advocacy has been nourished.
Drawing on experience and history, Jesus describes a prevailing attitude in Mexico. When problems occur in Mexico, it is the Mexican president’s fault - time after time. He says, “Maybe it is the people’s fault.” Then, he asks, “How can we change if we live our lives the same without doing anything different?”
Jesus suggests, “We need to take action. We lead by example. If we set the example, we make a difference every day.” His goal? “My dream is to be able to travel all over the world and to be able to create opportunity for others.” He has opportunities in Africa and Europe, but his most important work now is here.
There have been other difficulties. Last year, Jesus went to jail for unpaid fines. It was just for a few days, but he knew about the Utah laws that put him at greater risk of deportation.
In jail, Jesus met people facing deportation proceedings including one who had been detected after being in jail for just two days. Jesus was saddened knowing that some undocumented immigrants had little family or social network in the United States. Nobody would know where these people were. Jail’s isolating experience becomes especially acute for an individual without a support network outside.
On his first day in jail, Jesus saw an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent, easily identifiable by the bold acronym “ICE” displayed on their clothing. Jesus walked by, nothing happened, and he was not detected. After three days of worry, he was released.
Jesus is determined. Though he came here as a child, he makes no excuses for his undocumented status as he stands up and advocates for just and humane reform of the immigration system. He believes systems here have broken down, mostly because of greed, irresponsibility and hate. Regrettably, short-term profit and instant gratification often prevail over meaningful, more productive long-term interests.
Many Americans want cheap labor to do the work they generally do not want to do. But they don’t want to give foreigners papers. Businesses are strapped because they cannot find enough good workers, especially in Utah. For example, a company signed up for employment verification – known as E-Verify. As a result, the company fired many undocumented employees. Now, the company has more workers but less production. One American citizen worker had to be let go for destroying forklifts. The company, concerned about its own survival, has decided to return to hiring undocumented workers. In a fight between bad law and economics, economics wins virtually every time.
I ask Jesus why he thought he deserved immigration status. “I don’t want status here. That is why I am coming out as undocumented. I am not afraid. Mexico is my country. If they send me out, they will be giving me a free trip home,” he replies. “But now, I have the ability to speak for others, the ability to speak two languages. I understand the beauty of both cultures. I would only want to be here if people could live together, if people could be united.”
The oft-forgotten and misrepresented American Dream resonates in the words of Jesus. Undocumented immigrants do pursue the dream. They are courageous and determined and they deserve our respect and admiration.
Mark Alvarez has written numerous guest commentaries for the Salt Lake Tribune and other popular papers. He currently resides in Mexico City. Contact him at alvarez_mark2004(at)yahoo.com. |
|
| |
Vallarta Weddings
Tell a Friend
Site Map
Print this Page
Email Us