My mother lived in Chicago during the INS (ICE) raids of the early 80’s, she was undocumented.
One day as she traveled in the train a lady asked her:
“Tiene papeles (do you have papers) ".
My mother looked at the lady for a moment not knowing if she should ignore her or confront her. Before my mom could reply the lady added
“If you don’t have papers, you should get out of the train now, ICE (LA Migra, INS as we called it back them) is making raids at the next stop”.
Thanks to that warning, my mother was able to avoid getting deported. Later, she managed to get her immigration papers thru Ronald Reagan immigration reform bill, which provided amnesty for undocumented immigrants. YES, a GOP president signed the bill into law, nowadays Trump and the MAGA cult ignore that fact to spread their hateful anti-immigrant rhetoric.
Eventually my mother brought me and my siblings undocumented, and after a long process we were able to become “American citizens”
Today under a second Trump administration we are witnessing another wave of hate and indifference taking hold of this country, as ICE and Donald J. Trump start another wave of raids and deportations. Chicago and other cities are under attack.
I wonder when will this country truly start to welcome everyone regardless of their age, skin color, sex or sexual preference? When will this country live to its full potential and realize that if we ever want to make America Great, we must recognize the contributions of people from all over the world?
A few weeks ago, I got the chance to share that part of my family story at a The Moth slam, I didn’t get a recording but I was able to share a version of that story at another event and I procured a recording of that presentation.
(If you watch the video on YouTube please make sure to like so more people will see it)
As a storyteller and former undocumented immigrant I share my immigration stories in hopes that I can help create a future where people are no longer prosecuted but instead welcome, with open arms.
If you like that video make sure to check more of my stories on my web site
