Living the American Dream

Lelia Gomez never planned to stay in America. She came at 21 from Ecuador to learn English, to help with her computer science studies.

“I came to New York [City], and I saw this horrible place. It was snowing, it was construction. The train was horrible, and the garbage cans were outside.”

Now she’s an American citizen in her forties.

"I fell in love and got married. And now I have a husband and three kids,” she said.

Gomez met her husband, Andres, when she applied for a bilingual position in his uncle’s video store. Andres was her supervisor, and they got started talking because she had trouble keeping the right change.

"I couldn’t understand why dimes were smaller than nickels,” she laughed.

Today the couple lives the American dream: once immigrants, now they are wealthy, upper middle class residents living in a lovely Sparta home. Lelia is the Director of Newton-based El Refugio, the outreach center dedicated to helping Sussex County’s immigrant population.

Andres works for Accenture, where he helps modernize companies and improve their efficiency. He moved to New York City from Colombia the day after he graduated high school, so that he could be with his mother.

“He’s more American than you are,” a Hispanic neighbor said of Andres. “We call him ‘gringo’.”

In fact, after Andres’ first year in America, he joined the American army. He wasn’t even a citizen.

Once married, he and Lelia lived in New York City for seven years, while Andres went to Queens College at night.

The couple moved to New Jersey – first Denville, and then Sparta – for better schools for their three sons, Andres, Nicolas, and Sebastian.

“I want a better education,” said Nicolas. The high school student shines at Sparta: he carries a 4.2 GPA and participates in both track and karate.

Lelia wants her family to maintain its heritage, so Nicolas also is bilingual; his brothers are too.

“My kids are very Hispanic when it comes to food and everything,” said Lelia.

Still, the Gomez family’s experience is different from many immigrants. “We didn’t come here because we were hungry,” Lelia said.

“We lived in developed cities, had good educations…so it wasn’t that big of an adjustment, just the language,” added Andres.

Lelia wants struggling immigrants to have the same opportunities she did, so she works at El Refugio. She started in outreach work when she met Pam Madzy at Blessed Kateri, before moving to El Refugio, where she worked her way up to Director. There, she coordinates ESL classes and notary services, translates documents, partners with other outreach programs, and advocates for less fortunate migrants.

“Sometimes I lose patience, and I say to Pam, ‘how do you do it?’” Lelia said. “How am I going to help 50 women? That’s when I get discouraged.”

Despite all the difficulties, Lelia remains dedicated to her work. She misses Ecuador – she still doesn’t like hamburgers or American weather -- but, like most immigrants, she wouldn’t change her decision to stay.

“The kids, this is their country. They love going here.”

I recently visited with an immigrant family from Costa Rica. The wife and husband have four kids: three girls and one boy, all high school age or older. None of them has any papers. I'm changing their names to protect their identity, and I'm going to feature their children in the final article of this series (about immigrant childern in our school systems).

But I'd like to share some of their story now, especially since I won't be able to tell all of it in the article.

Clara and her husband, Salvador, came to America in 1999 with their four children -- the eldest, Maria, their son Miguel, and the two younger daughters, Anna and Emilia. The family flew into the US legally, passports and all, expecting to obtain their Legal Permanent Residence (LPR) papers, if not US Citizenship.

9/11 destroyed their dreams. Subsequent legislation, passed in a reaction to the terrorist attacks, changed immigration laws and prevented the family from gaining the necessary paperwork. Now they live in Sussex County "illegally," with no hope of becoming American citizens -- unless they return to Costa Rica, and hope against the odds to get readmitted into the US.

Clara and her family were very candid about life without proper identification. Clara, Salvador, Maria, and Miguel were able to obtain Driver's Licenses five years ago. New Jersey ID requirements were too strict even back then, though, so the four had to fly to Michigan to get them. The licenses expire this year, on each person's date of birth. Salvador's is already expired; it cost him his job as a truck driver. Clara's won't be usable in a couple of months, and she's not sure how she'll be able to get to her job in Sparta. (The other states have caught up to NJ requirements, so the family won't be able to renew their licenses.)

Anna, the middle daughter, is entering her junior year in high school. She plays on her school's soccer team and is a member of both the Student Council and Peer Leadership programs. Her friends don't know her situation, and she knows she'll face tough questions when she is the only one without a license. Evem thornier is the issue of what she'll do after graduation, since she won't be able to attend college like her classmates.

Despite the difficulty of their life, Clara and her family were adamant that I know that they pay taxes. "When we work, we pay taxes, but nobody expects that. They think we steal, but that's not true. We pay taxes, we work just like any other American," Clara explains. Salvador adds, "We pay rent, we pay bills...it's the same for so many families we know."

Clara and Maria explained that they pay taxes using a tax ID number. (I'm still trying to corroborate this information.) They told me that immigrants often apply to the IRS -- and immigration services is apparently unaware of this -- for the tax ID. Since IRS wants the migrants' tax money, it issues the number, which the workers then use to obtain jobs and pay taxes. (Many jobs require more than just a tax ID number, though; most need a SSN.)

When I asked why they stay, despite all of the hardships, Clara told me this: "When we came here, we came happy, with all of our hope..We stay here because we know it's difficult for [our kids] to go back. They have all their friends here. Here is a better life."

Salvador just laughed. "I wanted to go back," he confesses. "Every year, you say maybe this year, maybe this president...without papers, you can get jobs, but no good jobs... But here, if things aren't easy, every Latin American country, it's worse. The economy's no good, the job's no good. I talk with my sister, and she says 'No, stay here, fight.'"

Immigrant Women Help Others Find the American Dream

Twenty five years ago, Luz Quintero was attending college in her native Colombia, when her father told her that he could only afford for her younger brother to get a degree. She was a girl – she wouldn’t need one.

Luz’s grandfather gave her his savings and told her to go to America to get an education. Only twenty one years old, she made the journey to New Jersey where she went to work for a cleaning service. Her boss let her take daily English classes at a local library.

“I’m still learning,” she laughs.

Now Luz works for Early Head Start, particularly with migrant families and their children. She also donates her time to Newton-based El Refugio and the Migrant Ministry at Sparta’s Blessed Kateri.

“Unless you come here illegally, you don’t understand how difficult life can be for [the undocumented] immigrants,” she says of why she works with the outreach programs.

And Luz does understand. She crossed the border illegally and lived without documents for three years, until she was able to obtain legal residency in 1988 under an amnesty program.

Luz earned her US citizenship in 2004, after waiting eight years because of misplaced paperwork.

“I am an immigrant also, and I wanted to be able to help other people when they come here,” she explains. “For me, it was a way to give back what I received when I came here.”

Lelia Gomez and Libia Eichler, both Sparta residents, feel the same way.

Lelia came to America from Ecuador in her early twenties to learn English. She didn’t plan to stay in the US, but she met her husband and fell in love.

For over two years, the mother of three has been the director of El Refugio.

“I believe everybody should have an opportunity,” says Gomez.

“As human beings, we all want something better for our families,” adds Eichler. Libia is an outspoken grandmother of three who volunteers for Blessed Kateri’s Migrant Ministry as a translator for the Hispanic Network Hotline and a driver for immigrants who need to get to doctors’ appointments.

Libia came to America thirty five years ago, before outreach programs had really emerged to help migrants. She barely spoke the language, but she came to be with her husband, an American traveling on business whom she met and married in Peru.

“I learned to rely on myself, I think…I went through a lot of changes very quickly.”

All three women agree that conditions for immigrants today differ drastically from when they came to America.

“I find that it’s harder now…I didn’t have papers, and I was working for a company, doing cleaning. I had a stable job,” Luz offers. “I feel like [now] it’s more a stigma that you’re Spanish, and not everyone has that opportunity that I had.”

There is no amnesty program that gives undocumented immigrants the chance to assimilate into American society.

“They want the opportunity to work…and to not be afraid. So, they try not to show their faces,” Libia states.

Despite the challenges posed by working in outreach programs for migrants, these women love being able to help those struggling to build a life in America.

“They give me more than what I have given them,” exclaims Eichler.

Luz lights up when she talks about her job, the enthusiasm evident in her voice. “Doing my job now is just my dream come true.”

First, I'd like to thank everybody who has given me feedback on this blog. Your comments have been very helpful, and I'm really happy that everyone is enjoying it so much. Please feel free to post comments on the website, or send me an email (immigrantperspectives@gmail.com) with suggestions, thoughts, etc.

Second, I'm thrilled that word of what I'm doing - and what the people I'm writing about are doing - is really starting to get around. Pam told me yesterday that, after the article on Blessed Kateri was published in the Sparta Independent, she got a call from a man who wanted to volunteer. I hope that more people respond similarly, but even one person makes a difference.

Several of my mom's colleagues live in Sparta, and they have been talking to her about my article and blog as well. It's interesting to see what they care about: one woman told my mom that she didn't care how the immigrants got here, so long as they paid taxes. Most people don't realize that immigrants, documented or undocumented, do in fact pay taxes. Not only do they pay sales taxes whenever they purchase something, but they also contribute to Social Security. Undocumented immigrants are actually the biggest contributer to the Social Security fund, because they pay Social Security taxes but never get to collect.

One colleague, a legal secretary who asked to remain anonymous, told me a story about immigration in Worthington, Minnesota, where her mother lives and works in an outreach organization. I'd like to tell it here, as well. I know that the focus of the blog is immigration in Northern New Jersey, but what happened in Minnesota occurs across the country; I think that it's an issue more people should be aware of.

So, here it goes:
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials rounded up several Mexicans who had been working illegally in a food processing plant in Worthington. The immigrants were deported, although many had children living in Minnesota. The children were left floundering, so local churches and community members stepped in to care for them. It is unclear whether the children were ever reunited with their families.

"In Marshall the... company (which is no longer there) would "advertise" with big signs in Mexico (several immigrants told my Mom about this) telling people to come to Marshall to work at [the turkey processing plant] for good wages. It was up to the people to sneak across the border and make their way to Marshall. Mom witnessed several times over the years her museum was located in the County Courthouse building, across a parking lot from [the company's], that an open bed pickup truck with INS on it would pull up to [the plant], load Mexican workers into the open bed and drive away. At the same time other Mexicans would be going in another door to take the place of the arrested workers," she explains. "The money paid was a lot of money to the Mexicans, so they kept coming, risking arrest, etc. The immigrants who told my Mom about this said when workers left Mexico to make their way to Marshall for those jobs, they believed it would be o.k. since an American company was advertising for them to come. The company was never to her knowledge fined or found to be knowingly hiring illegals."

My visit with Lelia Gomez and her family has changed some of my plans for the remaining articles. I had initially planned to use the interview to understand more of Lelia's background, to learn why she decided to work with migrants; I'd use the information to put together a piece on her and other immigrants who dedicate their time to helping less privileged migrants.

My visit changed some of that. I went to Lelia's house for dinner and an interview, and I gained a glimpse into the life of people from other countries who have (legally) made America their permanent home. Lelia's husband, Andres, and her two sons, Nicolas and Sebastian -- I apologize for the lack of accents, by the way, but they don't exist in this html editor -- were kind enough to welcome me and share their thoughts and experiences with me. One of her neighbors, Pablo, came over with most of his family, unexpected visitors who entered without knocking and were greeted warmly. They, too, talked with me and shared stories: Pablo's father told me about both Cuba before Castro and also life in his native country, Colombia.

I knew, before I had left that night, that I wanted to tell the story of these people. Legal permanent residents and naturalized citizens, they are immigrants who have not only assimilated into America but also retain and celebrate their heritage. Nicolas speaks Spanish fluently, but he also has over a 4.0 GPA at Sparta High School. Andres grew up in Colombia, and he served in the American Army. They live the American dream.

At the same time, I still want to do the original story I had planned -- the one about immigrants like Lelia who help other immigrants. There are two women I've met and talked with, Libia Eichler and Luz Quintero, who will now be the focus of the story, and I'll also include a little bit about Lelia for extra depth. I'm still planning to finish the series with the piece on immigrant children in American schools. I'm trying to get in touch with the girl who graduated Sparta HS in the top 10, but couldn't go to any colleges because she didn't have papers; I've also heard about another girl with a similar story from Costa Rica.

Which brings me to another point: the legal aspect of immigration. I've spent a lot of my time this past week researching immigration law (and its possible reforms); I've still got more to learn, but I'd like to share what I've found so far.

First, immigration enforcement changed significantly after 9/11 and the Homeland Security Act of 2002. Originally part of Immigration and Naturalization Services (INS) within the Department of Justice, it is now part of the newly created Department of Homeland Security. Within the DHS, US Citizenship and Immigration Services oversees the administrative functions involving immigration; US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and US Customs and Border Protection enforce the laws and protect the borders.

According to the CRS Report for Congress "Immigration Reform: A Brief Synthesis of the Issues," foreign born people constitute 12.4% of the US population. One third of those are naturalized citizens, one third are legal permanent residents, and one third are undocumented. Although it is illegal for employers to knowingly hire or continue to employ undocumented immigrants, enforcement is weak, and the practice is rampant. In the past, the US government has focused on rounding up illegal workers, rather than fining or punishing the employers.

One of the largest issues with immigration is legalization, particularly with regard to letting unauthorized aliens become legal permanent residents. No program is currently in place for this, although there are several proposals -- and proposed requirements, such as documentation of physical presence in the US over a certain period, demonstrated employment for certain periods, demonstrated payment of income taxes, and/or leaving the US to obtain legal status.

Perhaps the best known proposal is the DREAM Act, which would focus on children that came to the US without papers. These children are often brought over when they are 5 or 6 years old; they grow up here and go to school here. Many succeed in school, but they have no opportunities because they are "illegal." Moreover, the schools themselves are often unaware of these students. I spoke with Stan Abromavage, the Director of Guidance for Sparta High School. He told me that the schools do not ask for proof of citizenship, green cards, visas, etc. If a child has proof that he/she is a resident of the area (in this case Sparta), the school by law has to enroll that child.

These are the children I intend to focus on for the final article. It's an issue that too few people are aware of, and I think that these stories need to be told.

Immigrant is Successful Business Owner

Aldo Monge has lived in Newton for over 12 years. In that time, the Mexican immigrant has opened and owned four businesses. He sounds like many American entrepreneurs, worrying about the state of the economy and bemoaning the massive amounts of paperwork involved in business.

His first business venture, a Hispanic grocery store, opened on Spring Street six years ago. The store’s name is Jake’s, but it’s pronounced “Jackie’s,” since it’s named after Monge’s wife, Jacqueline.

“When we decided to open the store, it was more because it…had been necessary for the community,” he explains. “The Spanish community had been growing fast, and except for a couple of things in the [existing] store, there wasn’t much for them.”

It took Aldo and Jacqueline six months to save up enough money for the rent and capital for the storefront, but they recognized the opportunity when they saw it.

Now, Aldo has also been able to open Salsa, a Mexican restaurant on Spring Street that seats eighty. With the help of partner Jose Orlando Castillo, Aldo realized his long standing dream of owning his own restaurant on November 16, 2008.

“It was very exciting, there were many hopes…Now I ask myself, did I make a mistake? But it’s an opportunity,” Aldo says of Salsa.

Although the partners worry about the ailing economy’s effect on their fledgling business, they are confident they will be successful. Salsa, open seven days a week, offers both Tex-Mex and more traditional Mexican cuisine – from appetizers and entrées to drinks and desserts.

Customers come from not only the Hispanic community but also the Court House, local offices, Sussex County Community College, and the hospital.

Like many immigrants in the area, both Castillo and Aldo worked in restaurants as cooks and waiters before they were able to launch Salsa.

Neither Monge nor Castillo planned to open a business when they first came to America.

“I came to Newton because someone hired me, from when I was in Mexico,” comments Aldo.

He had been working at a small hotel in Mexico, where he had worked his way up from the front desk to manager. He had previously attended a school for hotel and restaurant management, although he didn’t finish – he got married.

Aldo didn’t intend to stay in America, but after a year, he realized life for his family would be better in Newton. It took two years before he was able to save up enough to bring Michelle and Jacqueline over.

Castillo’s story is quite different. The Colombia native owned his own transportation company in Bogota when his friends convinced him to go to America. He didn’t tell his family about his plans; he didn’t want them to worry.

The journey took 23 days.

“Very, very hard,” he says simply of the trip.

Castillo went to Florida first, and then Queens, before moving to Newton 14 years ago. He chose Newton as his final destination for both a change of pace and to be closer to his brother, who had already been living in Newton.

Monge’s other businesses have also been named for his family. Three years ago, he opened a deli near the Weiss in Newton; he called it Michelle’s, after his teenage daughter. After two years, Monge had to close the deli for personal reasons.

For eight months, he also owned Mixel’s, a boutique he named after Michelle and his now four-year old son, Aldo Axel.