Starting Over Somewhere New

Academic Stephanie Suarez

Nominated by Professor Michelle Gonzales

Every immigrant will always have their own unique story that is different from other immigrants' stories. No story is ever the same. Immigrants all come for a variety of different reasons: They are running from violence in their home country, have had economic difficulties, or are unable to see a promising future in their homeland. I had the pleasure to be able to learn more about Sergio Suarez, my father, and his immigrant story. When you think of people immigrating, you always just think of people coming from Mexico on top of trains or crossing with a coyote. For Sergio, this was not the case. He entered here legally with a tourist visa. During my research, I was able to learn more about his story of having entered the United States legally but being considered an immigrant for overstaying his visa, as well as more about his motives for coming to the United States, reasons he was fleeing his country that had a crisis going on, and the psychological distress being an immigrant has caused him all these years.

Methodology

I interviewed my father, Sergio Suarez, who is an immigrant from Guadalara, Jalisco, more specifically from a town a couple miles away named Tonala. At first, I was a bit indecisive on doing this interview with my father because I know talking about your past is not always easy, especially when it comes to talking about your immigration past, since you have to make the person reflect back on things that have happened to them in the past that they probably do not like to think back on. My father works during the night; therefore, in order for me to be able to interview him, it had to be sometime in the afternoon, which also worked for me because that is the time I am doing my work for school. We were able to conduct the interview in the comfort of our home at the dining table. Since in my household our first language is Spanish, that is what I conducted the interview in. Therefore, I had to translate the questions I was going to ask him in Spanish, but it was better that way because my dad could express himself easier.

The interview part was something new to me since I had never interviewed someone before, but I wanted my father to feel comfortable, so I started with some easy questions at first. Once we got into the more personal questions was when I saw my father starting to get somewhat upset, and I knew he was starting to think about his story and events he went through in his life. My father was not an expert in his home country, nor the United States when he got here, so it was hard to gather economic data. Also, since the last couple of questions were more personal, he did not give as much information, but his expressions said it all.

As far as information that I did not gather from the interview, I was able to do some separate research and gather that information from secondary sources. I mainly needed the Information for more about the tourist visas, which was the way my father had come into the United States legally, and more information regarding the process to get one as well as policies you have to follow. I also did some research on the Peso Crisis, which my father had mentioned in the interview being one of the reasons Mexico's economy was low and they were going through a difficult time. Another important piece of research I did was about the physiological effects of being an immigrant, since I could see my father having them given the answers he gave and the emotions shown in his face. Mostly, I was able to gather information from immigration databases as well as databases from Las Positas Library. I will be discussing these main points that I gathered from the interview in the following.

Immigration (With Tourist Visa)

Sergio Suarez, my father, immigrated to the United States legally. How you may ask? He first came to the United States in 1997. During this time, he had gotten his tourist visa from Mexico in Guadalajara, a city near where he lived. During this time, Gudalajara was already pretty well developed. It was considered one of the larg-

est cities with more technological development of industries and schools. During 1998, according to the census data, the population was about 3,575,000. There in that city was where my father’s parents were able to help him obtain the tourist visa. A tourist visa is basically a permit you get so you are able to travel outside the country, but there are restrictions to the amount of time you are able to stay outside the country, which is a maximum of six months. During the interview, my father was able to explain more of the process he went through to be able to obtain this visa as he said, “As soon as I turned eighteen, my parents took me to get my visa because all of my older brothers had already gotten theirs and had gone to the United States and back to work already. There was quite a handful of documents we had to take to be able to start the application process” (Suarez). He gave me a run down on documents he had taken with him, which were his voting card (form of ID used in Mexico), Mexican passport, and the completed application where you provide information about financial status, reasons for traveling, and current employment. After doing all that, Sergio said you just needed to play the waiting game and pray that you were approved. During 1997, according to a table given by Immigration and Naturalization Services, there were 56,245 visas given to people in the country of Mexico. How that works is the Immigration Acts make it possible for 56,000 natives to get visas, and they are selected by means of annual lottery; therefore, there is no specific status you need to have in order to obtain these visas.

My father during that year got lucky and was one of the citizens who were able to obtain visas to come to the United States, primarily to work but also visit. Sergio’s two older brothers had already settled in the United States years before he got his visa; therefore, when he was nineteen years old, he was able to settle in with them. During the interview, Sergio stated, “I first settled here in Livermore. It was the first place where I lived and found a job as a dishwasher” (Sergio). Like many other immigrants, he wanted to obtain a better life, and having visited the United States and comparing his life in Mexico, he knew that by living in the United States he would be able to obtain the future he wanted to have. This is where the issues come into place. Since he liked being here, he overstayed his six-month period policy. According to the Mexico Border Authority, you have to be issued this permit that they obtain from a Border Protection officer, which has to clear them to stay here in the United States for up to six months without a problem. In certain areas like New Mexico, it is required to be able to travel 55 miles beyond the border. You will need this when you are crossing back from the United States back into Mexico (O-Medina 2008). That is when Sergio ran into an issue and he could not go back to Mexico because if he did, when he wanted to come back using his visa, it would get revoked by immigration since he broke the rules. Therefore, he had no other choice but to stay here since he knew the United States was where he was going to be given the opportunity for that life he wished for.

Sergio Suarez came to the United States seeking a better life, employment, and greater opportunities. He came here voluntary but also with the influence of his parents. Where he was from, Tonala—although it was near the biggest city in Mexico, Guadalajara—lacked a lot of resources for the people living there as well as employment. During the interview, Sergio mentioned, “A couple years before leaving there was a huge crisis that happened in 1995 called the Peso Crisis, where a lot of people lost their jobs including my parents” (Suarez). Sergio said that was the main reason for his parents encouraging him to come to the United States as well as find a job. I was able to research more about the effects of the Peso Crisis, and this article stated that during this crisis in Mexico, it not only affected the economy but also the residents. The employment rate went down drastically and interest rates went through the roof, leaving investors fearing debt and long term crisis. The crisis started off because they devalued the peso; therefore, they wanted to keep the exchange rate when they were trading with other countries, especially the United States. They could not do that since the devaluation; therefore, they started going into debt trying to keep up with all charges they had. The United States government had to come in to help with the bailout of the economy, which was $50 billion, and while this was happening, Bill Clinton was president (Chen 2021). Many people think that immigrants just come to be a disturbance to the country, but in reality,

they are fleeing from problems they have in their country and are trying to find an outlet to be able to have a chance for a decent future. Since the United States has a significant amount of opportunities, you see immigration numbers being the highest.

When Sergio first got to the United States, he settled in Livermore, where his two older brothers lived. His older brother had come about two years in advance to work as well, and during those years, they were able to obtain an apartment, where my dad lived, too. Sergio states that when he first got to the United States, “The economy back then in the late 1990s was way more affordable than it is now” (Suarez). He also discussed that since he was living with roommates and his siblings, paying the rent and other expenses would be divided up between them, and not only one person had to pay for everything. Sergio told me that at first it was hard to settle in because of the various cultures there were around. He did not have any family here except his two brothers, and everybody around him wherever he worked spoke English. That is understandable because here the native language is English. He also discussed there being a time where he felt racism from a job he was first at as a dishwasher. He stated that “some guy told him that if he did not speak any English then why was he working there” (Suarez). That is when Sergio realized that he either had to find a new job or start learning the English language. Although there may be racism toward Mexican immigrants, research I have done says otherwise: “As the United States begins to acknowledge the importance of the growing Latino population in terms of political participation, economic resources, workforce contributions, and cultural influences, increasing attention will be drawn to US-Mexico relations. Mexico is one of the United States’ largest trading partners, and as the Mexican economy prospers and Mexico’s influence in Latin America increases, the economic and political importance of this relationship will also grow. Mexican migration to the United States is unique, and it is imperative that the United States and Mexico collaborate in developing immigration policies that serve the needs of people and promote economic prosperity in both countries” (Romo 18). Both Mexico and the United States know that the people immigrating from Mexico come because of the benefits of the economy compared to their native countries. They also contribute to the laborious work needed to be done in the United States. In other words, they do the work that citizens do not want to do. Mexico, being one of the largest trading partners with the United States, should be able to come to an agreement when it comes to the immigration policies they have so that both countries can benefit from it and they do not have these problems of people immigrating illegally. This should be able to be done regarding the benefits the United States gets from these undocumented workers.

Psychological Effects

Sergio, my father, had also mentioned during the interview that for him the 212 hardest part of being an immigrant is the emotional and psychological distress that comes with it as years go on being away from your native country. When I asked him, “What or who do you miss most from your country?” he responded to me saying, “Extrano a mis amigos, familiares, la comida, pero lo más que extraño es el estilo de vida de México” (Suarez). Here he told me that he missed his family, friends, and food, but what he missed most was the style of life in Mexico. He explained to me the traditions they would have every October, a month when they would celebrate the virgin they praised. He felt the loneliness of not having his family around as he would stay here and work for months. Now that he has been here for almost nineteen years, he tells me it upsets him that he has not been able to go back and visit his country where he left his family, as well as be a part of the traditions that take place where he is from. So, I can say that a majority of immigrants do struggle mentally and psychologically just being immigrants in general coming to a whole new country.

This part of the interview is what most stood out to me because most immigrants don't talk about the aftermath of living in the country you have migrated to and how that affects a person's mental health in general. Being away from your family is hard already, but having to move your whole life to a new country is even harder. The article “Examining the Psychological Impact of the Immigration Experience” says, “Acculturation interfaces immigrants with having to adapt and learn a new set of cultural norms while preserving the individuals’ native culture (Berry, 1997). According to Berry, “The

process of acculturation is complex and involves not only learning about the new culture but also integrating it to fit a social identity prototype and daily activities. Intergenerational conflict, acculturation stress, gender role conflict, loneliness and isolation, and family conflict may surface when individuals feel the pressure to assimilate or adapt quickly to the host culture” (Torres Fernandez 5). This further explains that when immigrants come to a new country, the least of their worries is fitting in with the culture’s normal traditions or norms they celebrate since they come here seeking employment and a better life. Once they have obtained the job they need to make money in order for them to be stable and have a roof over their head while they are in this foreign country, that is when they start to miss home, family, and the cultural traditions they would have in their homeland since before that they would just think about the opportunities they would have in the new country. They forget that eventually they are going to feel lonely and like an outsider in this new country they know nothing about. They may also feel discriminated against because they may not have the adequate legal status to be able to obtain a job that does not involve laborious work such as being a landscaper, dishwasher, or even janitor, jobs citizens do not want to do.

Winding Down/Conclusion

Toward the end of the interview, I found that I was able to get a deeper understanding of the struggles my father had to face in order to be where he is today. I was also able to understand more about how having a tourist visa works and how you are able to obtain one. In my father’s case, he is considered an immigrant because of him breaking the rules and policies of having a visa. He stayed here in the United States longer than the sixmonth policy; therefore, if he returned, he would have gotten the visa revoked and been unable to come back to the states. In the interview, I asked, “Why did you overstay your visa?” He stated, “I got distracted by all the money I was making at the time, and I saw that it was going good and I was able to provide for my parents in Mexico, but other than that, I also met your mother” (Suarez). Everything I heard him say about the visa and how he got here was all new to me as these are topics we normally do not discuss due to the fact that it is a touchy subject for him.

Although Sergio’s immigration story may not sound like others, he came here to the United States for a variety of reasons and primarily to change what his future was going to look like here rather than in his home country, where there had been economic issues and lack of unemployment and opportunities for the citizens. Most importantly, I learned about the psychological distress an immigrant really goes through in this whole process and for the rest of their life as well. This made me realize that hundreds or even thousands of other immigrants who come for a better life and opportunity end up with this psychological sadness from leaving their family as well as their traditions behind in their home country.

Chen, James, editor. "The 1994 Mexican Peso Crisis." Investopedia, 30 Jan. 2021, www.investopedia.com/terms/t/tequilaeffect.asp. Accessed 5 Dec. 2021.

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Harriett D. Romo, and Olivia Mogollon-Lopez. Mexican Migration to the United States :

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Suarez, Sergio. Personal interview with the author. 23 Nov. 2021.

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