Being American

SHE CAME TO AMERICA in 1996, as a nine year old, with her parents. It bears reminding that she had no real choice but to accompany her parents, who made all the decisions, and kept a tight rein oh her. In El Salvador, their life had become hell. Their gang infested town had few job opportunities; you could only get work by either joining or pledging strict obedience to to local controlling gang. Gangster government. Wages were pathetic, and much of every paycheck was extracted by the gang as fealty. The family lived in constant fear, and already her two older brothers had been killed by gang violence. There seemed to be no hope for the future, other than escape, or death. So, her parents planned and saved what they could, and finally one spring morning they headed north. Mostly they walked, since they had sneaked out of town on foot, without any companions, who would make escape difficult, detection easy. The journey took about six weeks in its entirety, and would have taken much longer without several lucky breaks. Without several lucky breaks neither they, nor anyone else, would have made it to the Unites States at all. Much of the way they were able to get a ride, once with another friendly family, and once by paying a single man who was on his way to America. Fortunately, they never had to sell their souls to any gangs or coyotes. They easily sneaked into the country, through a hole in a fence, in the middle of the night. Legally seeking asylum or a passport had never a possibility, not in their home town, not at the border, where for their own survival they simply could not risk being caught, turned back, incarcerated, or worse. President Clinton had made it clear that he was a hawk on illegal immigration, with no pity or sympathy for them. In America they built a life, the parents got work, and she started going to school. Through persistence and hard work, they achieved upward mobility, and she turned out to be a superior student. Her study habits got her into a respected university, and into a lucrative career in corporate management, where she rapidly climbed the ladder, advancing into mid level corporate management. She managed to dodge, elude and avoid any problems due to her illegal status, and she remained a dreamer, in more ways than one. Her family developed a comfort zone, and an ongoing fear of revealing their illegal status. She married, had a family, and with her hard working successful American husband and her own career, she and her two children thrived. Now she is thirty two, a beautiful brunette with an American accent without a trace of Latino, who loves her adopted country, and thanks most Americans take it too much for granted. She has never returned to El Salvador, nor does she intend to, unless perhaps for a brief visit. Though arguably as productive if nor more so than ninety nine percent of "native Americans", she remains an illegal immigrant, with a hidden life of sorts. Under Trump, her chances of clearing the situation up seem dim, if not impossible. Though she could be deported at any moment, she at least has the satisfaction of knowing that her children at least for the moment, are legal birthright American citizens, and that her husband could remain behind in America to raise them. She has overcome great obstacles to succeed because she works hard, makes good decisions, and lives in a great land of opportunity. Arguably, she deserves more.