The United States of America passport is important to tell my father's story because this object is the symbolic main reason why my father immigrated to the United States which was to reach the American dream. My father was born in Mexico, in 1955 and immigrated to the U.S. in 1979 with hopes of having a better future for him and my family. In Mexico he had to work at a very young age and even had to quit school at the elementary level in order to work to help his parents with home expenses. Mexico's economy was not the best, so he knew his future would be one where he would be in constant struggle to survive and provide for his own family and this was a push factor for his emigration. He was faced with the reality that in order to sustain his family he had to go to another country where the pull factors were employment opportunities, better pay, and education opportunities for his kids. Thus, he had to Immigrate to the U.S. illegally crossing the border and dangerous desert risking his own life. He then worked really hard for several years sending money to sustain us. He had to leave me and my family while he was trying to reach the American dream of becoming a US citizen to obtain the same privilege's American Citizens have. He eventually went to school to learn English and applied for the naturalization test, once he had fulfilled the requirements he needed to apply. He passed that test in the first try and by passing it he became a U.S. citizen and was able to claim my mother as his wife, me and my brothers as his kids and so we immigrated as residents. 

– Maria Sanchez

Relationship:  Im/migrant who arrived as a child Im/migrant who arrived as a child