My grandfather was born in Santo Tomas, Chihuahua. He was 22 years old when he began working at the bank in Mexico. He also worked in the newspaper named “Diario de Juarez.” After 4 years, he decided it was time to quit his jobs and come to the U.S. Like the Chinese, my grandfather wanted to come to the United States to get better work opportunities. In the photo above, it is the form my grandfather filled out to get approval to come to the United States. He was denied, they did not believe that he worked in the bank. My grandfather took out a tourist visa and then drove across the border with his wife and four kids. He couldn’t find work and they only had a small apartment to live in so he decided to send my grandmother and kids back to Juarez, Mexico. He continued to look for work and when he could, he would send money to my grandmother. In 1968, he was working in Chicago and ICE arrested him and deported him back to Juarez. He tried again and was able to travel to Los Angeles with his family. Even though he was able to get a job, it was never enough money to provide for his family. He never gave up. He worked hard. One day, he was hired for a well-paying job. A couple of years later, he was able to obtain his citizenship. My grandfather will never forget about this paper and how it made him feel when he saw the word “DENIED” on it. The paper always reminds him of his hard journey of coming to the United States. 

– LU

Relationship:  Grandchild of im/migrant Grandchild of im/migrant