This man was driving me across Tehran 3 years ago, When I learned that he'd lived in US for 7 years-incidentally on the same street as me in New York City. He first crossed into the United States from Mexico by paying $2000 to a transporter across the border. He wanted to go to a university and become an engineer, but learned that the idea of America was much more bountiful than the reality. He worked at a factory job for 9 years, without even being able to get a driver license. He wasn't able to find a foothold in society. "I had a great passion for the American people, he said". 4 years ago he spent a night in jail driving without a license. He decided he was tired of being nervous all the time, and he went all out for a green card. When he was turned down, he returned back to Iran.

– Fatemeh Jahanshahi

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