Everyone except my generation of the family came from El Salvador by land. They all have their own story, but the one that probably hits home to me is my uncle’s wife. She was 8 months pregnant when she came. My uncle was in the process of getting her papers to come, but they did not come in time for their baby’s birth. My uncle, being in the U.S. for years on years, knew that the best future for her daughter was here & not in El Salvador considering all the gang violence. That is his wife, Xiomara, made the decision to cross into the U.S. From what I have understood, the crossing into the U.S is a real struggle I can’t even start to think how much of a struggle it was for Xiomara. She tells as much of her story as she can until her voice can’t stop cracking & can no longer hold the tears back. Throughout the story, she always draws connection to her motivation & rock throughout the journey, which was the Virgin Mary. She endured the pain, stress, and fear to ensure a good future and life for her baby, but what got her through it was her prayer & praise of the Virgin Mary. The Virgin Mary, to her, symbolizes mothers and doing the impossible for their children. At the end of her journey, she ultimately thanked the Virgin Mary for her safe arrival & for the healthy birth of Gabriella. That 6-year-old gets brighter and brighter each day, & everyone knows that would not be the case if her mom didn’t put her faith into the Virgin Mary and cross into the U.S for the best tomorrow.

– Karen Quintanilla

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