Thread: {Sob-Gag}Brothers brave life without papers

Brothers brave life without papers
Fear of deportation, lack of work make for constant worries

By Jesse Truesdale, Reporter

Sunday, July 8, 2007

Editor's note: This is the first of a series on the experiences and views of two undocumented brothers from Mexico who came to the United States in June to improve the lots of themselves and their families through better-paying jobs than those available to them in their home town of Mexico City.

There's only one thing about Mexico that Saul and his brother, Efrain don't miss: the music. Saul is wearing a faded black T-shirt with The Who's bulls-eye logo, while Efrain sports a "Dark Side of the Moon" T-shirt.
The brothers grew up on rock 'n' roll from the 1960s and 1970s, Saul explains, and by his count there are seven stations in the Kansas City area that play that kind of music.
Efrain and Saul came to Kansas about one month ago, in the traditional way for Mexican immigrants too impatient for the legal route: via coyote -- the travel guides who facilitate illegal immigration into the United States from Mexico.
Efrain is 37 and Saul is 42. They came to the Kansas City area because they couldn't find decent work where they live, in a northern suburb of Mexico City.
They each paid $1,500 to be smuggled here. Now that they're here, they're as good as stuck.
They stay at a local shelter for men run by a religious organization, where they have to be in, with lights out, by 10 p.m. The latter part is not easy for Saul, who likes to read the great Spanish-language authors -- from Cervantes to Gabriel Garc�--a Márquez.
They go out each day it's not raining to a gathering spot for day laborers in Kansas City, Mo. On a good day they'll contract work for a day or more, at a rate of between $6 and $9 per hour. That compares to making about the same amount in one day in Mexico.
And that's true even for Saul, who says he is trained as an electro-mechanical engineer, and had worked for the state-owned national railroad in Mexico. Efrain ran his own home-repair business, but could never earn enough to invest in the tools and equipment he needed for the better-paying jobs.
On days when it does rain here, there's nothing for them to do -- because nearly all the day-labor jobs are outside -- except go to the library, to read, or perhaps go for walks.
They don't like to walk around too much, they say, because they fear police may stop them, ask them for identification. Efrain says he's seen this on the street with his own eyes.
Even on the job, they're not necessarily safe, they say.
The migra -- immigration officials -- have been conducting raids on roofing businesses at job sites, hauling undocumented workers away to be deported, Efrain and Saul say.
They don't know anyone it's happened to, but they're sure it's going on. It's the competing roofing companies, Saul said, who don't mind employing undocumented workers themselves, and who are simply out to cut down their competition.
The best scenario for both of them a year from now would be to have saved enough money through working to return home. Efrain would like to be able to invest in better equipment to run a more profitable home-repair business.
Saul is less willing to indulge in optimistic scenarios. Of course he'd like to return home, he said, but beyond that, "it would depend."
If there's one recurring complaint Efrain has about Americans' perceptions of undocumented workers like himself, it's this: that they came here to get something for nothing.
There are many who say that we don't pay taxes, says Efrain, and that we use up government resources.
He points out that they do pay taxes -- on food and cigarettes.
"But we don't receive any (government) benefits," Efrain says. "We only came to work."
To better illustrate the misperceptions they see in American culture, Saul borrows a pen and the reporter's notebook and draws the instantly recognizable cartoon stereotype of a Mexican dozing under a huge sombrero, next to a bottle and in front of a cactus.
"The government and the American people think all immigrants are lazy and drunks," Saul says.
"They don't treat us like workers," Efrain says. "They treat us like delinquents."
That must seem like a particularly absurd joke to him and his brother when they get up at 5 a.m. each weekday to take a bus to get to the gathering spot by 6 a.m. to vie for construction and roofing jobs with 30 to 40 other day laborers. There's no drinking or drug use tolerated at the shelter they're staying in, and if you stay out for a night, you can't stay there again.
Back home, Efrain and Saul -- the middle siblings of 10 children -- share a house between their two families.
The brothers generally have no money in hand since arriving here, as they send what they make to their families back home, and work has been scarce when it's not rained out.
While talking with the Chieftain this week, Efrain received a call at the shelter from his wife, who told him she's run out of money.
Efrain has three children, ages six months, two years and 15 years old, while Saul has two daughters, ages 17 and 14.
"It's difficult to leave a child so young," Efrain said of his six-month old son.
Because they have no car and went without work two days last week because of rain, it's been a hard time the last few days for them and their families. They send money each week back home, and talk to their families for an hour each week on public telephones.
Besides their families, the brothers say there is plenty to miss about their home.
Saul said he misses not being estranged -- "from our streets, friends, fiestas and acquaintances."
"And our families," Efrain adds.
Jesse Truesdale, a member of the Chieftain news staff, is fluent in Spanish. No interpreter was used for this story.

http://www.bonnersprings.com/section/fr ... tory/10715

If these two brothers had stayed in Mexico, they would have not have to be worried about being separated from their families. As for being struck here, all they need to do is turn themselves in and tell ICE they want to return home. that would be a win-win situation since they should not be here and most americans really don't want them here and they want to be with their families.

Mostly {Gag} !

It seems Coyotes are lying to these people obviously telling them the USA is the land of milk & honey.
Also where do they get these large sums of money to pay to be smuggled into the US if they are so poor ? Something doesn't add up here.$1,500 dollars would buy a whole bunch of new tools for a business yet they give it to a smuggler instead of buying tools ??? I don't believe they have any intention of going back to Mexico, I think they are trying to make enough money so they can smuggle their family here too.
BTW do you pay to stay in a shelter or do they get federal funding ?

I can't read it. I tried....got through a few sentences, but I'll puke if I read the whole thing. I know what it says anyway...boo hoo for the poor stupid illegals. But I just don't give a damn. As far as I'm concerned, just go get 'em and send 'em back Mexico!

USPatriot you came up with the same thought as I did while reading this crap. How can stated they needed money to purchase new tools to upgrade his business and compete YET had money $ 1,500.00 {Peso or Dollars} to pay a coyote. Doesn't make sense at all.

I tried to read this nonsense, but it is too close to dinnertime.

All that money being sent to Mexico is from relatives or friends who are paying for them to cross into America. That's where they get the money to get here. Then they get here and send money back for someone else. It's like a never ending disease. It just keeps spreading.