Thread: She feels American

She feels American
(http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/news ... S1.article)

May 2, 2007

By RYAN PAGELOW rpagelow@scn1.com

When Wendy Castaneda was 5 in Morelos, Mexico, her mother took her with her across the U.S.-Mexico border illegally one night. Since then, Castaneda, now 23 and living in Zion, has had to live with the consequences of being an undocumented immigrant.

Raised in this country, she feels American and speaks English fluently, but has no legal status in this country. With no specialized skills or immediate adult relatives who are U.S. citizens, her chances of becoming a legal resident are slim.

Her best bet is for an immigration reform that would give her, and many of the nation's other estimated 12 million illegal immigrants, a path to citizenship. That's why she marched in Chicago on Tuesday with hundreds of other Lake County immigrants.

"I'm not making myself a victim. I'm just saying let me live a normal life," Castaneda said.

By a normal life, she means having a Social Security number so that she can legally work and get an Illinois driver's license, as well as not live in fear that she will be separated from her three children who were born in this country and are U.S. citizens.

As citizens, her kids will eventually be able to petition for her residency, but not until they are 21 years old, and that only begins the bureaucratic wait time.

She brought her two oldest, Steve, 6, and Raul, 5, to the march, pushing the youngest in a stroller. Although they normally would be attending kindergarten and preschool, she said it was important for them to be at the march.

"I wanted them to see how many people we are," Castaneda said. "They kind of have an idea of what is going on. Sometimes they say, 'Mom, are they going to take you away?' It's something that affects them," Castaneda said. "If immigration takes me away, what am I going to do with my children?"

Despite her illegal status, Castaneda has worked a number of jobs, including being a housekeeper, cook, cashier and most recently as a restaurant manager. Currently she is a stay-at-home mom and studying for her GED at the College of Lake County, planning to graduate Sunday. She eventually hopes to become a Realtor.

Her husband, who is also undocumented and was at the march, works in construction. He's often paid in cash. Sometimes employers don't pay him and he has few ways to defend himself, Castaneda said.

Her children, as U.S. citizens, are eligible for food stamps and public medical care.

She and her husband have individual tax identification numbers in order to open bank accounts and pay taxes.

Although being an illegal immigrant is frustrating, she is glad her mother brought her to this country because her dad was abusive.

"I'm grateful now how brave my mom was. Even though she was suffering from domestic violence she had the strength to give us a better life," she said. "What you make here in a day you make there in a week."

Castaneda and more than 550 immigrants and their supporters from the Waukegan area came down to Chicago Tuesday on 11 chartered buses, paid for through donations from dozens of local Latino businesses. Other demonstrators came by train or car. They marched under a Waukegan banner.

Yuri Carbajal of Waukegan, was another one of the demonstrators. Originally from Guerrero, Mexico, she became a naturalized U.S. citizen last week, and encourages other eligible legal permanent residents to become citizens in order to have the right to vote.

"I wish a lot of people could become citizens so they can vote to change the laws," Carbajal said. "Voting is power."

But she also sees the power of marches to attract attention to the issue and brought her three kids, two of which normally attend school.

"As they say, una vez al año no hace daño. Once a year doesn't hurt," Carbajal said. "It's important that they come. I want to teach them that they can help others."

your normal life as an illegal is what you make of it.
if you want to stay, fill out the proper papers, or go back to your parents home country and come here legally.
your not american and your still a lawbreaker