Photostories by Humans of St. Louis
Erick, Jennifer and Gordo
San Pedro Sula, Honduras; San Diego, California, USA & Maryville, Illinois, USA
Erick: “I came from San Pedro Sula, Honduras. I am 21 years old but when I was very young, it was very calm. Yes, there was some crime, but little. Now you see it a lot. Now, even minors, they’re involved in gangs, because if they do not join them, they kill them and their families. They tell you, ‘You are our enemy or you are our friend.’ The truth is that nowadays it is very ugly. When you goes there, they ask you, ‘Where are you from? Who is your family?’ And if you don’t know someone, they kill you or they beat you up so that you leave, because according to what they say it’s their territory. Nowadays this is happening in every part. Before there were no more cities that were ugly, but now they all are. They were telling me that the medical examiners, those who gather the dead, because there’s no ambulance, they decided that each family will have to collect the bodies from their own family members, because the examiners are tired of gathering so many dead bodies. Each one you will have to collect, clean, and bury. This is what they were saying to my sister, who is still in Honduras. There aren’t drug traffickers there. They’re all gangs. Even kids who are 12 and 14 years old, they have already killed many people. Because if they don’t, they don’t have to run from the gangs. They have to join the gangs because they don’t want to die or have something happen to their families.”
“How many people are in your family? Who did you leave behind?”
Erick: “I left my son and my sister, worst of all. My cousins are already gangbangers. My youngest cousin they killed. According to my cousin, they were going to hand my brother over to the gang, because he did not want to be in the gang. But my cousin warned him, because my cousin wasn’t still with them but he told them where people were, and he warned my brother to come here, to the United States, because if he didn’t, they were going to kill him. That night they all left for here. And the following day in the afternoon my cousin went to speak with my mom and told her, ‘Listen, auntie, they are going to kill me, and when they kill me, go.’ Because I was still there, and my little sister – my older sister was in a different city where the gang did not know she lived – they were looking for me and my mom and my little sister. ‘The same night that they kill me, don’t do anything more than bury me and then leave, because they are going to set a fire when they realize they have not caught Juan,’ my brother. And it’s true. That afternoon my cousin was shot many times. He left behind two daughters and a son, and the worst was that his daughter saw it happen. She was almost seven years old, and she was crying and saying, ‘No, Daddy. Why did they kill you? Get up!’ We went and we got the daughter and we buried my cousin.”
“How many people are in your family? Who did you leave behind?”
Erick: “I left my son and my sister, worst of all. My cousins are already gangbangers. My youngest cousin they killed. According to my cousin, they were going to hand my brother over to the gang, because he did not want to be in the gang. But my cousin warned him, because my cousin wasn’t still with them but he told them where people were, and he warned my brother to come here, to the United States, because if he didn’t, they were going to kill him. That night they all left for here. And the following day in the afternoon my cousin went to speak with my mom and told her, ‘Listen, auntie, they are going to kill me, and when they kill me, go.’ Because I was still there, and my little sister – my older sister was in a different city where the gang did not know she lived – they were looking for me and my mom and my little sister. ‘The same night that they kill me, don’t do anything more than bury me and then leave, because they are going to set a fire when they realize they have not caught Juan,’ my brother. And it’s true. That afternoon my cousin was shot many times. He left behind two daughters and a son, and the worst was that his daughter saw it happen. She was almost seven years old, and she was crying and saying, ‘No, Daddy. Why did they kill you? Get up!’ We went and we got the daughter and we buried my cousin.”
Erick stands in front of a pond and smiles at the camera.
“We left all our things scattered, took no more than the little we could carry, and we went with my sister. The gang didn’t know where we were living. They came looking for us and said that because of my brother they killed him. My mom had raised him since he was young and my cousin said he loved him like a brother. There were times that my mom stopped giving us food so that she could give food to them. And he saw this all. But now my other cousins didn’t see this and they say that if we were still there they would kill us as it is our fault that they killed their brother and left his daughters. But the truth is, he was also involved in that and they told them that if they didn’t join in the gang, they were going to end up like their brother. Our neighbors told us later that that night after we left, some gang members showed up. They came with gasoline tanks, kicked open the doors and since they didn’t see anyone – that same night, just as my cousin had said they were going to come and they were going to want to set us on fire – they didn’t set fire to the house, because they didn’t find anyone. All they did was take the things that remained and left the rest of the house open.”
“Me, my mom, and my little sister went to Yoro. We were living in San Pedro Sula. We went to another ‘state’ or city, so to speak. The gang who had already killed members of my family came looking for us a lot and when we knew they were going to realize where we were, we decided it was better that I come here to the United States. My mom and my sister stayed, but my dad, he left me in Monterrey. He left. According to him he was going to get my mom, he left me stranded there in Monterrey. I was 15 years old, but as I said to him, ‘Papa, I have seen worse things and I am not about to see things that are even worse.’ I was working there and my brother arranged to send a coyote to help me cross.”
“In Monterrey, I stayed like a month alone. And in Monterey, there was one of those groups that kidnapped people. God has taken care me of a lot. Those same people who kidnap people, they told me, ‘Listen, do you have family?’ And I told them, ‘No, the truth is that I am alone. You already see that not even my dad wants me. He left me here in Monterrey. You know that I work.’ And they told me, ‘We are going to leave you here in a room where we put people, but we are going to have you in this room. We are not going to kidnap you. Do you want to work with us?’ ‘No, the truth is that I am escaping from far away, I am not going to fall into this stuff, going around killing people and kidnapping,’ Then they told me, ‘While you are looking for a place to stay, work hard, we are going to leave you here in this room.’ And they left me and I was listening, because you could hear into the other room. And a week later I told them, ‘Thank you for everything, but I have found a place to stay.’ And, well, they never did anything to me. They took care of me.”
“Me, my mom, and my little sister went to Yoro. We were living in San Pedro Sula. We went to another ‘state’ or city, so to speak. The gang who had already killed members of my family came looking for us a lot and when we knew they were going to realize where we were, we decided it was better that I come here to the United States. My mom and my sister stayed, but my dad, he left me in Monterrey. He left. According to him he was going to get my mom, he left me stranded there in Monterrey. I was 15 years old, but as I said to him, ‘Papa, I have seen worse things and I am not about to see things that are even worse.’ I was working there and my brother arranged to send a coyote to help me cross.”
“In Monterrey, I stayed like a month alone. And in Monterey, there was one of those groups that kidnapped people. God has taken care me of a lot. Those same people who kidnap people, they told me, ‘Listen, do you have family?’ And I told them, ‘No, the truth is that I am alone. You already see that not even my dad wants me. He left me here in Monterrey. You know that I work.’ And they told me, ‘We are going to leave you here in a room where we put people, but we are going to have you in this room. We are not going to kidnap you. Do you want to work with us?’ ‘No, the truth is that I am escaping from far away, I am not going to fall into this stuff, going around killing people and kidnapping,’ Then they told me, ‘While you are looking for a place to stay, work hard, we are going to leave you here in this room.’ And they left me and I was listening, because you could hear into the other room. And a week later I told them, ‘Thank you for everything, but I have found a place to stay.’ And, well, they never did anything to me. They took care of me.”
Erick holds his toddler Gordo in his arms as he walks on some stepping stones across a stream.
“What happened to you after leaving Monterrey?”
Erick: “My brother paid a coyote for me. I was there like two weeks and then I crossed over to Texas. Migration caught me there and sent me to New York because there were many kids there in Texas and in New York there was a house with space they found. I was in New York for like three months, until my aunt could get together sufficient papers for the plane ticket, and then they sent me to Florida. So, to cross the border, they paid $700 USD because you pay half first and once I was there, they paid the other $700 USD. In other words, they paid $1400 USD because I was at the border. I crossed from Reynosa, Mexico to McAllen, Texas.”
“And when you were young, did you hear stories of kids you who crossed the border?”
Erick: “When I was little, it was a little calmer. There wasn’t so much immigration. People were crossing, but there wasn’t so much crime. The Zetas were not there yet. When I came, like the two years before, the Zetas were starting to emerge, especially in Zacatecas. Today also in the capital of Mexico, we ran into gang members from Honduras that go around robbing people with guns and they began to tell us, ‘Listen! If you don’t give us the money right now, you’ll be dead.’ And they took out their guns, and told us, ‘No le digo, si yo más bien vengo de allá.’ Y en eso como yo en Yoro trabajé en una bananera. Many people from there asked me, ‘Where are you from?’ ‘Yoro.’ ‘Which part of Yoro?’ ‘Agua Blanca.’ ‘And you didn’t work on the banana plantation?’ ‘Yes, I know so and so.’ ‘Oh, that’s my family. But it doesn’t matter. Even though you know my family, give me your money and we won’t do anything to you.’ I saved myself but they took all my money. And even the same Guatemalan policemen have to give them money when we crossed so that they let them continue.”
Erick: “The train, the Beast, was very fast. The train, ‘La Bestia,’ or ‘the Beast,’ was very fast. I had to run and run in order to catch it and not let go, because if you let go, like they told me, ‘You’ll end up losing a foot or you’ll be left dead.’ I don’t remember the name of that part of Mexico, where the Beast first leaves from, but the train looked very full. It transports things like grains and beans down below and the people almost couldn’t fit above. There were some people who pushed others and if you didn’t hold on well, you fell. The truth is there are some bad people. Instead of helping you and saying, ‘Look, sit here,’ they said, ‘No, find your own wagon.’ In the daytime it was very hot, and at night it was very cold. I got as far as Monterrey on the Beast. The whole way on my journey, I did not see a bus, or a taxi, or anything. Pure Beast until one arrives in Monterrey. Already in Monterrey they were many immigration officials grabbing people from the train.”
“What happened in the moment you were crossing and they caught you?”
Erick: “Well, the truth is I felt really bad. I was going to return to Honduras, but I realized I was a minor and I could stay here. If I would’ve returned to Honduras, it was going to be the same, seeing the same, until they found me. Yes, I worried a lot and I felt a relief when they told me, ‘We are going to send you to New York, and there your family can get you, your family who has papers here. If not, they can adopt you.’ And I said, ‘I’m not interested in them adopting me, as long as I stay here or something,’ because I was already here three months, and the truth is that I was desperate, because it was better here than there. They took me to a place to stay that was better than at the border, because when migration grabbed us, they didn’t give us more than a piece of bread and bologna for the whole day. And they only gave it to us when a new one falls. They told us, ‘Let another one fall! Let another one fall!’ so that they would feed us.”
“And how was it when you arrived at the place to stay?”
Erick: “There, they received us very nicely. Someone came for us, they got us in a van, we were no longer wearing handcuffs or anything. We bathed. They gave us food. They treated us very nice. When I arrived at the border, I burned my hand. Because when you’re with the coyotes, you have to cook your own food. They said, ‘As you wish. If you don’t want to cook, then, you die.’ And I burned my whole hand with the frying pan. Quite a big burn. I remember that the police took me to a hospital where they put cream on it. And there in the house they gave us three calls a week because it is very expensive. We had lawyers if we needed to go to court or anything. And we were going to a psychologist. When I arrived here, I couldn’t sleep. One arrives very traumatized and the psychologist talked with me. The truth is, you dreams about all of these things and wake up suddenly in the night because of the trauma that you carry.”
Erick: “My brother paid a coyote for me. I was there like two weeks and then I crossed over to Texas. Migration caught me there and sent me to New York because there were many kids there in Texas and in New York there was a house with space they found. I was in New York for like three months, until my aunt could get together sufficient papers for the plane ticket, and then they sent me to Florida. So, to cross the border, they paid $700 USD because you pay half first and once I was there, they paid the other $700 USD. In other words, they paid $1400 USD because I was at the border. I crossed from Reynosa, Mexico to McAllen, Texas.”
“And when you were young, did you hear stories of kids you who crossed the border?”
Erick: “When I was little, it was a little calmer. There wasn’t so much immigration. People were crossing, but there wasn’t so much crime. The Zetas were not there yet. When I came, like the two years before, the Zetas were starting to emerge, especially in Zacatecas. Today also in the capital of Mexico, we ran into gang members from Honduras that go around robbing people with guns and they began to tell us, ‘Listen! If you don’t give us the money right now, you’ll be dead.’ And they took out their guns, and told us, ‘No le digo, si yo más bien vengo de allá.’ Y en eso como yo en Yoro trabajé en una bananera. Many people from there asked me, ‘Where are you from?’ ‘Yoro.’ ‘Which part of Yoro?’ ‘Agua Blanca.’ ‘And you didn’t work on the banana plantation?’ ‘Yes, I know so and so.’ ‘Oh, that’s my family. But it doesn’t matter. Even though you know my family, give me your money and we won’t do anything to you.’ I saved myself but they took all my money. And even the same Guatemalan policemen have to give them money when we crossed so that they let them continue.”
Erick: “The train, the Beast, was very fast. The train, ‘La Bestia,’ or ‘the Beast,’ was very fast. I had to run and run in order to catch it and not let go, because if you let go, like they told me, ‘You’ll end up losing a foot or you’ll be left dead.’ I don’t remember the name of that part of Mexico, where the Beast first leaves from, but the train looked very full. It transports things like grains and beans down below and the people almost couldn’t fit above. There were some people who pushed others and if you didn’t hold on well, you fell. The truth is there are some bad people. Instead of helping you and saying, ‘Look, sit here,’ they said, ‘No, find your own wagon.’ In the daytime it was very hot, and at night it was very cold. I got as far as Monterrey on the Beast. The whole way on my journey, I did not see a bus, or a taxi, or anything. Pure Beast until one arrives in Monterrey. Already in Monterrey they were many immigration officials grabbing people from the train.”
“What happened in the moment you were crossing and they caught you?”
Erick: “Well, the truth is I felt really bad. I was going to return to Honduras, but I realized I was a minor and I could stay here. If I would’ve returned to Honduras, it was going to be the same, seeing the same, until they found me. Yes, I worried a lot and I felt a relief when they told me, ‘We are going to send you to New York, and there your family can get you, your family who has papers here. If not, they can adopt you.’ And I said, ‘I’m not interested in them adopting me, as long as I stay here or something,’ because I was already here three months, and the truth is that I was desperate, because it was better here than there. They took me to a place to stay that was better than at the border, because when migration grabbed us, they didn’t give us more than a piece of bread and bologna for the whole day. And they only gave it to us when a new one falls. They told us, ‘Let another one fall! Let another one fall!’ so that they would feed us.”
“And how was it when you arrived at the place to stay?”
Erick: “There, they received us very nicely. Someone came for us, they got us in a van, we were no longer wearing handcuffs or anything. We bathed. They gave us food. They treated us very nice. When I arrived at the border, I burned my hand. Because when you’re with the coyotes, you have to cook your own food. They said, ‘As you wish. If you don’t want to cook, then, you die.’ And I burned my whole hand with the frying pan. Quite a big burn. I remember that the police took me to a hospital where they put cream on it. And there in the house they gave us three calls a week because it is very expensive. We had lawyers if we needed to go to court or anything. And we were going to a psychologist. When I arrived here, I couldn’t sleep. One arrives very traumatized and the psychologist talked with me. The truth is, you dreams about all of these things and wake up suddenly in the night because of the trauma that you carry.”
Erick holds Gordo, who is sitting on a railing, and they both smile at the camera
“You have already seen so many things, but you tell me the story with a smile, like you overcame it and it’s in the past.”
Erick: “You have to overcome these things, because I have my son. I’m not going to give him this smile that I did not have.”
“Why did you come to Missouri?”
Erick: “Because my brother was here. He came and got me in Florida so that I could be here with him and he enrolled me in school.”
Erick: “You have to overcome these things, because I have my son. I’m not going to give him this smile that I did not have.”
“Why did you come to Missouri?”
Erick: “Because my brother was here. He came and got me in Florida so that I could be here with him and he enrolled me in school.”
Erick, Jennifer, and Gordo are standing on a stone path together smiling on a cool day
“When did you and your girlfriend meet?”
Erick: “In high school. In Granite City, Illinois.”
“Do you remember the first time you met her?”
Erick: “Yes. In gym class. It was when I was bothering her. She grabbed an apple and she threw it at me but it hit someone else.”
Jennifer: “Every time I was leaving gym, he would bother me. It was the last period. I was there waiting for my friends with my phone and he came with his friend to bother me. I met Erick my junior year. I thought he was Mexican and related to another guy in my school because they were always together and they were both annoying.”
“What’s a part of his journey that you haven’t learned about yet, that you’re curious about?”
Jennifer: “Everything. I just heard that he came over here because he didn’t want to be over there; his mom and his sister stayed. Other than that, I don’t know the whole scenario because he doesn’t want to talk about it; he doesn’t want to involve me.”
Erick: “In high school. In Granite City, Illinois.”
“Do you remember the first time you met her?”
Erick: “Yes. In gym class. It was when I was bothering her. She grabbed an apple and she threw it at me but it hit someone else.”
Jennifer: “Every time I was leaving gym, he would bother me. It was the last period. I was there waiting for my friends with my phone and he came with his friend to bother me. I met Erick my junior year. I thought he was Mexican and related to another guy in my school because they were always together and they were both annoying.”
“What’s a part of his journey that you haven’t learned about yet, that you’re curious about?”
Jennifer: “Everything. I just heard that he came over here because he didn’t want to be over there; his mom and his sister stayed. Other than that, I don’t know the whole scenario because he doesn’t want to talk about it; he doesn’t want to involve me.”
Erick holds Gordo and Jennifer stands beside them, on a boardwalk over a pond.
“How much time have you been together now?”
Erick: “Three years. And Gordo, our son, is two years old.”
“And how old is your other son, Erick?”
Erick: “My other son is four years old. Since I left, his mom realized that I had another son, she got mad at me and told me my son wasn’t going to know anything about me. Her parents are church pastors and they want everything perfect. When he grows up and asks for me, it will be their obligation to speak about me.”
“How did you find out about the MICA Project?”
Erick: “Through my sister-in-law. She saw it on the Internet and those that work there are good to me. They even surprised me because every time I arrive late, my lawyer says ‘No, it’s okay.’ I always come late, because I think, ‘It’s fine, it’s fine!’ She arrives at the exact time and she knows that I am going to arrive like 10-20 minutes later. But yes, thank God, they could help me get my work permit so that I could work and do my taxes. Now we are in the phase of getting my residency so that I can see my mom in Mexico. Many people I see always ask me about immigration and I recommend MICA. The truth is that they have a lot of charisma. Their character is very beautiful. They like the people who they serve and they studied hard to help them. So in that they engage their time.”
Erick: “Three years. And Gordo, our son, is two years old.”
“And how old is your other son, Erick?”
Erick: “My other son is four years old. Since I left, his mom realized that I had another son, she got mad at me and told me my son wasn’t going to know anything about me. Her parents are church pastors and they want everything perfect. When he grows up and asks for me, it will be their obligation to speak about me.”
“How did you find out about the MICA Project?”
Erick: “Through my sister-in-law. She saw it on the Internet and those that work there are good to me. They even surprised me because every time I arrive late, my lawyer says ‘No, it’s okay.’ I always come late, because I think, ‘It’s fine, it’s fine!’ She arrives at the exact time and she knows that I am going to arrive like 10-20 minutes later. But yes, thank God, they could help me get my work permit so that I could work and do my taxes. Now we are in the phase of getting my residency so that I can see my mom in Mexico. Many people I see always ask me about immigration and I recommend MICA. The truth is that they have a lot of charisma. Their character is very beautiful. They like the people who they serve and they studied hard to help them. So in that they engage their time.”
Jennifer and Erick both hold Gordo up, smiling at the camera on a sunny day.
Erick: “I work in a packaging company and I operate a forklift. Before, when I was working, I worked at a tire company or in roofing and I didn’t have papers. The truth is that I was always confident, because of the way I worked in my free time. And I had confidence in God. I never thought they were going to send it. It was going to take a little while because the good never arrives quickly. You has to wait. What I need more than anything now, well, is just to see my mom, because I have not seen in her in five years. She is pretty sick, she suffers from high blood pressure and blood sugar, which every once in awhile gives her attacks. I regret that I didn’t go see her before so that she could meet my son. But I can’t complain. I am better here than there. I don’t see things like, ‘Oh, I’m missing this.’ I have bread every day, and for that I give thanks to God. I don’t see so much death, or have to be as careful, or have to leave or any of that. I don’t have the fear that they are going to kill me or that I will have to enter into the gang. I can’t complain, thanks be to God.”
“If you were still there, what would your life be like now?”
Erick: “I don’t think I would still be alive, because when you’re in the gang, you don’t last long. And if I were alive, I’d be a prisoner. I’d be without an arm or something. When you are older, they recruit you and they tell you, ‘Come, let’s go and train you.’ First, to enter into the gang they give you a beating, and if you survive that beating, you’re good for the gang, that’s what they say. Everyone beats you and when you pass the beating then you’re in the gang. Where we were living, there are two different types of gangs: the Salvatrucha, they call it ‘MS,’ and Los 18, they call them ‘The 18.’ They are two different gangs and there are times when they come armed and suddenly a gang comes and then the other, they are shooting at each other, the police come, and they don’t know who is shooting who.”
“For those who do not understand anything that you have lived, what do you wish they knew?”
Erick: “To give thanks to God and never commit bad acts. I hope that they never make this country bad and dirty, because the truth is if they go there and see Honduras they are going to realize that they have to take care of this country. They have to take care of this country more than anything else and accept whatever President this country has. One has to accept it and it’s not more than four years. Of course in areas there is poverty, but not like in my country. There can be poverty, but there is work. You have to buck up and work because this is your country, this is your flag, you have to fight for this country while you are living in it.”
“Do you think about Erick’s and little Erick’s culture and how one day he’ll probably be really curious like, ‘Where’s Honduras and can we go and what’s it like?’”
Jennifer: “Well, I don’t know, because he talks about how bad it is, so I don’t know. I don’t feel like I want to go because I really don’t want to risk it. Just like in Mexico, too. Like, his mom is there right now, so I would go, but I won’t stay alone. He doesn’t want to go there anyway. The only thing is his other son. He’d like to bring him over here, I guess. He is not in contact with him now, but if his son ever wanted to find out about him, I wouldn’t mind his son coming here because he is a part of him. I can’t neglect him. If we ever got separated, I wouldn’t keep him from seeing his child, that is not right.”
“If you were still there, what would your life be like now?”
Erick: “I don’t think I would still be alive, because when you’re in the gang, you don’t last long. And if I were alive, I’d be a prisoner. I’d be without an arm or something. When you are older, they recruit you and they tell you, ‘Come, let’s go and train you.’ First, to enter into the gang they give you a beating, and if you survive that beating, you’re good for the gang, that’s what they say. Everyone beats you and when you pass the beating then you’re in the gang. Where we were living, there are two different types of gangs: the Salvatrucha, they call it ‘MS,’ and Los 18, they call them ‘The 18.’ They are two different gangs and there are times when they come armed and suddenly a gang comes and then the other, they are shooting at each other, the police come, and they don’t know who is shooting who.”
“For those who do not understand anything that you have lived, what do you wish they knew?”
Erick: “To give thanks to God and never commit bad acts. I hope that they never make this country bad and dirty, because the truth is if they go there and see Honduras they are going to realize that they have to take care of this country. They have to take care of this country more than anything else and accept whatever President this country has. One has to accept it and it’s not more than four years. Of course in areas there is poverty, but not like in my country. There can be poverty, but there is work. You have to buck up and work because this is your country, this is your flag, you have to fight for this country while you are living in it.”
“Do you think about Erick’s and little Erick’s culture and how one day he’ll probably be really curious like, ‘Where’s Honduras and can we go and what’s it like?’”
Jennifer: “Well, I don’t know, because he talks about how bad it is, so I don’t know. I don’t feel like I want to go because I really don’t want to risk it. Just like in Mexico, too. Like, his mom is there right now, so I would go, but I won’t stay alone. He doesn’t want to go there anyway. The only thing is his other son. He’d like to bring him over here, I guess. He is not in contact with him now, but if his son ever wanted to find out about him, I wouldn’t mind his son coming here because he is a part of him. I can’t neglect him. If we ever got separated, I wouldn’t keep him from seeing his child, that is not right.”
Close up of Gordo smiling at the camera
“And are you raising your son, Gordo, bilingual?”
Jennifer: “Well, I speak more English to our son and Erick speaks more Spanish with him. Gordo speaks some Spanish, but mostly English because he always watches Mickey Mouse and Paw Patrol.”
Jennifer: “Well, I speak more English to our son and Erick speaks more Spanish with him. Gordo speaks some Spanish, but mostly English because he always watches Mickey Mouse and Paw Patrol.”
Jennifer holding Gordo up on a sidewalk in the Botanical Gardens
Jennifer: “MICA helped Erick a lot with getting his work permit, because when he was working in roofing, he wouldn’t make that much money. He would be working at the tire shop, sitting there, and even when he was busy, he got paid like $50 a day. So, him getting the job he has now, and being able to find other work, and making more money as a result, has helped us. We are able to help his mom and our family, too.”
“After you turned 18 years old, what permission did they give you so that you could stay here?”
Erick: “A work permit. I had to carry migration papers, first, that said that I was arranging work, and after that, they had to take my fingerprints. And after that they had to give me a work permit which is the first thing that I should have in order for them to give me a social security number. Having your work visa, you can get a social security number. My work visa, which I have now, expires in 2017 or 2018. They last like three years, but this is no more than a permit.”
“Do you want to be a citizen someday?”
Erick: “Yes. One day, with hope and faith, I will be able to.”
“After you turned 18 years old, what permission did they give you so that you could stay here?”
Erick: “A work permit. I had to carry migration papers, first, that said that I was arranging work, and after that, they had to take my fingerprints. And after that they had to give me a work permit which is the first thing that I should have in order for them to give me a social security number. Having your work visa, you can get a social security number. My work visa, which I have now, expires in 2017 or 2018. They last like three years, but this is no more than a permit.”
“Do you want to be a citizen someday?”
Erick: “Yes. One day, with hope and faith, I will be able to.”
Gordo walking away but looking back at the camera, with a grin on his face
“What do you think about the people who make their own conclusions so quickly without knowing your story or anything? What do you wish they knew?”
Erick: “Well the truth is I wish they knew that not all people are the same. Just because they think that some people from there kill, not all of them are the same. Not everyone kills. Not everyone steals. If one does not give people a way to make their living, they are going to find a way to do bad. In comparison, if they let them enter here, grant them permission to work, immigrants could work well and actually give something to the country. And I wish they thought not so much about the grown people but of their children. The people that come here come so that their children can live a life they did not live themselves. So as they say, ‘Each mind is a world unto itself.’ Every person is different and we are not all the same.”
Erick: “Well the truth is I wish they knew that not all people are the same. Just because they think that some people from there kill, not all of them are the same. Not everyone kills. Not everyone steals. If one does not give people a way to make their living, they are going to find a way to do bad. In comparison, if they let them enter here, grant them permission to work, immigrants could work well and actually give something to the country. And I wish they thought not so much about the grown people but of their children. The people that come here come so that their children can live a life they did not live themselves. So as they say, ‘Each mind is a world unto itself.’ Every person is different and we are not all the same.”