Started From the Bottom Now We Here

According to the Homeland Security Department, approximately 679,305 immigrants came into the United States as undocumented, refugees, or asylees in 2002, and I was one of them. I came into the United States from Colombia as an asylee at the age of seven years old. My mother was a single parent at the time, and she thought it would be best if we moved to the United States so I could be closer to my father. She left her family, friends, stable office job, and an apartment so I could have the chance of receiving opportunities not available in Colombia. She became undocumented after her visa expired within six months of being in the country. We soon came to realize that in the United States there is a hierarchal system in which immigrants are classified, and nationality determines whether you are welcomed or not, with Asians being the favored minority group, followed by Hispanics, Native Americans, and then African Americans. We have had the fortune of never experiencing racial or ethnic discrimination, but during the year and a half that she was undocumented, we feared deportation and lack of personal development, such as jobs or healthcare, because she did not have a social security number. If she had not met my stepfather when she did, we would have had to return to Colombia 14 years ago, even though I had a legal status. Today, we have dual citizenships, and we are proud to call the United States our home.