| The Golden Cage of Opportunity
James Weber
Isidro left his home in Mexico, went to find the American Dream, and
found it to be more of a nightmare. He wakes up every day at 3 a.m.
and goes to work, where he glues foam on car and truck parts. Financially,
he’s doing well - or at least above Mexican standards. But he
doesn’t use that money for diversions and fun- he usually sends
about half of each paycheck home to his mother. He’s only 22,
yet he’s the main source of income for his family back home.
Isidro’s mother, Marcela, is still in Apan, a small city in rural
Mexico, tending to the family store. When asked, she knows exactly how
long it’s been since she has seen Isidro. Two years, three months.
One of the first purchases she made with the money he sent was a telephone,
so she could talk with Isidro. When she was neglected by her husband
- both emotionally and financially - Marcela turned to her Isidro, her
oldest son, for support. “He was my confidant,” she said.
“I still miss him.”
Isidro and Marcela talk at least once a week, more if she isn’t
feeling well. She calls from her room in the back of the store she’s
able to rent with money from Isidro. Her meager income from the store
and the money he sends helps Isidro’s younger brother be able
to afford school.
Isidro left Apan when he was 19. He tried to attend college, but couldn’t
afford the cost – low by American standards, formidably high by
his. Without a college education, his only options in Apan were factory
jobs, making plastic trinkets or sewing clothes he would never be able
to afford. Even if he managed to get a degree, his options would have
been extremely limited by a lack of available jobs.
Three years ago, Isidro’s uncle, who had lived in the United States
for six years, suggested Isidro join him in the United States. Isidro
decided this was probably his best chance to get ahead in life. “In
Apan, immigration is necessary to continue forward,” says Isidro.
“You can be stable in Mexico, in Apan. But it’s always the
same, so you can’t advance.”
So he paid a pollero, a human smuggler, to guide him across the border.
When I talked to Isidro, he didn’t tell me about the trip, and
he kept dodging the subject. I heard the story from his friend, Marco,
who stayed in Apan. Isidro made his way to the border, where he was
put in a concealed compartment with a group of other people. They didn’t
have water or any place to go to the bathroom. Once he got across the
border, he stayed in a crowded hotel room before finally making it to
Elkhart, Indiana, where his uncle lives. Now, Isidro is one of what
the Pew Hispanic centers estimates as over 11 million undocumented workers
in the United States. Pushed out by poor economies in their home countries
and pulled towards the promise of a better life, the number of undocumented
workers in the United States has more than doubled since 2002.
There is a term that is common among Mexican immigrants to describe
the United States- juala de oro, golden cage. The United States to them
is not a land of opportunity, of freedom, of liberty. It is a land flowing
not with milk and honey, just with money. The streets may be paved with
gold, but the streets are walked alone, far away from loved ones.
Isidro is not living the American Dream. He is working an entry-level
job at a factory, with little hope for advancement here. He doesn’t
have many friends, or really any motivation to make friends here. He
doesn’t have time after work. Sure, he’s making more money
than he would at home. But he’s realized life isn’t all
about money. Life is about family, about friends. Isidro’s life
is at home, in Apan, and no amount of money can make up for that.
Isidro has a message for those people: “Don't lose your chance
at opportunity,” Isidro says. “Take advantage of it if you
don't want to come to suffer here.”
Works Cited
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