Tucson Immigrant Says Life In America "Only Option" for Mexican Immigrants
Wednesday, 23 March 2011 19:10
"We had nothing, growing up, which is similar to everyone in Mexico. We had no car and only a little bit of electricity, so my brothers and sisters and me were always working for my family, either outside or in the house," Barcelo said.
"Jobs in Mexico paid only a quarter of what they do here, so I knew once I was grown that I had to leave, at least for a little while, and try to make money in America," he said.
At age 27, Barcelo began dating a Mexican woman in Sonora who had achieved residency in the United States. According to Barcelo, after only a week of dating, she convinced him to move to the United States with her, telling him he'd obtain citizenship and find employment within his first few weeks in America.
Barcelo said he and his girlfriend separated shortly after he arrived to the United States, and that he found himself incapable of landing a job due to his illegal status and broken English. In the meantime, he was forced to work free-lance, cleaning and maintenance assignments for $10 to $20 per job, which provided him with barely enough money for food.
Two years after he had broken up with his girlfriend, and had submitted his application for U.S. citizenship. Barcelo was naturalized, and was able to obtain a full-time maintenance position Arizona. His U.S. residency now allowed him to travel to and from his hometown of Granado, and visit his family several times a year.
"It was good for me to be able to go back and see all of them, but it was hard for me too because my youngest brother, who is 20 years younger than me, wasn't able to come to the U.S.," he said.
"They made it harder for Mexicans to come up here after Ronald Reagan passed his immigration act, so Americans weren't willing to hire illegal [immigrants] any more," he said.
"I felt bad for my brother because he was determined to leave Mexico because it was getting so corrupt, and he wasn't making any money. Eventually he did what many others do, and walked across the border. He walked through Sasabee and into the rest of America for three days, carrying only a little bit of water. This is what so many of them have to do now just to get here," he added.
Barcelo said it is difficult for many Mexicans who arrive to America because they envision a land of endless job opportunities and money, and are often disappointed by the lack of employment available. Barcelo also said it is a dream of his, and of many Mexican immigrants, to obtain jobs beyond the typical cleaning and maintenance fields, but few options are available.
"Because we do not go to school in America, we are not able to get the jobs we want. Then we can only work the lower-paying jobs because we're not qualified to do anything else. I went to school back in Mexico, like many Mexicans, but that does not matter here. I just hope my children can now go to college and not have to work as hard as me, and can make more money than me," Barcelo said.
Jose "Mel" Barcelo works for American Campus Communities in Tucson, Ariz. as a member of the maintenance staff. He supports his wife, Verenicie', his two sons, Jose Manuel,8, and Josu'e Missael,5, on his $13-per-hour wage.
Written by Donald Hodson
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