“One day, we were both at a party. He came up to me and said, ‘Do you want to dance?’ He looked so handsome. So I said, ‘Yes.’ That’s how we met.

“I was 18 or 19 years old. I saw him before in the town. I knew he was a very nice person and from a good family. I knew he worked very hard. The next day, we went for a walk. We talked a lot. The next three days, we were girlfriend and boyfriend. When I talked with him, I knew that I loved him.

“We’re from Guadalajara, Mexico. He was working here before we got married. And I was going to university in Mexico, so I was a little busy. We stayed in touch. He would call me. He would write letters. But it was hard, being away from him.”

“Every three months, I would go back to Mexico to see her. It was not too easy because I didn’t have legal papers then. It was scary. But I found a way each time, and then I came back here to work again.”

“He loved me so much. He said he wanted to marry me. So we got married in Mexico, and we came here to live. We are legal U.S. citizens. We did it together four years ago. It took a very long time to get our papers. But it was worth it.

“I’ve worked in daycare for 20 years. He works in the plants. We have two daughters. One is a nurse. The other is in engineering. We’re so happy for them and so proud of what they’ve accomplished. That’s why we’re here. It’s a better life for them and for us.”

— Fanny and Eulalio Zepeda

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The post Love takes them from Mexico to U.S. appeared first on The Baytown Project.

“When I was becoming an American citizen, they made you learn history, how the government is set up, and who all the officials were at the time. When you stay in a country, you need to know all that kind of stuff. Since then, I’ve been watching and learning a lot more. I’m not a reader. But I learn a lot from the TV.

“Around my people that I know, they can vote but a lot of them don’t go out there and do it. I always vote. It’s my right, and I make sure to do it.”

— Isidro Garcia with his daughter, Maria

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“I came to Baytown from Guanajuato, Mexico, when I was 18. I’m the oldest of 10 children, and I was the only one who came at the time. I didn’t speak English and I didn’t know anybody. But I was looking for a better life, a better future. When I first came, my idea was to get rich and go back home. Then over time as you work, you start spending the money you make and start living a fairly comfortable life. By that time, I knew I wasn’t going back. This is a great country to be in. I wanted to be part of society.

“First I got my green card. Then after years, I applied for citizenship. It was a long process, but I finally became an American citizen in 1989. I was 32 years old. When I went back home to visit, my family all saw that I was driving an almost new car. They saw that I was doing well, and they wanted to do the same. So I applied through the immigration department for my mom, my dad and five brothers and sisters. Now all of them are here. There is one in Dallas, two in Iowa, and the rest are here in Baytown. They all followed me.

“I think I’ve been pretty fortunate in life. If you just do the right thing, everything seems to fall in place. This is a great country to live in. It’s a land of opportunity. You’ve just got to go out there and get it. The good life passes by at 6 o’clock in the morning. If you’re not there, it goes somewhere else. So you’ve got to get up in the morning and do things every day. That’s what I’ve done all my life.” 

— Isidro Garcia

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The post Dreamers can excel with an opportunity appeared first on The Baytown Project.

“I think I was in my third year of teaching at Travis Elementary. My sister also was teaching there. We had a great partnership. I taught reading and writing, and she taught math and science.

“One day we walked into a faculty meeting, and everybody starting yelling for us, ‘Yay, American citizens.’ My sister and I had received our citizenship letters around the same time. We didn’t know that our principal, Ms. Gongora, had ordered apple pie and American flags to help us celebrate. It was such a nice surprise. Oh, my gosh. I just started crying. And I remember the day that I officially became a citizen. There were tears of joy that day, too.

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“As a teacher, every year I meet students from other countries who would be beneficiaries of DACA. Some of them are very afraid. I’ve had students come to me crying and saying, ‘Miss, are they going to have to deport my parents?’

“You have to do your job as an educator, and I do that. I love my job, and I do it well. But without being political, you also need to have sympathy and reassure these kids that, hopefully, everything is going to be fine.

“Sometimes, kids push your buttons and will ask, ‘Hey, do you have your papers, Miss Rincon?’ It happens every year. The first time, I got very upset but I kept it together. The second time, I used it as an opportunity to explain how it is for many people, and how difficult their lives can be.

“Education is a powerful thing. I’m always very open about my story. You don’t need to have a long conversation about it every time; how you crossed the border and made it. But if some of these kids see that, hey, she was like me. Maybe one day, I can be like her. That’s all worth it.

“Just being there for these students and encouraging them can make a huge difference. Believe it or not, there’s not a lot of empathy out there these days.”

The post Teacher offers hope for undocumented students appeared first on The Baytown Project.

“I don’t like to say this because a lot of people who are undocumented are so talented and hard working. But I was pretty ready to just leave the country after graduating college. The climate of immigration was so tense. I was feeling desperate. I thought, I have to do something. I can’t just stay in this state of limbo and uncertainty.

“Then life happened. I met my husband. We fell in love and we gave it a shot. That’s how I adjusted my status. I didn’t set out to do that. That was not my plan. In my young and immature mind, I wasn’t even thinking about marriage. But getting married ended up being the best thing that I’ve ever done in my life, especially for my sanity as a person. I love my husband. He’s the best part of me.

“At the same time, some part of you feels a little guilty. It’s like, I’m OK now. I’m going to get my papers. I’m going to have that privilege. But what about my friends and others who are still fighting and waiting? They may think that you sold out. That you chose the ‘easy way out’ after working hard for so many years for all of us to have the right to live here. It wasn’t like that. But I understand why some people would think that way. I understand how they must feel.”

— Julita Rincon

Julita, 33, came to the United States from Mexico at age 13. While attending University of Houston, she was president of the student organization, Jóvenes Inmigrantes por un Futuro Mejor (Young Immigrants for a Better Future). The group advocated for proposed legislation, such as the DREAM Act, that would provide a pathway to citizenship or other legal status for undocumented residents. Julita got married in 2010. She became a U.S. citizen in 2013.

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The post Journey to citizenship takes many turns appeared first on The Baytown Project.

“I’m originally from Egypt. But ever since I was a kid, I was a big fan of American movies. My dream was always to come here one day.

“When I was in my mid-20s, I had my bachelor’s degree in accounting but the job market in Egypt wasn’t that great. So I decided to make the move to the United States for a better future.

“I had about $300 in my pocket when I arrived. A lot of people expected me to turn around and go back home within a few months, but I stayed and haven’t been back since.

“In 1999, I joined the military. Everybody thought it was because I wanted to gain my citizenship by serving. But I had already earned my citizenship. I knew that the military here was voluntary, but I wanted to join. As a new citizen of the United States, I felt it was my civic duty to serve my country. I didn’t think I should just come here to enjoy all the freedoms and civil liberties without giving anything back. And I’ve never regretted that decision.”

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