Chelsy Quezada 

September 29th, 2019 

Final Draft 

The world as we know it is changing. The people around us can be taken away at any moment. When this time comes, there’s only so much we can do. But we can stop to think about these things now, how can we make a change? You probably think I’m talking about death, but I’m talking about a different kind of taken, being taken because you’re an immigrant. You ever stop to think about those around us and how they got here today? Did they move from a different country? Or were they born here? Have you ever put yourself in an immigrants shoes before? We see how badly immigrants are treated on T.V, but we never really understand it personally.  

Respect your elders; a statement told to us many times as we are growing up. But what we need to respect is the knowledge of those older than us have. This knowledge is the key in connecting culture differences to problems we have in the world today. So how can a Dominican man change your perspective on immigration? Can he give you an insight on how immigrants feel?  

Erido Matos, a 68-Year-old man born in Dominican Republic, took a chance on the United States. To see how one can, prosper, grow, in a place that’s the wonderful escape. An escape from one’s motherland, where there may be political, economic, and social problems. We hear about it every day on the news, so why not hear how one man’s mission changed.  

It all started on a Saturday night, Erido, sat in the corner of the couch, as the light hit him on the left side of his face. His caramel complexion shining through. He sat up straight, just like he was taught at the police academy, ready to talk about his history with the United States. Interview was taken through a facetime call, being recorded by a recorder.He started of thinking about his time here and why he moved to the United States in the first place. As those memories flooded his mind, a smile grew upon his face. He started to talk about how good education was in the United States, how he can find financial stability and a better job. He was happy. That’s until he needed to go back home. The environment in the United States was dangerous, too dangerous for this family to grow in, they moved back to the Dominican Republic. His voice was shaky, as if he felt the same emotions he did when he realized it was time to pack up and go. The crack epidemic was rising, criminal activity surrounded their neighborhoods. In today’s time, New York is safer than the Dominican Republic, with high numbers in robberies and kidnapping, families find a safer place to live. That place is New York. 

But how can immigrants come into the United States so easily back in the early 80’s, when it’s so difficult for them to come into this country now. The I-130, the Petition for Alien Relatives with United States citizenship and immigration services (USCIS). Helped families bring in other ‘alien’ relatives from their country into the United States. This petition usually took 5-9 months to be approved, maybe even longer. This is how many immigrants got into the country but the way they leave is the heartbreaking part. Erido Matos, left by choice, he has his own free will to move back. Things were different back then, than they are now.  

Immigration laws are rigid and strict. ICE has been forcing families to separate for many years, but it was never as bad as it is today. The unsafe environments these people are put in is alarming. The way these families feel is something to worry about. It’s clear to see he had a few ideas on how to fix the rigid laws of immigration in the United States, his mind started turning as he spoke. Almost as if he can talk about this for hours. Once the question of how he felt about these laws was asked, he lit up. You can tell this is something he thought about before. However, he started speaking of ways to change the laws and help others. You can come to your own conclusions about this, but my conclusion was that he wishes he can help change these laws. His family was separated in a different way. His daughter grew up and moved her family to the United Stated. Even though her children were born in the Dominican Republic, they were citizens of the United States and that changed everything. Visits became long overdue; talks became shorter over the phone as the phone card lost its minutes. It’s hard for Erido and his wife to come to the United States now, with trump as a president anything can happen. They can be sent back without their family knowing, their too old to go through that rough experience with the government. Missing out on many life milestones in their grandchildren’s lives, they wonder when they will see them again. Starting to cry, a sudden emotion of sadness filled his face. He finished his statement with these words “There has to be a way that these people that have been here for so many years are able to get some sort of immigration status in the United States and not be separated from their kids and family.” 

This made me start to feel sad as well. As I thought about a close friend of mine, who is also an immigrant. When I learned that he didn’t have his papers I didn’t know to react. The thought of him being sent away would break my heart. He lived most his life here in the United States, like I did, and his family had a hard time getting their paperwork to become a citizen. It’s even harder to get that paper now, that his family lives in fear of getting caught by any government associate. These are good people, who deserve to stay here. People that have worked and fought just like the rest of us who are citizens. I’ve seen a lot of families being torn apart by the government, the thought that we need to have is “if it was our family, what would we do?” 

Here is the Interview conducted for this essay: 

September 22nd, 2019 

6:00 PM – interview started 

Chelsy Quezada 

I have permission from my interviewee to record the interview. The following is an exact transcript of the interview recording 

Setting: Living room couch, lamps turned on to give a homey feel to the room. Spelled like fresh linen candle from bath and body works. The mood was relaxed. Informer wore a green T-shirt with brown khaki shorts. Sat up straight, like the way you stand in front of those who are above you.   

Me: Hi, my name is chelsy and today I’m going to interview you on immigration. 

Informant: Hi, my name is Erido Matos…. 

[pauses] 

Informant: And I am ready when you are. 

(side note: straightforward) 

Me: Alright, so thank you for joining me today. So, what made you move to the United States?  

Informant: I moved to the united states because I wanted a better opportunity for my family. I wanted to be able to find a better job, a better um financial stability, um better opportunity for my kids education, um so as soon as I had the chance to I jumped on it and that’s why I wanted to come to United States.  

Me: Did it help? Did it change things in life? (follow up question) 

Informant: Yes, it did, it changed a lot. Because I was able to save a lot of money and um kids when to school here up until they were in high school. And it went so well that I was able to uh um save money and move back to the Dominican Republic. 

Me: So, who helped you with your immigration paperwork, the first time you visited the United States?  

Informant: My Wife’s sister, back in those days, in the 80’s, early 80’s. There was not a lot of umm immigration laws, and it was easier for a family member to bring in a family member. And my wife’s sister was a United States citizen. So, she was able to um request us umm with an  

I-130 um resident um application. Where she put in my wife, she put in myself, and she put in the application my kids.  

(side note: Started to be more specific on things and repeated the document needed to enter the United States)

 

So, she was able to bring us and when we came here, we stayed with her in the meantime as well.  

Me: What made you want to move back to the Dominican Republic? 

Informant: I realized that the living in New York was a little bit dangerous. Umm back when we were here the crack epide– epidemic was rising and it just became very dangerous. It was a lot of gang activities, a lot of criminal activities and you know I was scared for my life, I was scared for my wife’s life and I was scared for my kids and I was fortunate enough to save and we… and I just really didn’t even think about my kids. I just packed up and went back to the Dominican Republic. 

(side note: Informants voice was a little shaky. Almost like if the emotions that he felt at that time was coming back.) 

Me: When was the last time that you saw your family that lives here in the United States?  

Informant: (a few seconds of a pause) A long time. It‘s been about three years that I do not see my daughter and my grandkids. But then everybody else, the majority of my family lives in the Dominican Republic.  

Me: Being that your 68 years old, do you wish that you can be closer to your daughter and your grandkid?  

Informant: Yes, I wish I could. And um I know because of financial reasons she- its not easy for her to come and visit me. But I definitely wish I could be closer to her.  

Me: How do you feel about the immigration laws in the United States today? 

Informant: it’s a little bit too rigid. Because, um I feel that if you have- if you were born here then you’re an American. And if you were um from a- if you are a resident and you already been in the united states for five years, you should be able to get your citizenship. Umm don’t agree with the separations of families. There has to be some laws in place to put these families, so these families can say together. You know people look for different opportunities to find better places and a better future and sometimes you don’t think correctly, and you go through the route that is not the best route. But if you’ve been in this county already for over 25-30 years you have your homes, you have your job. There has to be a way that these people that have been here for so many years are able to get some sort of immigration status in the united states and not be separate from their kids and their family.  

(Side note: I can connect this to a close friend immigration status and how it makes me feel. His story, his struggles of trying to become a citizen in a place you lived all your life in) 

Me: Do you think that the laws today make it harder for you to come visit them instead of them visiting you?  

Informant: Yes, definitely. 

Me: do you think that the government is biased towards minorities and maybe this is why the immigration laws are so rigid and strict? 

Informant: Yes, I believe that the government is biased and um there’s still in this darn age, there’s still a lot of discrimination against minority and that and then you know I’m not pro the president now. But I think that, that came up to be an opportunity for people’s real colors that are in the government to come out. Umm and take advantage of that power. And definitely I think that there biased. A hundred percent. 

Me: How do you think the government feels about minorities? 

Informant: I don’t think they care much, not not um not our current government. 

(I interrupt and say yeah, that way informant knew that I understood him and his train of thought) 

No, it is half and half. Theres you know the democratic party, does care about minorities. I- I don’t believe that all republicans do not care but the hig– the majority of them do not.and our president do not  

(Here the informant got a little more aggressive with his voice, you can tell the passion and hurt coming from his voice. He believes that he should be a citizen, hence the use of the word our president) 

In any way. 

Me: How does not seeing your family as often make you feel? Do you miss them a lot? Do you feel like you’re missing out on your grandkids growing up?  

Informant: Yes, I miss them a lot. I miss seeing the kids there. You know I had them with me when they were little and now they’re all teenagers becoming adults and it makes me feel sad that im not able to see them but I know that you know your kids grow and they make their own lives and that’s just the way of life. But I do miss them, and I wish I had a better way to visit or them to visit me more often. 

Me: I’ve noticed during this time of the interview that you touch your neck a lot, did you use to wear a chain of some kind? 

 (side note: I know this because I do the same thing on my wrist when I’m not wearing my bracelet or my ring finger, its little things that mean a lot to us. Especially when they’re missing.) 

Informant: yes, when I moved back to the Dominican Republic, I had a gold chain, that um- with a big cross on it and I felt like that was my protection. Um I wore it from many many many many years, but I was mug- I had an accident in the Dominican Republic and I got mugged. And they stole it, but I stayed you know, as a- I was accustomed to touching the chain so that’s why you’re seeing me always going back to my neck.  

Me: Do you think that there’s a difference in environment between living in D.R and NY? 

Informant: Yes, there’s a lot of difference in the environment. First of all, the weather is different it’s always summer in D.R, the weather in NY is four seasons. Um the Dominican Republic unfortunately right now is going through a very high criminal environmental type of issues, and so there’s a lot of robbing, a lot of kidnapping, a lot of criminal activities. But you know a lot of the homes have to be barricaded and have to have bars on their door, bars on their windows. Because it’s a way that people can come in, they come in with guns and steal your stuff. It’s just really bad. New York right now is safer because also the, the, the, police force in the united states is better than the Dominican Republic. The Dominican Republic is more geared towards money, so if you pay somebody off the cops would get involved and the cops would help you. But it’s really a war right now in the Dominican Republic with that. 

(side note: someone broke into my grandparents’ house when I was just a baby and stole my bracelet on my wrist with my name that I got when I was born, they came through the window and my mom and dad caught the guy slipping away. All my stuff was stolen.) 

[Pause, silence fills the room, so I asked a closing question] 

Me: is there anything else that you would like to add on to your input on immigration or the environment differences between the United States and the Dominican Republic? Anything along the lines of where’s better to live.  

Informant: Yes, I regret going to the Dominican Republic so soon. I really didn’t think about the kids, the kids were still young. They would’ve had a better opportunity; I know they’ve struggled. And I know that’s been my fault, in my decision. Umm so that I regret I really do, but thanks god that they’ve been very smart. You know they’ve provid– they’ve been good. Um but I would not have stayed in- in, I would’ve probably purchased something in Dominican Republic, go to visit, maybe gotten some here in the united states and stay here. As opposed to um living in Dominican Republic, the united states do have a lot of opportunity to help the people, when they get elderly and when we retire and that is something that we do not have in the Dominican Republic. 

 Me: Do you hope that in the future, you’re able to visit your family easier than it is now? 

Informant: Yes, I really hope so.  

Me: well thank you for taking the time out of your day to complete this interview with me. 

Informant: Oh, you’re welcome, anytime my dear. Have a good day 

Me: You too 

[ End.]