An Immigrant's Story

I have written two posts concerning the problem of illegal immigration. My contention has been that this is a problem caused by politicians on both sides of the border who are unwilling to address the issue for political reasons. I have offered two possible solutions: secure the borders (by fence, wall, or whatever structure necessary) and reform the work permit(VISA) process.

I have noted that the number of work permits issued each year is seriously out of touch with the reality of the jobs apparently available. I further contend that the U.S. visa system is flawed and riddled with bureaucratic incompetence. It is my belief that this is one reason so many immigrants choose to bypass the legal route (at great peril to themselves).

I have promised an example--someone who has done everything the "right" way.

I will resist the urge to tell you her life story, because someday I hope that it will be written in a book that you will want to read. Not because I intend to write it, but because it is such a remarkable and inspiring story of one Honduran's journey from humble beginnings to a life in the U.S.

I will also admit upfront that that I am biased in this particular case. I love this girl like she was my own daughter. She is one of the sweetest, kindest, gentlest human beings that I have ever known.

Nolvia came to the U.S. on a student visa from an orphanage in Honduras. She was twenty years old when she arrived to complete her high school education. She enrolled in a small private school as a tenth-grader. Knowing little English, her first year or two was a struggle--learning a new language and culture "on the fly" is not an easy thing to do. If not for her hard work and determination, as well as untold hours of extra tutoring from her host family, she probably would not have succeeded. But succeed she did, completing her degree with good grades and as a class favorite at the school.

You should understand that the student visa is open-ended and renewable as long as the student is enrolled in an approved educational institution full-time. In fact, this is how this type of visa is monitored and regulated. The Department of Homeland Security tracts the immigrant through the educational institution, who must monitor and report the student's status each semester. In this respect, I believe the student visa is one of the best administrated programs the U.S. operates.

But the program also has some serious flaws. The biggest is that the immigrant student cannot WORK outside of the educational facility they attend. There were three years of high school in Nolvia's case without the opportunity for her to legally work. This put the financial burden completely on her host family for all her expenses: transportation, medical care, clothing, food, etc. How many young, promising immigrants have the opportunity to find North American families willing to take on that level of commitment?

College was the next step. Nolvia's grades were good enough, but her ACT scores were not high enough to enter a major university. This was a language issue, as most of the immigrant students I have known have a similar problem with American standardized tests (especially multiple choice, where the nuances of English often make all the difference in selecting the right answer).

Community college became her only option. This is where the Red Head and me enter her story, as we live about a mile from the local junior college. We gladly agreed that she could live with us during this next phase of her education. The proximity to the school was important, because at some point in the student visa process her previous host family had been told that she was not eligible for an Alabama driver's license under the student visa program. This was untrue (file this under bureaucratic incompetence). We would later find out this error just before her college graduation, after two families had driven her everywhere she needed to go for five years.

She enrolled in the community college. We hoped she would be able to defer some of her college and living expenses by working part-time there. After she was unable to secure a job on her own, her high school sponsor attempted to intervene on her behalf with the community college president. He was told "Yes, there are jobs here, but these jobs are for our kids." So she remained unable to help support herself financially.

On a side note, this college president was later convicted of embezzling from the Alabama Community College System. It is my sincere hope she has a Hispanic cellmate with a intense prejudice against Caucasians.

As with high school, language problems were the only real issue. Nolvia endured, however, and completed a two year degree as a surgical technician. This degree allows her to work in hospital operating rooms as an assistant to a surgeon.

As she neared graduation, we began to explore opportunities for practical work experience.

This is the point in the story where U.S. bureaucracy hit the fan.

I'll tell you about it next time.