A Man without a Home
By P. Ramirez
What about the infants and children who are brought to the country by their parents. They did not come here on their own free will but of the will of their parents? I did not ask to come to this country -- my parents brought me here when I was less than two years old. I have never visited my birth country nor do I have any recollection of ever living there. Now I find out that the U.S., the place I consider home, doesn't consider me to be a citizen even though I attended local public schools, have worked since the age of 15, have always paid taxes, have a valid drivers license, established credit, bought two houses, and, yes, was even issued a voter's registration card and have been called for jury duty on a number of occasions. If I don't have a right to live here, where do I belong?
At the age of 31, I am faced with the realization that I don't have a country to call home. I know nothing of my birth country, and the country I consider home doesn't recognize me as a citizen because of immigration issues which went unresolved during my early to late teenage years which recently came to light. I am 32 years old and have a wife (U.S. born) of 11 years and two sons. The problem was brought to my attention when I lost my social security card and found myself at the Social Security Administration office trying to apply for a duplicate card. I was told by the Social Security Administration employee that I had to show some proof of residency before a copy of my card could be released to me. This was the first I had ever in my life been asked to show proof of residency. Up to this point, I had always thought my paperwork was in order and that I was a U.S. citizen. I recall being interviewed by an INS employee in the late 80's and was told that I was here long enough to be a citizen and that I had passed my civil test. I had assumed since that time, that I was a U.S. citizen. Knowing what I know now about the process, I can say that I was naive in my thinking and will pay terribly for not fully understanding the process. I now face starting the process all over again, back to square one, under tougher regulations and requirements.
After a series of phone calls and visits to the local INS District Office to inquire about my current status, I was told that I had been granted permanent residency. However, there was a problem verifying the data and was told to file an I90 application. I received an appointment for an interview to complete the I90 application approximately six months later. During the interview, I was told that my file was not complete - there were documents missing from my file. It took the INS about a month and a half to track down a total of three different files they had on me. I am still unable to get a definite answer on my status and am told that they are trying to schedule an interview to complete the application. It has been a year and a half since my initial inquiry, and I sit and wait for my fate to be decided by the INS. Will I be allowed to stay in this country or will I be deported to my birth country, a place I know nothing about? Or will I face further delays as a result of the government's restructuring of the INS? The frustration that comes from sitting and waiting has had an impact on my physical and mental well-being. I am fortunate to have a secure job at this time, but if anything were to happen to the stability of the company and I find myself laid off, my family would suffer if I am unable to find employment because I don't have a copy of my social security card.
I also have an additional concern. Are all social security cards issued to immigrants stamped with the phrase "Valid for employment but must show proof of INS eligibility?" If this is the case, isn't this discrimination. My previous card did not have this stamp. I know that my earning potential would seriously be affected by having this on file with an employer. I currently work in an environment where the majority of employees are immigrants, and I see first hand how they are poorly compensated and how unfairly they are treated. On the other hand, I am treated and paid very well for my knowledge and skills because my employer considers me to be a U.S. citizen. This is a serious form of discrimination. You can be assured that I will compare future salary offers with salary offers in the past. Will there be a difference in salary offers as a result of my new immigration status being made public? I hope not, but I am a realist and expect that there will be a difference.
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