I watched “A Better Life” last night on DVD. I saw in the paper that the actor starring in it was nominated for an Academy Award. It is about an illegal Mexican immigrant working as a gardener in Los Angeles. An amazing movie. Because I’m completely absorbed in the immigration process, I was doubly interested in seeing it.
There is stress in going through the immigration process legally. There is always the thought in the back of my mind that USCIS will find some reason not to let me stay. However, until they tell me I can’t stay, I can be here legally as a visitor. I don’t have to be afraid of being stopped by the police. I have a valid driver’s license; I have insurance; I have registration; I have an American husband. And as of yesterday, I have an alien registration number. It came on an important looking piece of paper with The United States of America written boldly across the top. Having that number made me feel safe, that I could breath a little easier.
So, it was of great interest that I watched a movie about a man who brought his wife to America illegally, had a son and lived for 15 years in fear of being found out and being sent back to Mexico.He worked 7 days a week. His wife had left him when he couldn’t give her the American Dream. His fear of being caught and his longing to be a normal American citizen was palpable as you watched him in the movie scenes. His life seemed so hopeless and empty of anything but hard labor. What was left to him was the hope that his son would make something of himself and have a better life than he. An absolutely remarkable movie.
