Voices of the Borderlands: Daughter of Immigrants Without Legal Status Finds Community at WNMU
WNMU student Ixchel Flores has the same challenges that most college students have, like balancing academics with all the other activities in her life. But each day, Flores has an additional task demanding her attention: checking in with her parents to make sure they have not been deported. Flores (not her real name) is a first-generation American. Her parents came to the United States from Mexico City as part of an Aztec dance group. Through the group, said Flores, they had many opportunities to perform in the U.S., so they arranged to get visas and travelled with the other dancers. “About 2004-2005, my parents’ visas were about to expire,” explained Flores, “but then my mom found out she was pregnant with me, so like many other immigrant parents, they made the decision to stay here—to overstay their visas—to give me a better life.” “My parents made the choice that they thought would be the best for their family,” she added. Since that time, her parents...