My Story

My name is Julia.
At a very young age, my parents (like all parents) hoping for a better life and education for their two young children decided to abandon their country and everything they knew to move thousands of miles to the promised land.
We moved to a one bedroom apartment outside of Boston, Mass. My father worked both day and night shifts at a clothing factory while my mother stayed home with my 3 year old brother. After I came home from school my mother would then leave to go work at the same factory as my father until about 9pm.
They enrolled themselves in the local schools for ESL classes. They paid their taxes and respected the law. My parents were, and have always been, hard working, loving parents who only wanted the best for their children. That is how I ended up here.
We then moved to Florida. By the time I was out of high school life was as normal as my american friends. We had the same dreams, same likes/dislikes. I was just a normal teenager with one small difference. I was not legally allowed to live here.
My parents tried their best to legalize themselves and our family. Even though the limitations for legalization are impossible to overcome. It is impossible to pay the fees when you have a family and when you barely make enough to feed them. The goverment makes it illegal for us to work and yet they expect us to pocket out thousands of dollars to be able to work? And even when we do save every little penny to apply for legal status it's all only to ge denied. So with that they had no luck with legalization.
Fast foward some years and here I am. In my 30's, married to a wonderful legal immigrant, with two beautiful "american" children and completly illegal. I pay my taxes, I can't even drive but I am forced to pay for the roads. I support the goverment. I don't sell drugs, I don't steal or break the law in any way. My children attend a top private school. I own a house. I contribute to my community. I contribute to the economy. How is my being here an incovenience or a detriment to the country?
I feel completly trapped.

Welcome & Stick Around!

Have you spoken to a lawyer about adjusting when your husband becomes a citizen?

Welcome, we all feel you pain. Feel free to get out your anger in this forum. Hopefully if the Dream Act passes you will be able to benefit.

Welcome, and I'm sorry to hear about your story.

How were you able to stay here for so long without being able to work and to drive? Did you finish college?
I'm glad to hear you found a good husband, and hopefully through him you'll be able to get legalized as well.

It would also be a big help if the Dream Act didn't have an age limit, seeing there are so many people like you who have lived here their entire lives, you guys deserve it too! But unfortunately I don't see them changing that =/

Best wishes to you and your family! At least you have the comfort to know your children were born here so they won't have to go through what you've gone through.
Also, when one of them becomes 18, they can pass citizenship status to you as well.

Stay strong...