To me…
I am a descendent of Mexican immigrants. My mother is a Mexican immigrant. My father, while born in Los Angeles, is the son of Mexican immigrants. While I am not an immigrant myself, I grew up hearing about my grandparents’ journey across the border and their lives as undocumented immigrants in the United States. Living with my grandmother Maria Elena, I became familiar with her story in particular. Told to me in bits and pieces, first in Spanish from my grandma herself and then in English, from my mom, aunts, and uncles, eventually I could recite her story from start to finish:
At the age of 18, she immigrated from a small ranch in Mexico to East Los Angeles with my grandfather and two children. There, unable to work and unable to speak English, she struggled to support her family and navigate life in a foreign country. Over the years, she picked up small jobs when she could, babysitting for the neighbors and ironing clothes, all while raising a family of seven kids. When my grandfather left her, she turned to her older children—my mother and older uncle—to help shoulder some of the burden. After a time, things got easier. She and the family were able to move out of East LA and into a better neighborhood with better opportunities. When her children began working, she was finally able to stop and take a breath. Since then, my grandmother has enjoyed a happy life filled with food, family, and good stories.
She has been fortunate. I am fortunate. Although I had memorized my grandmother’s story—how she crossed the border, what she left behind, and what awaited her on the other side—it wasn’t until I was older that I realized how intertwined my own story was with hers. I would not be here if it were not for my grandmother’s decision to come to the United States. Countless others are still facing the realities of emigrating from Mexico today. While undoubtedly different, each of their stories speak to the realities of Mexican immigration.
To others…
As evidenced by the 2016 presidential debates, proposed legislation, and nation-wide conversations, Mexican immigration is a contemporary issue. Although Mexican immigration is a nation-wide event, immigrants have, and continue to play a pivotal role in the West. Immigrants from Mexico have played an instrumental role in the cultural, social, and economic development of the Old West, as much as of the New West. Seeking refuge from the racial and ethnic complexity of the nation’s coasts, many Anglos have ventured to the inner West, prompting white flight. Following this phenomenon, many environmentalists in these areas have been adamant in their condemnations of Mexican immigration, claiming that these people are placing a strain on natural resources and heavily impacting the land. Mexican immigrants, however, are usually the people in the weakest position as consumers and the least likely to swarm to national parks or to new subdivisions. Instead, Mexican immigrants comprise an increasingly important part of the New West labor force. What has changed, then, is not the role Mexican immigrants play in the West, but rather how these people are being perceived.