Looking for the Land of Opportunity ~ Maria Valen

My sole motivation to come to the US from Mexico was to have a better life for my children, thinking about their education and economic needs. So I came to the US looking for the Land of Opportunity!

I got to the border with the hope of being able to cross with my 2 children, ages 3 and 6. The person helping us cross promised me that we were all going to cross together but as soon as we got to Tijuana, Mexico, they separated me from my children.

I didn't know what was going on or where they were taking them. I was in great distress thinking I was never going to see them again. I was only able to talk to them by phone.  I found out one of my children was sick and they both had gotten detained by authorities while trying to cross. 

On their second attempt to enter, they separated my children from each other. My 3 year old managed to cross first and he got to the US safely, but I still didn't hear anything from my 6 year old son. At that point, all I knew was that one child was in the US and one in Mexico. I waited in agony until I knew my other son arrived in the US.

So my time came to cross. The “coyotes” stuffed me in the trunk of a car with 2 other women. It was scorching hot and they told us to hold our breath as long as we could to not set off the immigration radar. I was scared and anxious the whole time.

My children and I finally reunited in the US. It was a traumatic event for my children that scarred them for months. We all remember this experience as so traumatic.

Now, my children are making the most of their education here in the US and  they strive to achieve their goals.

We have hope that one day all the hardship we went through will be worth it, when we get to be citizens of the United States.