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DEPORTED BACK TO COLOMBIA

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/08/20/return_to_colombi...

David Arias on his parents
(Boston Globe) David Arias, 17, is a US citizen, but after his father was deported last year, he followed his parents back to Colombia. (Maria Sacchetti, Globe Staff)
By Maria Sacchetti
Globe Staff / August 20, 2008
Email| Print| Single Page| Yahoo! Buzz| ShareThisText size – + David Arias cannot wait to turn 21, but for a different reason than most American teenagers.

RELATED COVERAGE
VIDEO David Arias talks about his parents
10/15/07 Home in a strange land
10/1/07 Son of immigrants shares a long goodbye
The 17-year-old former Boston Latin Academy student had his life upended in October. His father, an illegal immigrant, had just been deported to his native Colombia. David, his younger brother, and their mother followed him.

Ten months later, the family is desperate to come back. His parents still have not found jobs in the high-crime city of Cali, in the western part of the nation. The family lives in a two-story house on a pockmarked street around the corner from a brothel.

David is the family's chance for a different future. As a US citizen, he can apply to bring his parents here as soon as he turns 21. His brother Daniel is only 6.

"I was born over here. My parents were born over there," David said, speaking softly in an interview at Zumix, a nonprofit community arts program in East Boston, where he taught music classes over the summer before returning to Colombia this week. "We're not different in any way. Nothing separates us. I just don't see why they can't have my rights and my opportunities."

The differences between David and Daniel and their parents, Gustavo and Esperanza, crystallized in 2006. Fearing deportation, Gustavo Arias tried to move the family to Canada and was arrested for being here illegally.

Immediately, the family's nearly 20-year life in East Boston collapsed.

Gustavo Arias had come to Boston to escape threats from leftist rebels in Colombia's long-simmering guerrilla war and to find work, and his wife followed. Here, they had jobs; he was a janitor, and she cleaned houses. The couple had two children and bought a condominium in East Boston. There were trips to Disneyland and New York City and extra money to send home.

David was accepted into one of Boston's three exam schools, Boston Latin Academy, where one of his favorite subjects was Japanese.

Returning to Colombia has been a shock for the entire family.

His father is a high school graduate, but neither he nor Esperanza can find work. "I think he's lost a lot of hope," David said.

David had solid grades at Boston Latin Academy, but in Cali he missed three months of school trying to get into a bilingual school that could prepare him for an American college.

With his former assistant headmaster - Emilia Pastor, who is from Colombia - pushing from Boston and donations filtering in from Massachusetts, Colombia, and beyond, he was finally accepted to Cañaverales International School in Cali.

But school is different there. In Boston, even though he was from a low-income family, he was able to attend a first-rate exam school where most children go to college.

In Cali, his classmates are wealthy elite who can afford the $6,000-a-year tuition, plus trips to Paris, Miami, or New York. Meanwhile, David's family is living off savings and help from relatives. They only spend money on food.

David has trouble fitting in. He speaks fluent Spanish, but he has many acquaintances and no real friends. He reads, plays video games, and strums the guitar. He rarely goes out, and when he does, he stays away from a nearby bridge to avoid muggings.

His extended family of aunts and uncles was the bright spot of his journey to Colombia, but most of them live far away, and he does not see them frequently.

David had a girlfriend in East Boston, but the relationship did not survive the distance.

For now, he is grappling with the same troubles that made his parents want to leave Colombia. It infuriates him that police do nothing about the brothel nearby. He is haunted by the vision of abandoned buildings on Avenida Sexta, a major avenue in Cali.

"It kind of makes you wonder about the situation," he said. "I just think too much about it."

David's mind wanders often to Boston, he said. He is grateful for donations from friends and strangers that helped him study and come here for the summer. The gifts have given him a chance to finish school, take the SAT, and apply to a US college.

The next step will be up to him: to try and bring his parents back.

© Copyright 2008 Globe Newspaper Company.
RELATED COVERAGE
VIDEO David Arias talks about his parents

By mariacvetanoski on Aug 20, 2008, 06:56 in Visa & paperwork.

guacharaca says on Aug 20, 2008, 07:41:

This is not news worthy. There are lots of Colombian kids and families on my short and narrow street that are way worst off than David. David is only a US citizen because his father broke US laws.

Colombianos: Las armas os han dado independencia, las leyes os daran libertad. (Santander)

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romy says on Aug 20, 2008, 07:53:

A lot of ilegales in Canada as of late, especially Mexicans and Colombians. Mexicans because they don't require visas and Colombians because it's easier to legitimize their stay than in the US, also much more work opportunities.

This story lacks Colombian context though, talking about brothels and crime. They should bring up statistics to compare from this low-income Boston barrio these people used to live in.

There's a key theme to this article though that I very much agree with, in that the Colombian education system is terrible for the general population (includes middle class and low class).
It's a different story with the school that I'm guessing David attends, which would be the same I attended where they pretty much had a clear-cut rule that anyone coming from the US would be dropped a grade as the academic demand was too high. In fact when transferring to Calgary, it was suggested that I skip a grade, but my mother declined as she wanted me to be in class with people my age.

Workwise...A problem that I think is plausible is that these people that have been in the US for a while won't take what jobs are available, they might find it demeaning to work parking cars (trapito rojo) or cleaning up streets, though they did similar things in the US...

Hopefully, david is able to finish his high school and find his way into American college, as it appears his life would otherwise be miserable in Colombia.

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GregYohn says on Aug 20, 2008, 08:10:

Hola!

The reporter seems to suggest that the family originally was from Cali, since now they live near Avenida Sexta. Why did they move there if they were from Cali? There are cheaper locations that are not around that crime.

Getting jobs in Cali is not easy for people, unless you have connections through people that can assist you by telling you of job opening.

It seems the reporter is basing the report about economics. The child in the USA got a good education, so he will have to wait for a few years to bring his parents back. That is fortunate for that family.

I know people that live in another country that don't have the money for their children to go to school. That family never left that poor country or go to DisneyWorld.It's just that USA readers never get away from their all inclusive resorts or cruise ships if they do leave the country.

12VOIP.com gives free calls to Colombia.Greg

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ColombianoGringo (Moderator) says on Aug 20, 2008, 08:33:

If his parents were deported, he will have a very hard time bringing them to the US. For one thing, they probably have at least a ten year embargo. Even after that, they could well be denied because they were in the US illegally. Even under ideal circumstances, asking for relatives other than your spouse or children can take many years.

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dtapia says on Aug 20, 2008, 08:38:

These people whine too much.

I hate people who whine too much.

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GregYohn says on Aug 20, 2008, 08:42:

Hola!

People forget that there are limitations based on the country of origin. For example, China, The Philippines, and I think Colombia can expect more years to get relatives to the USA than Mozambique as example. I heard 6 years for relatives of those countries stated compared to 2-3 years to get in the country for residents of countries not popular.

12VOIP.com gives free calls to Colombia.Greg

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NataliaV says on Aug 20, 2008, 09:03:

My grandmother asked for her brother in 1988 and he did not get his visa until 1998. ten years! Not uncommon. Came here illegally for a few years in between, was deported, but did get his visa about a year or two later. Got his citizenship and now was able to get his daughter her finally. Lots of work and quite a long time.

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Mononoke28 says on Aug 20, 2008, 09:14:

What I don't understand is how can these people stay here illegally for so long, especialy when there are children involved? My family and I came here through Mexico in the 80s because our tourist visas were denied, but as soon as we landed my parents' made it a #1 priority to do whatever it took to get their green cards. In less than 6 years we were all residents and my dad was even a US citizen.

That's how you gotta play the game. I fully support the people who come here anyway they can but I just think it's not only dumb but irresponsible not to straighten out your legal situation as soon as you get here. Twenty years and nothing?! Come on!

Diana

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Bill Turley (☼Travelguide writer) says on Aug 20, 2008, 11:13:

The report that He got into Cañaverales makes me proud. I was the High School Rector that before my retirement.

Mr. Bill Somondoco

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Tinto (Moderator) says on Aug 20, 2008, 11:45:

Mononoke - From your time line, it appears your family came here illegally in the early 80s and may have gotten lucky with the one-time amnesty legislation (in 1986, I believe). Those amnesties, to my knowledge, have not been repeated in the last 22 years and based on recent legislative attempts (and failures) they won't be anytime soon. It sounds like the family in the newspaper story arrived in 1988 and they've been SOL ever since.

Short of marriage to a citizen, today, there's not much of a game to play and/or hard work to do to become legal after being illegal. It was pure luck for a LOT of people.

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ColombianoGringo (Moderator) says on Aug 20, 2008, 11:55:

It was a lot easier in the 70s and 80s. I had a few relatives that came over on tourist visas and somehow got residency before the amnesty. I did have one relative that took advantage of the amnesty.

These days, it is very difficult to get a waiver if you have been embargoed for a deportation. A relative of mine(naturalized US Citizen) that married a Colombian woman who was in the US illegally. She got deported before they could adjust status and he has been trying to get her here for three years without success. They keep spending money on lawyers in order to get a waiver, but I suspect that they are wasting time and money. He will probably end up having to move to Colombia.

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mariacvetanoski says on Aug 20, 2008, 12:13:

wow-that sounds like alot! had a cousin who spent 4000$ USD on trying to get visa to come back to the states after he got deported for being here illegally after his papers/visa ran out -ONLY TO HAVE THE MONEY STOLEN FROM HIM AND HIS FAMILY from people promising to get him back to the United States...

Save the street children of Colombia Now!!

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tomtom33 says on Aug 20, 2008, 12:28:

I have a friend who came from Venezuela to the US maybe 10 years ago on a tourist VISA. As soon as he got here he started on a permanent VISA. Now he is a citizen, and he never left the US.

Of course that is different from entering illegally.

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Mononoke28 says on Aug 20, 2008, 13:34:

Tinto (Moderator) says on Aug 20 (today)
Mononoke - From your time line, it appears your family came here illegally in the early 80s and may have gotten lucky with the one-time amnesty legislation (in 1986, I believe). Those amnesties, to my knowledge, have not been repeated in the last 22 years and based on recent legislative attempts (and failures) they won't be anytime soon. It sounds like the family in the newspaper story arrived in 1988 and they've been SOL ever since.
-------------------------
Nope, no amnesty my friend. It was done old school, marrying an American. So did my uncles, several cousins and an endless list of friends. We got here way before the amnesty and were already legal residents by then. We did have a few friends who forged a few letters saying they were here before 1988 so they could get advantage of it.

I also have a few friends here in Denver who came here between 1999 and 2002, by 2004 they were all legal residents. It's all about smarts and doing research and doing anything possible to reach that goal. It's not easy but it HAS to be done. 20 years living here illegally is not acceptable in my book, you have to figure it out for the sake of your family.

Diana

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ColombianoGringo (Moderator) says on Aug 20, 2008, 14:49:

Apparently, you can kind of buy a visa these days.

I saw an article in the local paper about an investment visa program(EB-5) that grants you some kind of visa if you invest over $500,000 to $1 million in certain ways and generate at least 10 new jobs. I'm sure there are all kinds of limits, restrictions and hoops through which to jump, but it means that if you really want to, you can essentially buy your way into the US.

According to the article, 806 of these visas were granted in 2007, mostly to investors from Asia. 10,000 are available for a given year.

Here is some USCIS info about it.

Under section 203(b)(5) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), 8 U.S.C. § 1153(b)(5), 10,000 immigrant visas per year are available to qualified individuals seeking permanent resident status on the basis of their engagement in a new commercial enterprise.

http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.5af9bb95919f35e66f6141...

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bigtexas1974 says on Aug 20, 2008, 15:12:

ZERO sympathy... A lot more people with a lot more problems down here than them!

"Sex is one of the most wholesome, beautiful, and natural experiences money can buy." - Steve Martin "You don't appreciate a lot of stuff in school until you get a little older. Little things, like getting spanked every day by a middle aged woman."

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paisa710 says on Aug 20, 2008, 16:07:

wooowwww......estoy suspuesto a sentir pesar po esta gente.....hell naaahh.......millones de pesonas son de portadas y a nadie le importa un bledo.....shittt a mi me deportraron pa medellin hace un mes y que yo no estoy llorando ni pidiendo migajas de nadie......que metan el culo a trabajar lo que pasa es que le apuesto que no se les da la gana de trabajar en lo disponible sino en lo que se les de la gana.........yo estare entrando a la academia de jose maria cordova...colombia tiene muchas oportunidades es sino de buscarlas...........ojala se queden aqui en colombia para siempre pa que se sepan lo que es trabajar duro......y tambien rumbiar por igual..........que viva el poderoso HP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

tengo un filo que si me agacho me corto!!!!

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Sam Salmon says on Aug 20, 2008, 17:30:

" I just don't see why they can't have my rights and my opportunities."

If he really said that then this young man needs a helluva lot more education than he's been getting-that is just plain ignorant.

' a la orden!'

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lpdiver says on Aug 20, 2008, 18:32:

In the end it is the children who suffer the most. I know of similar situation playing out all over the country. Mom and Dad did something illegal and the kids are tied to the situation throught no fault of their own.

They had no way of avoiding the situation and must suffer the consequences of their parents actions.

ts

"cook some rice!"

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Mononoke28 says on Aug 21, 2008, 11:13:

That's right. When you have children your priorities need to be set straight for the sake of the family.

Diana

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