Many people do not understand why immigrants cross the border. Well, I have a story to tell.

Long time ago, my mother faced difficult economic problems back in Mexico. She had to drop out of high school and find a job. Then, she met my Father, who crossed the border to the US a few months later. Being apart was difficult for my Mom which lead her to a life changing decision. She crossed the border, too.

I am a native-born US citizen, of Mexican roots. I grew up in Mexico and moved back to the US at the age of twelve. I spoke both English and Spanish and knew no one when I stated school. This made me a target for racism. Until this day, people get offended when I speak my first language, Spanish. Comments like “We are in America” and “Hablo ingles” have been around me for the past four years. This memories are hard to forget and people don’t realized how hard it is to leave your country.

The typical “American Dream” is all immigrant’s goal in this country, but sometime this dream turns into a nightmare. Native-born citizens, like me, get affected by this at many levels. Because my parents are not legal residents, there is always the chance of deportation, which means my family will be separated. Many kids are separated from their parents due to the deportation system; they're left in the care of distant relatives who have to act as surrogate parents. And it doesn't matter if you've raised your children and lived in this country for many years or a few days -- you still get deported if you're illegal. So how come immigrants don’t do the right thing and apply for residency?

Here is why.

The application process is long and confusing. Many immigrants don’t know that much English to begin with, much less have the knowledge necessary to fill out all the countless paperworks and forms. Also, it is believed that sometimes the applicants are asked to leave the country which will end up the the separation of the families they are trying to avoid. On top of that, this process can take many years for them to be reviewed and start the case. Hope is obviously fadding away for many illegal immigrants. Now, if the process was shorter, and there was a greater chance for immigrants to recieve residency, I am sure all illegals would do things “the right way.”

I wish things were different. I wish people could see the real reasons why we are here. I wish racism didn’t exist. I wish families could stay together and live happily ever after.

Unfortunately, that is just my American dream.