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Genevieve Holguin
Dr. Dev Bose
English 101
March 26, 2016
The Immigrant Crises in Tucson, Arizona
In the last few years, the United States has seen an increase in immigrants and refugees
crossing the border seeking safety, security, opportunities and freedoms. Amnesty is sought after
by families currently living in the United States, while many children and adults are seeking
refugee and asylum status today. As of 2014, there are over 11.3 million unauthorized
immigrants living in the United States. Of these immigrants 69,909 are seeking refugee status in
this country. Of the total number, 38,759 are unaccompanied minors whove travelled to the U.S.
alone. There are over 15,266 seeking asylum status in the U.S., while 6,574 of immigrants are
orphans whove been adopted by U.S. citizens. It is estimated a number upwards of 300,000
immigrants live in Arizona today (Population Education 2016). Many Americans have questions
and concerns about the crises outside of what is reported in the national news. For this reason, I
chose to research the immigrant community in Tucson, Arizona; those working with immigrants
and refugees, as well as immigrants themselves. The United States is in the middle of an evergrowing crises, forcing Americans to debate who deserves the protection of basic human rights.
Will Tucsonans view immigrants and refugees as terrorists? Or will the Tucson community
continue to embrace and support immigrants, as they have in years past? Learning more about
the immigrant crises in Tucson is a great starting point, no matter which view you may have. As

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a result of the sensitivity of this topic, some of the individuals interviewed are identified using a
pseudonym.
An American Perspective: Immigrant Children in Tucson, AZ
David Jones is a transport specialist for a non-profit organization in Tucson, AZ. The
non-profit organization provides shelter, food, education, medical and psychological care to
unaccompanied immigrant children in Tucson, AZ. David describes working as a transport
specialist as an individual accompanying an immigrant minor to Texas; this may be for status
court hearings, once their case is presented for review, or for deportation. When I meet David, I
notice hes a tall man, with light brown hair and kind brown eyes. He wears slacks and a polo
shirt to work everyday, and this day is no exception. David works with children whom have
either been trafficked, by paying a coyote (human trafficker) to smuggle them into the U.S., or
have arrived by bus or train. David explains the children in the Tucson shelter are from places
such as El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico, and Guatemala.
I ask David where he sees the immigrant crises headed nationally. He thinks for a
moment and replies, It depends, if Donald Trump succeeds in his immigration laws, after
becoming the next President. David displays his displeasure at the thought of this possibility by
rolling his eyes. I ask David how his work with the non-profit organization has made him think
differently about immigrant unaccompanied minors. Davids reply is empathetic, I observe what
theyve gone through, all alone, to get here. Theyve been through all types of abuseand I just
couldnt do what theyve done to follow the American Dream. I ask if he sees success stories
come out of these tragic cases, as I brace myself David replies with certainty, All the time. As
the crises grows, Tucsonans may want to know what Davids message is to them: I want them
(Americans) to know, they (immigrants) are humans just like everyone else. Just because they

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are not financially able to meet VISA requirements, that should not hinder them from citizenship
in America. This is where everyone wants to be. The non-profit organization David works for
prohibits any further comment on the immigrant crises in Tucson, Arizona.
A Young Immigrant Perspective: You Have No Choice
Ana Lopez is a young woman I met during my quest to research an illegal immigrant
perspective. Ana stands barely five-foot tall with dark brown hair and small brown eyes.
Although she is 25 years old, she physically looks as though she could be in her thirties. When
we meet at a park, Ana is wearing designer clothes and bright white Nike tennis shoes. Ana
speaks to me in excellent English, with a slight Mexican accent. I was fifteen years old, when I
woke up in the trunk of a car in the middle of the night. Id lived in Mexico my whole life and
now my parents were bringing me and my sister to the U.S. She looks down as she continues, I
didnt want to move here, but I had no choice. I still miss my friends and wonder what my life
would have been like.
Tucsonans may wonder what becomes of the children brought to the U.S. by parents in
search of opportunities. Today, Ana is illegally working a full time job and raising her two
children with her fianc. Anas young family is just like any other Tucson family; they visit Mt.
Lemmon, they picnic at Reid Park and they cheer for University of Arizona sports. Because Ana
feels a deep connection with Tucson, she is currently working closely with an immigration
attorney in search of amnesty. Ana shares with me how her attorney has worked diligently in the
last 5 years and hopes the U.S. will recognize her forced migration. For now, Ana fears
deportation daily but still smiles as she says, I am grateful to live here, I know I have
opportunity now. America is like to Garden of Eden, like in the Bible, where anything is possible
and you can live in paradise. This is what the rest of the world thinks anyway.

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Mexican Immigrants Seeking Refugee Status
The New York Daily News reported on the growing, record number of immigrants
seeking asylum in the United States (Hastings). If you drove into the rural community of Limon
de Luna in the summer of 2013, you would have witnessed a horrific sight. The bodies of
residents hung on the welcome sign of this community; hanged there by cartels terrorizing
innocent families. The bodies were of a pregnant woman, a high school teacher and college
student, as well as the husband of the pregnant woman hung in broad daylight; a shocking reality
to say the least. The article interviews two Mexican immigrants seeking asylum; one is a
business man Carlos Gutierrez, 30, who was forced to pay monthly fees to the cartel. As soon as
he was behind in payments, they chopped off his feet in a public park and left him to die in his
SUV. He is now living in Los Angeles, awaiting an asylum hearing in Texas. He has acquired a
work permit and speaks publicly about the immigrant and refugee crises. The other immigrant is
a Mexican woman named Marisol Garcia, 20, who became a police chief in her town. After the
cartel shot her office and threatened to kill her, she fled to the U.S. Because of fear and terror,
Marisol is also currently seeking refugee status in the United States (Hastings).
To these two immigrant cases, Peter Nunez, a former U.S. Attorney in San Diego says,
These people dont have a legitimate claim. Theyre not being persecuted by their government.
They should seek the help of authorities for public safety claims (Hastings). A report out of
Mexico City sheds light on the challenges in addressing public claims in Mexico. It is reported
as of 2012, Mexican drug cartels have paid 4.5 million dollars in political bribes; to include
police, military and government officials (Fischer).
A Hispanic-American Perspective: The Way It Was

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I chose to interview my father, Julian Samaniego who is an American citizen born in
Chinapa, Sonora, Mexico in 1952. He received U.S. citizenship as an infant when my
grandfather migrated from Spain and my grandmother from Mexico. My grandparents settled in
Cutler, California where my father was raised. By interviewing my father, I was hoping to gain a
unique perspective on immigrants from a first-generation American; I was reminded of much
more.
On the day of our interview, my father is Julian is wearing a three-piece suit, a homberg
style hat, with shiny black shoes. I hardly ever see him without his neatly pressed suit and pocket
square. I notice how handsome he is, with his golden tan skin, silver hair and brown eyes. I see
my father smile as he speaks of a more peaceful time in Mexican cities compared to the violence
ensuing today. My father Julian describes the life of his uncle (my great uncle) to lend weight to
the opportunities Mexicans once had in their own country.
In the early 1900s, Uncle Agustin Olachea graduated from the University of National
Autnoma of Mexico, he didnt need to flee the country to further his education. With
determination, Uncle Agustin joined the Mexican Army and quickly rose to become General
Agustin Olachea, my father shares our familiar family history which Ive heard before. General
Agustin Olacheas esteemed military career is in the Mexican history books and his influence is
still visible today in La Paz. A list of political and military titles my great uncle held are: Twice
Governor of La Paz, Mexico, Baja, CA (South) and Baja, CA (North); Chief of Military
Operations; Leader in the Mexican Revolutionary War; President of the National Executive
Committee of the Institutional Revolutionary Party; most notably Secretary of National Defense
of Mexico (Morgan). My father shows me photographs of our uncle and declares, I tell you
about your great uncle to tell you this: Times have drastically changed, even if you were a citizen

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of Mexico you still had opportunity. With drive, determination, and a dream you were still able
to accomplish greatness. He shakes his head as he continues, Now, we have relatives in
Mexico facing many challenges today. My father references the cartel violence as an example of
the desperation immigrants are facing. We have family members who will do anything in order
to stay alive. I dont understand what he means, so I dig for more details. All my father Julian
will say is this, When you live in Sinaloa today, you will either work illegally, or you will die in
the street in front of your family. If youre a Twenty-year old man or woman, there is no
university or community college; or office job. You have one choice everyday, which is to stay
alive. My interview is concluded with my father as I hear him say, I can only hold onto the
accomplishments of my uncle as a reminder of how it (Mexico) once was.
Tucson, AZ: A Safe Haven for Refugees and Immigrants
A recent article in the Arizona Daily Star introduces Tucsonans to Syrian refugee
families, now living in Tucson. The Arizona Daily Star references Arizonas Refugee
Resettlement Programs report of 112 Syrian refugees who migrated to Arizona in 2015,
estimating a dozen Syrian families now live in Tucson (Willet; Pittenger). According to Jeffrey
Cornish, executive director of the International Rescue Committee in Tucson, Banning Syrian
refugees wont make America safer. It will only make them more desperate. He continues, They
are fleeing violence, including ISIS and are seeking safety for themselves and for their families
(qtd. in Willet; Pittenger). Syrian families fleeing from ISIS walk for miles to camp-sites for
refuge; this may be an outside tent in scorching heat or a basement filled with hundreds of other
families. As inhumane as the conditions are, these families are still forced to pay for medical care
inside of the camp. One Syrian mother had to sell her ring to pay for a cesarean section at the

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time of her daughters birth (Willet; Pittenger). With children being born into crisis, families are
even more desperate to live without fear in a place such as Tucson.
The Arizona Daily Star reports on the day to day challenges of the Tucson Syrian refugee
families: an educated son now working as a dishwasher, when he was once in college studying
engineering. The newspaper also reports on the local Tucson agencies working to provide
temporary assistance: housing, employment, medical care, education and English language
classes. The local agencies priority is to aid the families in becoming self sufficient as they
adjust to life in Tucson (Willet; Pittenger). Although settling in Tucson can be overwhelming, the
refugee families find a new life in our beautiful city and a community of people who donate
goods and welcome them (Willet; Pittenger). Instead of hearing gunshots, bombs and Syrian war
planes in the sky, the refugee children hear Davis-Monthan Air Force Base planes flying over us
all.
Conclusion
The lasting impact of the immigrant crises remains unknown, as it becomes a more
common topic of discussion in our government as well as our dinner tables. With Tucson,
Arizona being a common city for immigrants and refugees to settle in, we can be assured well
learn more in the years to come. Tucsonans may agree or disagree with how our government
proceeds with immigration reform but for now, we can only listen, learn and conduct our own
research.

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From the Author
What is the American Dream? This is a question that rings in my head as my search
results provide countless stories, similar to the ones Ive just heard. What does it mean to feel
immense despair and fear, youll leave everything you know and love, to hide in another
country? These questions will remain unanswered. Ill never know, what its like to feel I dont
belong in a country, with a new language. Ill never know, what its like to have someone dismiss
me when I describe my family being hanged. Ill never know this, because Im the definition of
the American Dream: The granddaughter of a Spaniard man and a Mexican woman, who crossed
the border into the United States, where everyone else wants to live.

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Works Cited
Articles
(Unknown), Amanda. "Population Education." 27 January 2016. Population Education. 2016.
<https://www.populationeducation.org/content/what-are-recent-us-immigrationstatistics>.
Cota, Isabella. "Rueters.com." 10 February 2012. Rueters.com. 5 March 2016.
<http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mexico-drugs-idUSTRE81A05620120211>.
Fischer, Howard. "Arizona Daily Star." 18 November 2014. Tucson.com. 5 March 2016.
<http://tucson.com/news/state-and-regional/report-number-of-illegal-immigrants-inarizona-drops/article_a6664580-6f64-11e4-b22d-3b31e6af72b4.html>.
Hastings, Debra. "New York Daily News." 23 October 2013. New York Daily News.com. 5
March 2016. <http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/mexicans-fleeing-drug-cartelmayhem-seek-ing-u-s-asylum-record-breaking-numbers-article-1.1493183>.
Johanna Willet, Angela Pittenger. "Arizona Daily Star." 5 December 2015. Arizona Daily Star. 25
March 2016. <http://m.tucson.com/news/syrian-families-find-new-lives-intucson/article_c7d9b873-a517-59db-8825-89845377f2e8.html?mobile_touch=true>.
Morgan, Cuauhtemoc. "sites.google.com." n.d. sites.google.com.
<https://sites.google.com/site/generalagustinolacheaaviles/ >.
Interviews

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Jones, David (pseudonym). Personal Interview. 11 March 2016.
Samaniego, Julian. Personal Interview. 4 March 2016. 24 March 2016.
Lopez, Ana (pseudonym). Personal Interview. 2 March 2016.