With all that’s happening in our world, knowing what to say, how to post on social media and what’s important to share are sometimes intimidating topics. It’s been on my heart to share our story because, if you’re anything like me, you had no understanding of how many people are truly impacted by this process or the struggles they face daily. You all have grown to know and love my family in so many aspects and it’s felt strange to have a prominent piece of my life that we haven’t shared. So, after over ten years in the United States, my Mario is finally a US Citizen.
In the beginning…
Mario and I met in 2013. I moved to College Station TX, where he was working towards his business degree from Texas A&M. It was fulfilling to have someone that made life so exciting while still making me feel so special. My family loved him, his friends quickly became mine as well and we spent our weekends poolside or tailgating at Aggie football games. I was so grateful that everything had fallen into place.
A few months after moving to Texas, Mario’s brother said something about needing to renew their paperwork. I wasn’t really sure what that meant, but I didn’t give it too much thought. It came up, again, with no explanation. I asked Mario what he was talking about and felt my heart fall into my stomach when he explained that he had to submit paperwork to maintain his residency, because he wasn’t a citizen.
I spent the next few days grilling Mario for answers on the questions running through my mind. “How have you been here since you were 12 and you can’t be a citizen?” and “what if they don’t approve your paperwork?” were kind of on repeat. I tossed, turned, dreamed about all of these scenarios. I Google’d, which was as dangerous as falling down the self-diagnosis hole on WebMD. “WHY. I don’t get it, Mario. You’re doing everything right. You’re doing more than most. You work a full-time job and go to college and pay an insane amount of money for these permits and you can’t be a citizen? I don’t get it…” I think part of me was mad that Mario wasn’t mad. I was mad I had spent my 21 years living in a world not realizing how privileged I was while someone was hoping to achieve something that was given to me.
Fast forward to 2016. Mario and I married, completed the process of obtaining his residency and were working towards his citizenship. Have you ever seen that movie, “The Proposal” with Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds? Yes, we legitimately had to go through a vetting interview to ensure our marriage was real. We brought our wedding albums, apartment leases, date stamped photographs… anything that showed we had known each other in excess of 3 years. We would continue the process of interviewing and spending thousands of dollars in permit renewals through 2020, when Mario was finally able to take the citizenship test!
Why we’re sharing…
The craziest part of our whole process was when our lawyer said “you are able to apply for citizenship, not because the US cares about your well-being, but the well-being of your wife. She is a citizen, so showing her dependence on you is the only way we will be able to move forward.” It hurt my heart to know that the place Mario had known as home for as long as he could remember only saw value in my well-being. I thought about all the people out there that might be in a similar situation but didn’t have a dependent spouse to apply on their behalf. I wanted to open up and share this process for many reasons, but mainly because there is so little knowledge on the topic and what all really goes into it if you aren’t personally in it. I’m so thankful that the Obama administration put the DACA system in place, making it possible for Mario to attend school and work without the fear of being deported. I’m trying to condense all that has happened over these past few years, because Mario has a much better perspective that I wanted to share with you all! I’m also linking to the stories of many other DACA “dreamers” and their experiences here.
Mario’s Story
“After going back and forth to Mexico for a few years, I permanently moved to the United States at the age of 12. At the time I was only fluently speaking Spanish, so one of the biggest obstacles I had to overcome was the language barrier of learning English. While this was one of the biggest challenges I’ve had to overcome, being thrown in and fully immersed in English forced me to learn and I was fluent within a few months. I still remember how embarrassed or overwhelmed I would feel when people made fun of my accent. I’d also struggle with pronunciation of certain words, but that’s something that motivated me and still does to be inclusive with everyone and not give a lot of thought to other’s opinions or rude remarks.
My parents brought us to America with hopes of providing a better life, and a part of that included going to college. While my family was overwhelmingly supportive, being a first-generation college student, I didn’t have a lot of guidance. I was so grateful to attend Texas A&M University and worked harder than ever to get accepted to Mays Business School. Graduating from their program and earning my Aggie ring was one of my biggest accomplishments. My motivation to successfully balance school and working full-time always came from remembering the struggles and sacrifices my parents made to get us here.
Almost no one in our lives, aside from immediate family, knew I was a DACA recipient. DACA allowed me to legally work, pay taxes and contribute to society. My current position allows me to help people with their finances, assist others with plans to start their own businesses and guide people through the homeownership process. I volunteer and raised money for non-profit organizations, I serve on multiple executive boards and am grateful for the opportunities I have to grow in my community.
As a husband and father of two little boys, I can’t tell you how much I appreciate my story. Looking back on the struggles and times I was embarrassed remind me how important it is to instill in my children that we’re always accepting of all cultures and backgrounds. My parents worked 60-70 hours per week just to give us an opportunity to live ‘The American Dream’ and gifted me the mentality that I can do anything with hard work and determination. ‘The American Dream’ is something anyone can achieve, but we can achieve it in a much more successful way when we’re open to giving a voice to people we weren’t previously open to hearing.”
