Chase Pearson - Profile
Immigration; a Personal Perspective
I met Pericles Castro while I was working at a company called EMC. We take inbound calls from customers in many different languages. Pericles, or "Peri" handled the Portuguese and Spanish calls while I took German calls. Since we sat next to each other I was able to talk to him often and learn about his life.
Peri was born in Sao Paulo, Brazil in 1983. He enjoyed growing up in the city, but he felt a strange fascination with anything from the United States. "I felt like I was born in the wrong country. Whenever there was a Basketball or Football game on TV I would watch it even though it was in English and I couldn't understand" (Castro). He came to Utah as a teenager to visit family and was in awe. He instantly fell in love with the scenery, the mountains, and especially the snow. He never had seen snow before. Deep down he always knew he would someday move to the U.S.
I asked Peri if I could come to his home over the weekend to interview him for a paper I was writing on immigration. He agreed and even provided me with an unexpected lunch. I met his wife Isabelle, an amazing cook. She and Peri met in Brazil and married only a few months before they came to the U.S. She explained, "Instead of gifts everyone gave us money to purchase furniture for our new home." They have two children; Eric, who is 3 years old, and an 18 month old girl named Melissa.
The idea of moving to a new country, having to learn a new language, and adjusting to a new culture is an experience that would terrify most Americans. So what was their motivation to leave family members in Brazil to start a new life here? Peri said he wanted to get away from the large, bustling city, not to mention there are more opportunities in America than in Brazil. "The economy in Brazil is in a very bad state right now, I was overpaying for just basic needs. I also hated having to ride in the crowded buses with the long commutes every day. But the most important reason,' he said as he glanced at his two children playing on the floor,' is for them."
Like many Brazilians with that I work with, Peri is currently on a student Visa. He attends classes at LDS Business College and is working towards a Bachelor's degree. For every two semesters at school he is permitted to take one semester off which he has spent working full time at EMC. Now that a new semester has started in September he was required to cut back to part-time. His wife stays at home and takes care of the children. Some of my coworkers on student Visas at EMC had to quit because they had to take a certain number of classes in the semester. So what would happen if they were sick of it and just refused to take classes? "Well there are 4 options at that point which I have: 1. Try to have the employer file a work visa for me. 2. Speak with an immigration attorney about what other options we have to stay. 3. Stay illegally. 4. We would have to go back. My children have dual-citizenship though so I am unsure what would happen and that is a scary thought."
Peri said that he would not mind having to return to Brazil, but he will do everything to make sure he can stay here. Especially with the President being impeached and the enormous cost of hosting the Olympic Games, the country is now in a state of crisis. He said he was not sure if he would eventually get citizenship because of the many "hoops" that are required to jump through. However, he said he will do what it takes so that his kids can stay here. He believes they have a much better life and opportunity here than growing up in Sao Paulo.
I asked what his personal opinion was on immigrants who are living in the country illegally. "If they are committing crimes, if they are not contributing to society, I think that they should be deported. But if they have kids and work hard, then it is harder to answer. Especially in Mexico with the drug cartel, in some areas good people want to work and raise a family but they can't there. It’s just too dangerous."
Peri explained that he sympathizes with illegal immigrants and their desire to remain in the country. At the same time he feels that those who are illegal have more privileges than he does even though he lives here legally which doesn't feel fair. While he is not sure what the best method is, he recognizes that reform is necessary. In 2013 President Obama proposed an immigration reform, which contained four steps: First, continue to strengthen our borders. Second, crack down on companies that hire undocumented workers. Third, hold undocumented immigrants accountable before they can earn their citizenship; this means requiring undocumented workers to pay their taxes and a penalty, move to the back of the line, learn English, and pass background checks. Fourth, streamline the legal immigration system for families, workers, and employers" (Slack).
When most Americans think of illegal immigrants they probably visualize those from Mexico who are undocumented. Interestingly, a new report found that the number of unauthorized immigrants from Mexico is decreasing. "The number of unauthorized immigrants from nations other than Mexico grew by 325,000 since 2009, to an estimated 5.3 million in 2014. Populations went up most for unauthorized immigrants from Asia and Central America, but the number also ticked up for those from sub-Saharan Africa. The increase in the number of unauthorized immigrants from other countries mostly offsets the decline in the number from Mexico" (Krogstad, Jens Manuel). We need to have laws in place and enforce them. At the same time we need to understand who these immigrants are and their goals for coming here to help us refine these laws.
I have personally lived in another country and experienced adjusting to a new language, laws, and culture. However, I wanted to get a deeper outside perspective on the current immigration system in America, which was my main purpose when I interviewed Peri. Of course there is not a simple answer to how we should improve the current outdated laws on immigration in the United States, but it is important to consider each immigrant on an individual level. We must avoid generalizing simply because of race or ethnicity, but we also must not forget that the law must be followed, even for those wanting to migrate to the United States.
I met Pericles Castro while I was working at a company called EMC. We take inbound calls from customers in many different languages. Pericles, or "Peri" handled the Portuguese and Spanish calls while I took German calls. Since we sat next to each other I was able to talk to him often and learn about his life.
Peri was born in Sao Paulo, Brazil in 1983. He enjoyed growing up in the city, but he felt a strange fascination with anything from the United States. "I felt like I was born in the wrong country. Whenever there was a Basketball or Football game on TV I would watch it even though it was in English and I couldn't understand" (Castro). He came to Utah as a teenager to visit family and was in awe. He instantly fell in love with the scenery, the mountains, and especially the snow. He never had seen snow before. Deep down he always knew he would someday move to the U.S.
I asked Peri if I could come to his home over the weekend to interview him for a paper I was writing on immigration. He agreed and even provided me with an unexpected lunch. I met his wife Isabelle, an amazing cook. She and Peri met in Brazil and married only a few months before they came to the U.S. She explained, "Instead of gifts everyone gave us money to purchase furniture for our new home." They have two children; Eric, who is 3 years old, and an 18 month old girl named Melissa.
The idea of moving to a new country, having to learn a new language, and adjusting to a new culture is an experience that would terrify most Americans. So what was their motivation to leave family members in Brazil to start a new life here? Peri said he wanted to get away from the large, bustling city, not to mention there are more opportunities in America than in Brazil. "The economy in Brazil is in a very bad state right now, I was overpaying for just basic needs. I also hated having to ride in the crowded buses with the long commutes every day. But the most important reason,' he said as he glanced at his two children playing on the floor,' is for them."
Like many Brazilians with that I work with, Peri is currently on a student Visa. He attends classes at LDS Business College and is working towards a Bachelor's degree. For every two semesters at school he is permitted to take one semester off which he has spent working full time at EMC. Now that a new semester has started in September he was required to cut back to part-time. His wife stays at home and takes care of the children. Some of my coworkers on student Visas at EMC had to quit because they had to take a certain number of classes in the semester. So what would happen if they were sick of it and just refused to take classes? "Well there are 4 options at that point which I have: 1. Try to have the employer file a work visa for me. 2. Speak with an immigration attorney about what other options we have to stay. 3. Stay illegally. 4. We would have to go back. My children have dual-citizenship though so I am unsure what would happen and that is a scary thought."
Peri said that he would not mind having to return to Brazil, but he will do everything to make sure he can stay here. Especially with the President being impeached and the enormous cost of hosting the Olympic Games, the country is now in a state of crisis. He said he was not sure if he would eventually get citizenship because of the many "hoops" that are required to jump through. However, he said he will do what it takes so that his kids can stay here. He believes they have a much better life and opportunity here than growing up in Sao Paulo.
I asked what his personal opinion was on immigrants who are living in the country illegally. "If they are committing crimes, if they are not contributing to society, I think that they should be deported. But if they have kids and work hard, then it is harder to answer. Especially in Mexico with the drug cartel, in some areas good people want to work and raise a family but they can't there. It’s just too dangerous."
Peri explained that he sympathizes with illegal immigrants and their desire to remain in the country. At the same time he feels that those who are illegal have more privileges than he does even though he lives here legally which doesn't feel fair. While he is not sure what the best method is, he recognizes that reform is necessary. In 2013 President Obama proposed an immigration reform, which contained four steps: First, continue to strengthen our borders. Second, crack down on companies that hire undocumented workers. Third, hold undocumented immigrants accountable before they can earn their citizenship; this means requiring undocumented workers to pay their taxes and a penalty, move to the back of the line, learn English, and pass background checks. Fourth, streamline the legal immigration system for families, workers, and employers" (Slack).
When most Americans think of illegal immigrants they probably visualize those from Mexico who are undocumented. Interestingly, a new report found that the number of unauthorized immigrants from Mexico is decreasing. "The number of unauthorized immigrants from nations other than Mexico grew by 325,000 since 2009, to an estimated 5.3 million in 2014. Populations went up most for unauthorized immigrants from Asia and Central America, but the number also ticked up for those from sub-Saharan Africa. The increase in the number of unauthorized immigrants from other countries mostly offsets the decline in the number from Mexico" (Krogstad, Jens Manuel). We need to have laws in place and enforce them. At the same time we need to understand who these immigrants are and their goals for coming here to help us refine these laws.
I have personally lived in another country and experienced adjusting to a new language, laws, and culture. However, I wanted to get a deeper outside perspective on the current immigration system in America, which was my main purpose when I interviewed Peri. Of course there is not a simple answer to how we should improve the current outdated laws on immigration in the United States, but it is important to consider each immigrant on an individual level. We must avoid generalizing simply because of race or ethnicity, but we also must not forget that the law must be followed, even for those wanting to migrate to the United States.