The title to this essay has underlining under the date of 2010. This is to distinguish it from an essay that was written here four years ago called “Thanksgiving 2006.” Since that essay of four years ago was written, there have been some encouraging developments.
The players in this essay are Jenny M and her husband Ronald H. Those two Costa Rican immigrants are married. In accordance with Costa Rican customs, Jenny has kept her maiden name. That is not unusual. When Miss Chicka and I decided to get the Mayor of Millburn, New Jersey to perform the marriage ceremony, she kept her maiden name and I did the same.
So Ronald and Jenny have been married for several years and at this point have two sons and a four-year-old daughter. About 15 years ago, the conditions in their native Costa Rica were such that they could see no hope of prospering in that country. And so it was that they came to the United States. They settled in Summit, New Jersey which is home to a few other Costa Ricans as well.
In the essay of four years ago, I recounted the fact that it was a happy occasion in that we were able to help two struggling immigrants. The facts are these. Ronald and Jenny supported their family with his wages as a truck driver and her earnings as a housekeeper. But at the end of 2005, disaster struck. The Republican Congress of that year passed an act called the Patriot Act. The main purpose of the Patriot Act was to cause great problems for those who were not full citizens. The various states in this country were left to interpret some sections of the Patriot Act in differing manners. For example, in this great and glorious and sweet-smelling state of New Jersey, it was decided that no one could have a driver’s license unless he or she was permanent, effectively, a citizen. This meant that ipso facto Ronald’s career as a truck driver was denied to him. It did not matter to the state that Ronald had been driving trucks in Costa Rica and then in this country for 20 years or more. In our names, the state of New Jersey decreed that henceforth drivers’ licenses would be granted only to those who enjoyed permanent residency here. There was much more to the Patriot Act. For example, those without papers as citizens could not open a savings account, as Miss Chicka and I found out.
At the time, Ronald was working for a Cuban woman, driving his truck for a fairly decent wage. Unknown to Ronald, the Cuban woman declared him a partner in the business, which he found out about only after his career as a truck driver was over. At this point, Ronald’s mastery over the English language was less than adequate. He had no effective means of protest. At the end of that year, the Internal Revenue Service billed him for something more than $5,000. Here was a man who had lost his job through no fault of his own and was being billed by the tax authorities in this country for an exorbitant amount. Because he was not a citizen, Ronald went about attempting to pay the taxes of $5,000 or more.
In the meantime, Jenny, his wife, was pursuing her career as a housekeeper. She made the beds, she ran the vacuum cleaner, she cleaned the toilets, she did all of the other services that cleaning the house requires. Without Ronald’s earnings, they were soon in debt and they elected to use credit cards for food and other necessities. By the time we found out what was happening, the credit card companies were charging interest in the vicinity of 20%. Two banks had turned down Ronald and Jenny when they asked for a loan. Obviously they had no collateral. So it was that shortly before Thanksgiving, Jenny came to Judy, my wife, and told her that she had something to say which was the hardest thing that she had ever done in her whole life. In effect Jenny the housekeeper asked for our help in trying to set their finances aright.
Jenny is a wonderful person who is struggling to make a better life for her children. When Jenny spoke to Judy and later when Judy spoke to me, I agreed that we would help them in any way we could. And so the meeting with Ronald and Jenny was scheduled for the afternoon of Thanksgiving 2006.
Without going into details, their financial situation was indeed precarious. We are far from wealthy people but I was determined, as was Judy, to help Ronald and Jenny. We had some money available in our checking accounts and on that Thanksgiving Day, a substantial amount was given to two Costa Rican immigrants. I did not regard it as a loan so much as I regarded it as an investment in the United States. Here are two hardworking immigrants who are playing by the rules and yet life has dealt them serious financial difficulties. If there is anything to the philosophy of “I am my brother’s keeper,” I was determined to do what we could to help Ronald and Jenny. Granting that loan to those two made it a joy to celebrate the Thanksgiving of 2006. We managed to keep them in this country, which I am convinced will be a great benefit to all Americans.
Now we fast forward to the year of 2010. Ronald and Jenny filed their papers to become American citizens more than nine years ago. In point of fact, the Republicans who controlled our destiny under the Bush administration had decimated the ranks of the Immigration Bureau. This was done on the belief that immigrants tended to vote for the Democratic ticket. Whether this is true or not, no one can tell. During the long wait, Ronald, deprived of his career as a truck driver, began to help his brother-in-law, who had found construction work. As you know, during the last few years the construction of homes and offices has ground to a halt. Near the end of the work in construction, Ronald had an industrial accident which required rehabilitation on his knee and surgeries on his wrist. In the meantime, Jenny was keeping the family afloat with her earnings as a housekeeper and the rental of two rooms in their apartment.
There was a time during this interval when all five of Ronald and Jenny’s family slept in the same bedroom. On top of that, they have two boys, now aged 12 and 9, who are extremely fearful that their parents would be deported. Why anyone would want to deport these two hardworking people simply boggles my mind.
Now the Immigration Bureau is regaining some of the impetus that was lost in earlier years. As always, it takes a lawyer to figure out how the Immigration Bureau works. Judy and I told Jenny to go hire that lawyer and put her to work.
The end result was that after nine years of waiting both Ronald and Jenny were finally granted an interview with the Immigration Service early in November of this year. They were told that having waited nine years and done everything else correctly, in short order they would be issued green cards. A green card designates the recipient as a legal resident and permanent resident. And so it was that shortly before Thanksgiving of this year, a letter arrived in the apartment rented by Ronald and Jenny. The opening words were, “Welcome to the United States of America.” For Judy and me, nothing could have pleased us more.
After Ronald and Jenny had their interview and were told that their green cards would be delivered shortly, they came by this house. They said that a telephone call was unacceptable. They had to come here and meet with us and celebrate. Shaking hands was only the beginning. In the Spanish language there is a word, “abrazo.” It means a vigorous hug. There were many abrazos. Before long Jenny hugged me. Tears came to her eyes and she put her head down on my shoulder, all out of happiness. Ronald, who is a pretty good-sized fellow, hugged me as well. Both of them delivered abrazos to Judy. While the abrazos were taking place, I think it is fair to say that many tears came to the eyes of Judy and myself. But they were happy tears.
There will be another five-year wait before full citizenship is granted to Ronald and Jenny. Now they have their green cards. This enables Ronald to start looking for work as a truck driver, which has been his occupation for 25 years or so.
As I said earlier, giving Ronald and Jenny financial support during this time of crisis is regarded by Judy and me as simply an investment in this country. I told Ronald and Jenny that first I wanted them to take care of their family and secondly to prepare for the day when another immigrant, new to these shores, might ask them for help. I know that they will be generous.
And so it is that Thanksgiving Day, which is not quite here yet, will be a joy to celebrate. I am not much given to eating a turkey on that day. As a matter of fact, I don’t eat turkeys on any occasion. But on this occasion, there is a special reason to celebrate without ravishing a turkey. Judy and I have made an investment in the United States and we have helped two immigrants who are doing their best to be great citizens. We feel good about ourselves and we rejoice with Ronald and Jenny and their children.
And to top it all off, there is a troop of Brownies, who are junior Girl Scouts, who brought me some chocolates and a hand-written card and a flag, thanking me for being a soldier. I never asked to be thanked for my service so long ago, but it is a great pleasure that youngsters are appreciative of what has gone on before them.
And so it is that I have at least two reasons to be thankful as Thanksgiving Day approaches. I must say that I consider myself a very lucky guy.
E. E. CARR
November 20, 2010
Essay 514
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Kevin’s commentary: Well, that officially makes two more people who I’d like to reach out to as the administrator of Ezra’s Essays. I wonder if they’d be willing to write something for the site. I even have a good translator in mind if they feel like replying in Spanish.
On another note, I feel like it’s entirely too difficult to become a US citizen.