Leticia and Rolando
Leticia, a stay-at-home mom and Rolando, a factory worker, are in their early thirties. They have two sons – one thirteen, and the other nearly two years old. They first met in high school.  Their high school romance got serious, and Leticia became pregnant with their older son when they were both just seventeen.

Leticia’s teenage pregnancy meant that both of them left school before finishing the twelfth grade. Rolando went to work to support their young family, and Leticia dedicated herself to caring for their infant son, Ricardo.  When Ricardo was old enough to go to preschool, Leticia got a job in customer service.
 
Rolando has been working in the same factory for nine years, and said his job is more or less secure. He’d like to be a mechanic or something to do with fixing things, but doesn’t want to take the risk of leaving his job and learning a new trade. And, with two children, he doesn’t want to take any financial risks.

Leticia’s parents brought her to Chicago from Puebla, Mexico, when she was eighteen months old. She doesn’t remember crossing the border, but knows that they came over illegally with her mother and older sister. Her father was already in the United States.  Leticia’s parents were able to obtain legalization and subsequently citizenship through the 1986 amnesty.
 
Rolando was born in Mexico City. When he was fourteen, his father left for the United States. Upon seeing that they could make a better living in the U.S., his parents decided to move the whole family to the U.S. When Rolando’s father sent for his wife and children, Rolando did not want to come. Like most teenagers, he did not want to leave his friends behind and start his life over again. Since he was not old enough to decide for himself, he came with his mother and sister. When they got to Chicago, Rolando’s parents enrolled him in high school.

Rolando and Leticia were married in 2003, several years after their first son was born. Rolando told me he did not want Leticia to think that he was with her just for the papers, so he did not opt to formalize their union. Leticia tried to convince him, since she knew that the 245 (i) provision of the LIFE Act, which would allow Rolando to regularize his status, was going to expire in 2001. But, Rolando said, they were young and not sure of what they wanted to do. Because of changes in the law, Rolando no longer qualifies for legalization. Despite being married to a U.S. citizen and having two U.S. citizen children, the fact that Rolando crossed the border without inspection fifteen years ago and has since returned to Mexico leaves him with no options.

What further exacerbates their situation is that Rolando was deported in 1998 and re-entered subsequently. Rolando and his brother were pulling up to an auto parts store when two officers approached them and asked if they had driver’s licenses. Even though Rolando was not driving, both of them were taken to the police station. The police officers told them that they were going to be deported and they were transferred to an INS detention center.  After two weeks in the detention center, Rolando decided that he could not take being imprisoned any more and signed a voluntary departure, which meant that he agreed to self-deport. Leticia bought his airline ticket and he went to Mexico. Rolando’s brother remained in the detention center for six weeks before he was taken to Mexico on a US army plane. Both of them have since returned to the U.S.
 
Getting to the U.S. without permission is difficult and living here without papers is not easy either. Rolando and Leticia would like to travel together. They have been thinking of taking their son to Disney World for several years now, but are worried that Rolando could be deported if they tried to get on an airplane. They also would like to travel to Mexico so their children can see Rolando’s parents. Even travel around Chicago is complicated, since Rolando has not been able to renew his driver’s license. They have also been saving up to buy a house. However, because Rolando has been working with a false social security number, he doesn’t have a credit history. Since Leticia is not working now, they can’t take out a loan to buy a home. Like most families, they want the best for themselves, but Rolando’s undocumented status is a major hindrance.