Essay:
Living in the land of the free or face deportation
In August 29, 1999, a young student felt the need to leave his own country to migrate in the US for a better way of living. The idea to come to America seemed to be a difficult step to take, and also very complicated at the same time. But with a democratic President in power, everyone always think the possibility to find ways to adjust their status while leaving here is a no brainer. However, once reaching the shore illegally, there’s no turning back; whoever crosses that fine line, would definitely feel the weight of the laws of this great nation regardless of who’s in power? This was my story of the way I got to the US illegally back in August 29, 1999. We boarded a Haitian Company airplane to come to the US; no one knew the outcome in advance because of the way the immigration process works. However, one thing we all had in mind, was to see the light of a different country, see different faces and hopefully find ways to stay. Once the airplane took off, words was already spread all over the office of Haiti air in Florida that the airplane left Haiti with more than 30 Haitian illegal on board. The first few 2 hours spent at the arrival office was like a discovery of a new world for every single illegal in that group. This was one of the darkest and the most memorable moment so far in all my 39 years living. Getting here at the end of the Clinton administration followed by an 8 years battle with the Immigration under the Bush-Ashcroft era, shaped my entire life forever and for the better. The different kind of treatment that I received along with the numerous denials that I have known throughout that ten years; from work permit to driver license, those moment helped me understand the pain of an illegal immigrant. Therefore, I have learned a valuable lesson and now I can pass this