Immigration to U.S. changes students’ lives

Ashton Moreland, Managing Editor

At eight years old, junior Pablo Manon’s life was uprooted and planted in the dirt of a foreign country- one that promises prosperity, growth, and opportunity. The bustling streets and ancient architecture of Mexico City were replaced with the hills and valleys of Northwest Arkansas, and over time, the smell of chicken coops and cow pastures became the norm for Manon.

“Originally, when we moved here, I didn’t think this would be permanent,” Manon said. “My dad worked for Tyson… and it was just going to be a three year stay and then we would move back to Mexico. But, my parents really liked it here, so my dad switched around to a different section at Tyson so he could stay in the U.S.”

After realizing that they wanted to stay, Manon’s parents began applying for citizenship in the United States to establish their lives as legal residents of a new country. This process, however, is not as easy as it may seem.

“First, before we were ever able to apply for citizenship, we had to get legal residency, or a green card, which we got about five years ago. And that process took about half a year,” Manon said. “Then, after that, you have to wait five years just as a legal resident before you can start applying for citizenship. We started the process around May, this year.”

Now, after waiting almost a decade for the process to be finalized, Manon and his family will finally be granted legal citizenship of the United States before the year is over.

“So far, we’re still in the process. We hope that we’ll be getting our citizenship near November or December. It all depends on when they get back to you. We just try to do everything as quick as possible, but it really depends on the government and how many people they’re having to deal with,” Manon said.

Like Manon, senior Josh Lin’s family immigrated to the United States in pursuit of a better life, following the headlights of a promising career opportunity for Lin’s father.

“I was born in Vancouver, Canada, and then when I was about five my parents immigrated from Canada to the U.S,” Lin said. “My dad found a job here, so that’s why we came.”

Lin and his parents applied for citizenship around ten years after they immigrated to the United States., and have since been naturalized.

“So what happens is, you’ll go into one of the immigration offices and you’ll take a test based on American history, just general American government knowledge and stuff like that,” Lin said. “If you pass that, then they will schedule an interview with you. You’ll come into a room with an immigration officer and they’ll ask, ‘Okay, why do you want to be a U.S. citizen?’ And you’ll explain why.”

Having gone through the naturalization ceremony and having been awarded his certificate of citizenship, Lin has experienced the joys of beholding the American dream. However, being granted citizenship is still the light at the end of the tunnel for Manon.

“I’m excited because that means I’ll be able to vote here. I’ll have dual citizenship, and that’s going to be really exciting, just to be a part of both nations,” Manon said. “I still consider myself Mexican, 100 percent. But I’ll also be American, and that’s really exciting because I’ll get all the same opportunities. Granted, I can’t run for president yet, but we’ll see in a couple years if the laws change.”