1. Jazmine(interviewer): “What challenges did grandpa face as an immigrant vs. grandma, who was from Puerto Rico?”

Jazmine’s mom: “He illegally came to the U.S., came from central America from El Salvador up and survived off little amounts of food to get to the U.S. He couldn’t go back to El Salvador at a time when his dad passed away as he didn’t have his green card so he wouldn’t be able to go back to the U.S. after as in the 70’s there was a lot of mass deportation. There was a lot of racism, so he had to kind of keep his head down. He applied for his citizenship in the 1970s and didn’t get it until around 1990. There wasn’t much attention to citizenship status and that meant he couldn’t do a lot of things that citizens could do, and was scared he’d get deported. The difference in this case is that your grandma had her citizenship and could get jobs more easily than your grandpa.”

1. Jazmine: “How did poverty play a role in these challenges?”

Jazmine’s mom: “He immigrated because poverty in his country was so bad, there was no welfare system, no money for food, which meant starving most of the time. His country was not doing well economically. Poverty in his country pushed him to move. He saved money and then later sent to bring the rest of his family to the U.S. after he got his card, as he did not/could not go back himself.”

“After he moved, he was limited to where he could work as he didn’t have his documentation. He’s still affected by the poverty from the past, as he didn’t waste food or money back then, and was always and still is worried about not being in that condition again. He changed his mindset and his family’s mindset about money. There was a stress of money and fear of the lack of it, especially after having a family. He never got to go back to El Salvador and hasn’t been back since.”

My grandpa’s personal struggle with immigration status:

3. Jazmine: “So how did he personally struggle with his immigration status?”

Jazmine’s mom: “He was scared to be out and about as he didn’t have his papers then and did not feel safe out, but he had to work to live/survive.”

“The current times can be triggering as he dealt with ICE before and was chased by them even when he had his status. The triggers even caused trauma and possibly led to mental health issues that were unchecked as he was not educated about it.” 

4. Jazmine: “Did grandpa ever talk about mental health at all, and if so, were there any resources for it in El Salvador?”

Jazmine’s mom: “They did not talk about mental health, as in that culture and time, it was not seen as a big deal or issue. There weren't many mental health resources in El Salvador, let alone for immigrants in the U.S. during the 70s. It was not encouraged for men in El Salvador to seek out that kind of help, and was frowned upon. 

5. Jazmine: “What was it like being a child of an immigrant dealing with such issues/problems?”

Jazmine’s mom: “Your grandpa hid his issues and problems of poverty, and we didn’t move around so that was our sense of stability and grandpa eventually had a long term stable job. I didn’t realize issues til highschool, like how I didn’t have much help for college. Poverty did affect me later as I was scared of lacking money but I wasn’t taught how to save or manage money right or even credit. Grandpa was only taught to work and save. He kind of instilled a poverty mindset in me and my siblings too.”