Last Saturday, VISANOW co-hosted an immigration workshop with Casa Michoacán in Chicago. It was a great opportunity for people to meet with the immigration specialists of VISANOW, and it was a brilliant way to interact with the Chicago community. Living in Chicago for so many years, I had never been to Casa Michoacán. One of the things that stood out to me was how different the South side is to the North side of the city. As an undocumented person that grew up away from her homeland, it is very easy to lose my cultural beliefs. I saw how Mexicans celebrate dead relatives with paper artwork, skeletons, and colorful symbolic altars.
The workshop started at nine in the morning and went on until one in the afternoon. It was open to the public. Anyone who had any questions about their undocumented status or visas was welcome to come in. Even as an undocumented person, I still get amazed whenever I listen to other undocumented people’s stories. During the workshop we had many people come share their story of how a “notario” did not complete their application correctly, or did not even submit it. During their process with the notario they asked them to pay them an enormous amount. For me it is extremely difficult to see how other people can take advantage of a person that is so vulnerable. How can they look at these people in need and lie to them knowing that this is a life changing decision? They know that in those papers the future of a person is at stake. Most of the time, the notario is another Latino. What hurts me the most is how much the person ends up paying – sometimes double of what the process is worth, just because they believe the notario was less expensive. Many of these immigrants work two or three jobs just to make ends meet. I see in them a piece of me and my family.
I really enjoy interacting with the community through workshops like the one VISANOW co-hosted. To be able to bring a sense of peace into their life is one of the greatest rewards a person can have. To be able to put a smile in the faces of these people is what I would love to do for the rest of my life. Thanks to VISANOW I believe I have found what I want to do after college. I am very grateful for all the networking opportunities that I have received. To know that in less than a year I will be graduating is a scary feeling, but knowing what I want to do next is comforting.
by Christian Villalobos, VISANOW Marketing Intern
