Elios Rosaldo Quina-Lopez, 35, and his son Erdwin Oswaldo Quina Lopez, 16, from the Aldea Hacienda Vieja in the San Jose Poaquil Muincipality of the Chimaltenango Department in Guatemala.
“Where I am from, you could say that it’s a small town where there are not many resources,” he said. With poor infrastructure, low prices of crops and high unemployment, many in Guatemala are making the choice to immigrate to the United States.
“What can you do with 40 Quetzales?” he asked, describing the typical daily wage of about $5 in his town, “What can you do with it? Nothing.”
“We made it through, but we suffered, we suffered a lot,” he said of his journey through Mexico and crossing the border.
“I once saw on TV in Guatemala, that was talking about how the United States loves animals,” he said, “Imagine how the Americans will treat humans if they love dogs so much,” he said about the TV program he watched. However, upon entering immigration custody, he felt the contrary. “They treated us as if we were dogs.”
“In part they are right, those in immigration,” he said. “They are bored of seeing so many people, here comes one, and here comes another.”
“But they dont know what the point is,” he said about people who oppose immigration, “Everyone has their objectives, everyone wants to better themselves.”
His son Erdwin hopes to take advantage of being in the United States to go to school. “How nice would it be to learn English,” said Erdwin, who only finished the sixth grade, “The profession I would have chosen would have been accountant,” he said. Like many other teenagers with a lot of potential, he has lost out because of the financial status of his family.
In Guatemala, many kids like Erdwin end up dropping out of school after the sixth grade. “He couldn’t study because there wasn’t enough money,” Elios said.
Leaving his wife and two other kids in Guatemala was not easy. “Where I am going, I won’t have my wife,” he said, “I will miss my family a lot.” Elios hopes to go back after he has saved enough money, in four or five years.
After staying a night in Immaculate Heart of Mary Cathedral in Las Cruces, he and his son would go to Colorado to a friend.
Elios Rosaldo Quina-López, 35, y su hijo Erdwin Oswaldo Quina López, 16, de la Aldea Hacienda Vieja en San Jose Poaquil, Municipio del Departamento de Chimaltenango en Guatemala.
“De donde yo soy, podría decir que es un pueblo chico donde no hay muchos recursos,” dijo él. Con una infraestructura baja, precios bajos de las cosechas, y un alto desempleo, muchos en Guatemala están decidiendo inmigrar a los Estado Unidos
“Que puedes hacer con 40 Quetzales?” el pregunto, describiendo el saldo típico en su pueblo, de más o menos $5 diarios, “Que puedes hacer con eso? Nada.”
“Lo logramos, pero sufrimos, sufrimos mucho,” dijo el de su viaje por México y al cruzar la frontera.
“Una vez mire en la Television en Guatemala, que hablaban como los Estados Unidos querían mucho a los animales,” dijo sobre el programa de Television que había visto. Sin embargo, el entrar a la custodia de inmigración, sentí lo contrario. “Nos trataron como unos perros.”
“Y en parte tienen razón, los de inmigración,” dijo el “Están aburridos de ver tanta gente…. ay viene uno, y ay viene otro.”
“Pero ellos no saben cuál es el punto,” dijo el sobre la gente que se opone a inmigración, “Todos tienen sus objetivos, todos quieren una vida mejor,”
Su hijo Erdwin espera ir a la escuela estando en los Estados Unidos. “Qué bonito seria poder aprender inglés,” dijo Erdwin, que solamente termino la primaria, “La profesión que yo escogería seria contabilidad,” dijo él. Como muchos otros adolescentes con mucho potencial, él ha perdido mucho por el estado financiero de su familia.
En Guatemala, muchos niños como Erdwin terminan abandonando la escuela después de la primaria. “El no pudo estudiar porque no había suficiente dinero,” dijo Elios.
Dejar a su esposa y a sus otros dos hijos en Guatemala no fue fácil. “A donde yo voy, no voy a tener a mi esposa,” dijo el, “Voy a extrañar mucho a mi familia.”
Después de estar una noche en la Catedral del Inmaculado Corazón de María en Las Cruces, él y su hijo se dirigen a Colorado con un amigo.
The Faces of Immigration Project is a 40 Day photo journal series used to highlight the stories of all Immigrants. The project is meant to shed light on some of the many reasons people have for immigrating to the U.S. Statements and stories have been edited for content, clarity, and brevity and may not reflect the entirety of an Immigrant’s reasons for immigrating to the United States.
By Paul Ratje