Miguel E.De La Cruz

Crossing the Border of U.S and Mexico

In December of 2004, my mom, sister, and I went to the U.S. We stayed in my aunt’s house. Two weeks later, my brother, Alberto called and told my mom that he wanted to come to the U.S to work. My mom asked, “How you are going to come if you don’t have a passport?” My brother Alberto said he was going to jump the border. My mom told him not to cross because too many people die in the desert.

One week passed and we hadn’t heard from my brother Alberto, so I asked my mom if we could call to Mexico. I called and my family said my brother decided to cross the border. I told my mom that she didn’t have to worry; that my brother is going to make it to the U.S, but my mom started to say that he’s going to die in the desert. I told my mom that she has to stop saying that because he’s not going to die.

Four days passed and my brother called. He was here! We picked him up and we went home. On the way home, my brother told me all the stuff that he saw in the desert. My brother started to cry, and I asked him, “What is wrong with you?”

He told me that he almost died in the desert. He got lost and barely made it. If he had spent one more day in the desert, he would have probably died because he didn’t have water or anything to eat. He saw people on the ground, but they were dead. He struggled because he was by himself in the desert.

After five months, immigration deported my brother and told him if you cross again you are going to jail. My brother told them that he was not a criminal, he only wants to work, and have a job, but immigration didn’t listen. After one week passed, my brother decided to cross again. I had a bad feeling about my brother. The next day my mom told me that my brother had been in jail for four days. When my brother got out of jail, they sent him to Mexico. All he wanted was a better future. Why can’t we all have the American Dream?