Since Luis Salazar received his United States resident card in the mail, he feels that he got rid of a heavy bundle that he carried for more than three decades.
“I feel with a great livianez ”, says Luis, moved to tears at having left migratory limbo. Three days after he received his residency, his wife María Elena Carapia was moved to have the green card in her hands.
Both achieved immigration status in the way they least imagined, through from a request made by his son Luis Salazar, who joined the United States Air Force 4 years ago.
He currently has 24 years, he is a military aircraft mechanic , and works at a US air base in Japan.
“We filed a residency petition one year after our son Luis fulfilled 21 years ”, recalls María Elena.
But a year after that, the boy told them that he had them a surprise.
“He gave us the news that he would join the air force to help us fix our papers faster.”
And the truth, says María Elena, that They were surprised. On the one hand, they felt a taste for the sacrifice their son would make, but also fear gripped them, knowing that their life could be in danger by joining the armed forces.
María Elena emigrated 28 years ago from the city of Mexico to Los Angeles. Luis came from Durango, Mexico 30 years ago. In Los Angeles they met, got together and had four children who now have 27, 27, 22 and 15 years .
Luis, the eldest son is the one who helped them obtain residency.
“He studied to do airplane parts, and that’s what he was working on, when some friends started encouraging him to join the air force, ”explains María Elena. This is how the boy joined the military service.
Luis says that the most difficult thing of all the years that he lived as an undocumented person was the constant fear of deportation and leaving his children homeless. his partner.
“I have been the provider of my family. Mary stayed at home, raising the children. ”
But what irritated him the most as an undocumented person, was being a constant victim of abuse at work.
“Employers realize that one does not have documentation and they take advantage of it. They don’t want to give you a raise, even if one is the most capable. ”
Many times he had to see that people who had just started work the same task, many older people received salary than he was denied due to the lack of his social security.
That is why now as a resident, he says that his immediate goal is to find a job where they appreciate it and may have a better salary.
“I already have other job options, and that is what makes me most happy about being a resident, the possibility of giving my family the life they deserve.”
The couple obtained their residency, two years after the petition started, based on their military son.
“It was easier and faster than we expected.”
In fact, Luis says that he has the feeling that his family’s life will change for the better with the residence.
His dream is to be a trailer driver, and in the near future, to own his own trailer.
Luis and María Elena will travel to Mexico this Thursday after decades of not visiting the land where they were born and from which they emigrated with great illusions.
“Let’s go Directly to the Basilica of Guadalupe to thank the Virgin for granting us the happiness of being residents. We asked him a lot, he fulfilled us and we are very happy. ”
María will also meet her mother whom she has not seen for more two decades.
Account that they also called his son to thank him. “He told us that thanks to us, for taking care of his son on weekends. My son became a father to 17 years. Your child has 10 years. And on weekends, his mother lets us have him with us. ”
The couple plans to apply for their citizenship for the year 2026, when they will qualify to start the process.
Parole in Place
They obtained residency thanks to Parole in Place (PIP). In Spanish, it is known as legal entry instead.
The Immigration Law allows that if you have a child in the army, in the navy or in the military reserve, you can request that permit that works as a legal entry for the purposes of applying for residency.
Once with the parole in place, you proceed to request residency.
Migration lawyer Sergio Siderman, who helped Luis and María Elena to obtain their residency, affirms that young children of undocumented immigrants who serve or are registered in the armed forces, can make a residency petition for their parents, which includes an advance pardon that allows them to make an immigration adjustment without leaving the country.
“Through the PIP immigration relief, the US government recognizes the dedication and sacrifice made by the members of the armed forces, veterans and their families. ”
Specifies that to have this immigration relief they benefit They must be present in the United States, demonstrate good moral character and basic documents such as the birth certificate of their son or daughter who is making the request for them.
“To initiate an immigration adjustment with a son / daughter in the armed forces, they must provide their military affiliation number, which is regularly assigned within a few months of having completed their initial training.”
Indicates that the government will request a photocopy of both sides of the petitioner’s military identification card when submitting Form I – 113 of petition for permanent residence for a close relative: parents, children, spouses.
“The process takes from 12 to 18 months, depending on each case. ”