Disclaimer: Everything that I will state below does not in any way condone racism to any or all racial groups represented in the United States of America. It only aims to clarify and enlighten everyone about the real issue on immigration in this nation.

One of the most talked about issues that has been surfacing recently is the topic of immigration. Yes, you read that right, immigration. So let me first say the message that I want to convey in this article is this: there are many people who had worked hard to migrate in the United States and it is unfair to those people that there are others that takes a "shortcut" and is allowed to do so.

Back Story Time!

There will be two stories that I wish to tell: one short but sweet and another that was a bit longer.

The short story.

The Filipino teachers based in Louisiana and their immediate dependents have been receiving a form of assistance from the federal government. I believe that the first batch availed the services as early as 2013. Why we became eligible for that service? It has to do with the Filipino teachers based in Louisiana being victims of human trafficking which I will explain in a future article. The case manager assigned to the group had been communicating faithfully about the status of our assistance and was regularly visiting Shreveport every other month. The assistance money can go to whichever the applicant chose it to be; food, rent, etc. My mom, being practical as she can be, decided not to apply for our part of the assistance all at the same time. The order of application went like this: My Mom's, then my dad's, then mine, and then my brother's. So the flow of the aid ran smoothly at first. But suddenly last year, it was revealed to us by our case manager that Washington DC has decided to slash off the budget for the Trafficking Victim Assistance Fund and apportion what was taken away for undocumented migrants (doesn't matter how they got in). Which means that the assistance that my brother and I will be receiving will be lower than expected before which forced us to apply for the same time in order to receive a large amount.

End of the first story.

The long story.

Late 2015, the Filipino teachers based in Shreveport decided that it is time to talk about transitioning from T-visa Status to Permanent Residency Status also known by many as "Green Card" since the three years mark is nearing for everyone. We all applied for the T-visa around late Spring 2013 to mid Winter 2014. My estimate might be a bit off. So, we all sought for the legal advice of an immigration lawyer in order that we would know how to prepare for this very important transition.

My family, just like the majority of the Filipino teachers in Shreveport, had spent time gathering up documents we needed in order to apply for permanent residency.

Trust me when I say this, it's no play in the yard, there are piles upon stacks of documents was needed to be gathered, sorted, scanned, printed, and copied. You need to fill out a bunch of forms. You have to make sure that you are at least in a manageable health condition. You need to make sure that all your vaccinations are updated and needed to be tested for tuberculosis and syphilis. You got your fingerprints taken (in which you need to travel for about three hours depending where you were).

It messed up my sleeping pattern for about a week or two. Imagine how many we had to change the ink cartridge on our printer!

End of second story!

Pause!

Let me go back to one of the last things I said in my first story. The funding for the assisting victims of human trafficking being decreased and being given off to undocumented aliens. The original plan for the assistance was as follows: the principal applicant (the person that was directly victimized) was to receive an amount totaling to $ 1,500.00 for a span of three months ($ 500.00 for each month), the spouse was to receive $ 1,200.00 for a span of three months ($ 400.00 each month), and each child was to receive $ 900.00 for a span of three months ($300.00 each month).

See where my mom is coming from about spreading our family's assistance? Hypothetically, our house rental would be alright for a year! Who doesn't like that?

But apparently, since Washington decided to decrease the funding for the assistance that is supposed to be given to us in order to give some to the undocumented, when the time came for my brother and I to apply for our portion of assistance, we each received $ 300.00 less of what we were supposed to receive. That is an assistance that we are entitled by law to receive wholly! What is worst was it not only affected my family, it also affected the people that we know, and the people we do not even know but share the same struggle as ours. It will affect the people that will avail that same assistance in the future.

The Misconceptions

Who do I stand for?

I stand for the people who want to fulfill their American Dream in hopes of a better life and wanted to follow them in a way that is proper. I stand for those who spent tremendous amount of money in order to obtain US Visa. I stand for those who lines up outside the American Embassies around the world for their scheduled Visa interviews. I stand for those who felt so uneasy thinking about what the consul that will interview them would ask them. I stand for families that has to be apart for a long time because a parent has to work in the United States in order for the whole family to survive. I stand for those individuals who had extended family members rely on them because they too can barely survive: for those who had to pay for their aging parent's health; for those who send sons, daughters, nephews, nieces, and perhaps a younger sibling back home to school; for those who still invest on families back home that has agricultural or industrial functions. I stand for those who waited for a long time to be reunited with their family members and those who still awaits for that day. I stand for those who left home in hopes of a better and brighter tomorrow for them and their families. I stand for those who has to sell or pawn properties in order to pay for expenses needed to get to the United States. I stand for those who has to take up loans either from agencies, banks, friends, or family members in order to pay for expenses needed to get to the United States. I stand for those legal documented law abiding immigrants who had to face prejudice because they are different and were being accused of taking away jobs and money from locals. I stand for all the Asians, Hispanics, and Europeans who came here legally that has to deal with the repercussions of the things that was done by those of their own that came here illegally. I stand for those immigrants who became troubled many times thinking if employers will rehire them or not, whether their employers would sponsor them for a renewal of work visa or sponsor them for permanent residency or not. I stand for those immigrants whose job security got shaken. I stand for those immigrants who feared that they may come back home empty handed, and had nothing to return to. I stand for those immigrants who were given false hopes by the current administration due to the fact that the proposed immigration reforms will not benefit them in any way.

I stand for them and with them because I have an idea what they had to go through. Because they had put their trust on many good people that will help throughout the way. Because they had put their faith in God and their desires are blessed.