A.L.I.E.N: Work

I know my dad’s debit card number by memory.

While I wish it was because he used to let me use to buy things I wanted, it’s because I have been in charge of making payments on his behalf since I could talk.

I have a distinct memory of calling the IRS to set up a payment plan for my dad’s taxes (let’s not get into the lack of financial literacy in the immigrant community) when I was around 8. When the agent answered the phone, they immediately recognized that they were talking to a kid. Despite this observation, they decided to proceed with my request of setting up a payment plan. Before they could proceed, they had to verify my identity.

“Okay sir, what is your name?”

“Brian… I mean Jaime Yslava.”

“Are you who you say you are?”

When the agent asked this question, I froze. Instead of answering the question, I hung up the phone, ran to my room, and listened to my dad yell about how important setting up his payment plan was.

Looking back, it’s kind of funny to think that as a little kid, I was convincing government agencies, utility companies, and people seeking my dad that I was a grown man, but in the moment, I felt an immense amount of fear.

Not only did I face the pressure of saying the right things, remembering every piece of information, translating important information from English to Spanish and Spanish to English, I faced the pressure of letting my dad down. This pressure weighed on me and sometimes made me resent my dad.

But in hindsight, I can’t really be mad at him. My dad lived in constant fear because of his legal status; he was worried that his accent would give away his identity. There was also a langue barrier; only now is it common for all companies and agencies to offer services in Spanish. Even setting aside his accent and language barrier, things like filing taxes or setting up a payment plan with limited internet experience is complicated enough.

Luckily, now all of the stuff that was done on the phone is done through a website where all I have to worry about is putting in the right numbers. I now have the privilege to set up auto pay and even replace my dads’s number with my number. Also, I’m lucky to live during a time where other people are able to speak to this experience in more eloquent ways. I once saw a video where the creator said, “Things that every Mexican kid is afraid of….” and proceeded to list very light-hearted things. Then they said, “Translating important documents that could result in incarceration or hospitalization if translated incorrectly” and ended with “el cucuy.” I felt so seen.

I hope this reflection serves as an apology to my dad and communicates the necessity of making things accessible to all people. Besides that, this reflection got me wondering how many times my dad was asked the same question: are you who say you are?

My brother’s name is Nelson. For a long time, the only other Nelson I knew was the character from The Simpsons, so I thought it was weird that my brother was named Nelson. It wasn’t until recently that I asked my dad why they named my brother Nelson.

My parents immigrated from Mexico in 1994 in search of a better life. Upon arrival, the only way my dad could work was by waiting outside of a Home Depot and hoping that someone would pick him out. After several days without getting picked up and a few injuries, my dad decided that he wanted to work for a company that offered job security and safety. He met a man by the name of Nelson F. (for confidentiality, I will not say his last name). 

I don’t know how or why they met, but they did. I’m not religious, but the circumstances that led them to meet were perfect, making me believe that the universe has a weird way of always working itself out. 

Nelson let my dad use his social to get a job as an electrician. 

This was a watershed moment for my dad, and arguably for me as well, that completely changed the trajectory of his life. Because of this, my dad promised to name his first son Nelson.

Till this day, I’ve never met Nelson, but I think of him a lot. Thanks to him, I got to live a pretty nice childhood and ultimately pursue higher education. I still had to work with my dad on the weekends and my dad worked an inhumane amount of hours, but he really did change our lives.

This excitement was short lived because ICE raids caused my dad to lose his job. These raids caused my dad to go from job to job where he picked up new names like Jacinto, David, and Sergio, or used familiar names like Raymond (his name is also Ramon), James, and Brian.

My dad finally uses his real name, Jaime, at work, but who knows how long that’ll last.

Prop 314 in Arizona makes it a state crime for a person to enter the country other than a port of entry, gives local law enforcement the power to arrest noncitizens who enter unlawfully and state judges the power to order deportations, requires that people use the E-verify program to verify their immigration status when enrolling for public welfare programs, and a Class 6 Felony if a person submits false information and documents to employers to evade detection of employment eligibility…

We can spend years debating the ethics of falsifying records to get a job or public aid, but I’d like to think that giving people who want to work a Class 6 Felony, which can be punished with a $150,000 fine, probation, and anywhere between 4 months and 5 years of jail time, is pretty intense. That is why I’m extremely opposed to Prop 314 and urge you to vote no on Prop 314 if you live in Arizona and can vote. In addition to arguably giving cruel and unusual punishment to people seeking a job or aid, Prop 314 could have serious fiscal impacts on the state of Arizona, with some institutions estimating Prop 314 costing the state $325 million. This cost would come after historic budget cuts to higher education. So if the economy is what influences how you vote, you should also be opposed to Prop 314.

My dad, and many other hard working people, deserve to wear their name proudly, and the ability to apply for public aid. 

The calluses on my father’s hand, his back pain, his bad knees, all helped me earn a degree and support my family. This is true for many people, so keep that in mind when filling out your ballot.

With all that said, (A)t (L)east (I)’m (E)ngaged (N)ow, and I will vote with my dad in mind.