Guys, this hits home for me. As you know I have been very outspoken about Illigal immagration, but I aim that at Mexicans. We had an Illigal become a part of our family a few years back and I have gotten an education about how things are down in Central America. There is a lot of things going on down there that we are totally unaware of here in this country. Where
Mexico's Government is unable to control things in Mexico, in places like Guatemala, Honduras, and San Salvador, the government is the problem. I have been a very vocal anti illegal advocate, but I have to admit I was wrong in some of my views. Some illegal’s have no choice but to immigrate to the US, or somewhere other than the country they were born in.
Salso lived in Guatemala. He simply was looking for a better life and was attending college. A government death squad one day appeared at the school. They pulled everyone out of Mayan decent, lined them up along the street curb. Then one man went down the line shooting young men at random. When Salso's friend standing next to him screamed when his brother was shot, he too was shot. Then the man put the gun to Salso's head and asked if he too wanted to scream. Salso was told to leave the country, if he was ever seen again he would be shot on sight. Then the entire group was told it would be a good idea if they all dropped out of school. Mayans did not need an education anyway. As the Government soldiers left the man doing the shooting turned and just took a pot shot at the group and hit Salso's brother. Luckily it was only a flesh wound.
Salso and his brother made the trek from Guatemala to the US. He had a lot of trouble getting across Mexico. Seems the Mexican Government has very strict immigration policies towards their neighbors to the south. They often shoot illegal’s crossing their southern border on sight. While in Mexico he was robbed, beaten, threatened with jail, and did a lot of hiding only traveling at night. Once in the US, Salso was caught near the border. Being "Other Than Mexican" he was told to report to court on a certain date and released. Salso immediately headed away from the border, and made his way to Tennessee.
Once in Tennessee Salso got a very good paying job as a welder working on building high rise buildings in Nashville. Salso went back to school to finish his college education. There he met my niece Sabrina, and they were married a year later. When Salso tried to apply for a green card he was told he had to return to Guatemala. The application could only be made through the American Consulate in Guatemala City. Salso returned to Guatemala, made his application, then hid out in the jungle for seven weeks to prevent being seen. Once he got his Green Card approved he returned to Sabrina in Nashville. Salso has since became a US citizen. Salso also refused to teach his daughter Spanish. He says she is an American and we speak English here not that Mexican language.
Today Salso has become one of my most treasured friends. Salso is always there for my parents who are in their 80s. Salso does more for them than the rest of my brothers that live there combined. Far more than any of the Grandchildren who live in the area as well.
This young man that stumbled into the Mexican Marines base also was not a Mexican, but a young man from Ecuador. Very similar to Salso.
