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I came to America with a work visa. My name is Marco and I was born in Guatemala. I used to love watching American movies where they show everyone having enough to survive while living the perfect life, and that became my dream. There was a rumor between my friends that Canada and the United States were looking for workers to work in the field for farming and for picking fruit. All you had to do is have a certain school degree and apply for a work visa. I was determined to obtain a visa and come to America looking for a better life and to help my family.

My life as a child was very hard. I had five brothers and two sisters we barely had enough to eat. The only person in my family working was my dad, and he worked just to be able to provide enough food to eat for the day. We just had one pair of shoes to go to school and to go to church. We didn’t wear shoes at home because we had to save them. We were poor. Very poor. I always saw kids with toys and with nice clothes and nice shoes, and we weren’t able to have that. I promised my mom that one day I was going to help her. I was going to buy her a washing machine and a stove and build her a house. Our house was made of adobe and it was very small for all of us.

I was blessed and obtained the visa to come to America and work in the fields picking fruit. I work here for six months and then I got to go back to Guatemala for another six months. I return to America every six months to work. I have been able to provide for my parents and my brothers and sister. I’m currently building my mom a new house, just like I promised. I’m happy that I’m able to help so that my dad doesn’t have to work as hard and doesn’t have to stress and worry so much to provide for our family. It’s been a blessing for my family for me to be able to work here in America. It changed our lives forever. It’s been really hard for me in America because of the language barrier and the different culture. Sometimes I feel that sometimes people are not nice to me and make me feel like I am dumb. Sometimes they even make fun of us migrant workers that don’t speak English, but it’s okay—I will put up with everything so I can help my family. They need me.

Advocate. The United States and Canada rely on migrant workers. However, our laws and policies don’t always make the process to apply for or renew work visas easy nor do they always protect the rights of migrant workers to fair wages and safe working conditions. Consider advocating for laws and policies that allow for legal and safe job opportunities for migrant workers.

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We believe there is a clear biblical mandate to care for people on the move, including those who are involuntarily or forcibly displaced from their homes and are seeking refuge. Will you join us?