Born In Mexico, Raised In Tennessee, ‘Working For Something Bigger’

When Cesar Bautista Sanchez was seven years old, his parents told him to get ready for a family trip to Disney World. What he didn’t know was that years later he and his younger brother Daniel would be – like two million others in a similar position – at the center of one of the most heated political debates in the United States.

They are DREAMers: young undocumented immigrants who were brought to the country as children. But in 1997, Cesar and Daniel were just two little boys in Mexico City, getting ready for their first trip north, across the Rio Grande.

Though Cesar and Daniel didn’t go to Disney World when they left Mexico City, their parents took them there six years later and they’ve been back another time since. Image courtesy of Cesar Bautista Sanchez

“To my brother and I it was just like a vacation, because they had us on floaters while the water was up to my parents’ neck as they were trying to walk across,” Cesar recalls.

Father Left Family Behind

In reality the brothers’ parents weren’t taking them to Disney World, but had decided to flee the hardship of Mexico City to look for a better life in the United States. The family settled down in Tennessee.

“My mother has relatives here in the U.S., including my grandmother who is a permanent resident. But my father left almost all his family behind. He never saw his mother again,” says Cesar.

His paternal grandmother passed away in 2010 and that was the first and only day he has seen his father cry. “He wanted to go back to see her and say goodbye, but he couldn’t, because he wouldn’t have been able to return to us.”

All Because Of “These Digits”

Cesar has had his own moments of frustration. He watched his friends hold driver’s licenses and travel abroad, while he could not, all because of “these digits” (his term for Social Security Number).

He completed technical program in medical assistance, but he couldn’t get a job in the field, and he dropped out of college as the costs were to high. He found a job in a warehouse and immersed himself in community work.

In 2012, Cesar – and all the other DREAMers – could finally apply for work authorization in 2012. But the DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) only offers limited relief. “It is not a path to citizenship in any kind of a way or form,” Cesar says. “And it is not a law, it is an executive order by the president. […] The president can annul it, and what is more, the next president can annul it.”

One Out Of Millions

However, Cesar sees the DACA as a step forward. Indeed, it finally granted him the right to work in the country he considers home.

He has been elected vice president of TIRRC (The Tennessee Immigration and Refugee Rights Coalition) and has dedicated himself to outreach for the organization. His work includes raising awareness of the large group of documented and undocumented immigrants that contribute to the economy and society of Tennessee; advocating for better education; and helping immigrants who have permanent residence to move towards citizenship.

“I take pride in the work I do for the community. I find it so important to educate people about the rights they enjoy and to fight for a better society for all of us. My story is only one example out of millions,” says Cesar.

Since he got his work authorization last December, Cesar has worked on various outreach projects for TIRRC. Here he is is at the Global Mall in Antioch, giving instructions on how to receive services from the Guatemalan Embassy. Credit: Halla Gunnarsdottir