Not a political statement of right or wrong, simply an observation. Not an observation of the laws broken, but of the lives changed.
They come to America by the thousands each year if not by more in search of better jobs so that they can send the money they earn back home to support their family. Some have kids in the Latin American countries that stayed behind while others have aging parents unable to work.
That night before you leave your family behind in search of help to make ends meet, I can’t imagine. It would be a mixture of excitement, happiness, the fear of loneliness, the fear of failure and more.
“She packed my bags last night, preflight
Zero hour, nine a.m.
And I'm gonna be high
As a kite by then
I miss the earth so much
I miss my wife
It's lonely out in space
On such a timeless flight
And I think it's gonna be a long, long, time
'Til touchdown brings me 'round again to find
I'm not the man they think I am at home
Oh, no no no
I'm a rocket man
Rocket man
Burnin' out this fuse
Up here alone”
-Elton John, Rocket Man, released in 1972
Photo: Man from Guatemala who now lives along a river in Nashville.
From Guatemala to Nashville and now living with unusable arm
Today, a young lady named Stella McPherson hit the back roads of Nashville to hand out McDonald's gift cards and cases of water to those with nothing. The 15 year old saved and collected money for this particular expedition, which was awesome. Keep in mind, she does this type of stuff on a regular basis.
One of the homeless camps we visited is filled with those from Latin America who fled to America to follow their dreams, support their families and more. Once here, reality was met head on and many found that it was harder to work than expected, or they were met with injuries leaving them unable to work.
This man has called America home for the past 9 years, once living in an apartment while working construction. But, he recently had a work related accident and hurt his arm to the point where it cannot be moved, it simply hangs by his side without motion of feeling.
His home in Nashville, TN is made of pieced together wooden crates, plastic tarps, old doors and plywood. While that may sound harsh, he agreed that the weather in America is much more comfortable than his home country of Guatemala.
Sometimes people wonder why someone from foreign countries flee to America in large numbers, but if you visit some of the third world or developing countries you will understand why.
•America is built on freedom and opportunity.
•Guatemala is known for having the highest violent crime rate in Latin America.
•In Guatemala, a child is five times more likely to die before age 5, when compared to the USA.
•American children can escape poverty by way of education and a simple move as they age.
•In Guatemala, only 16% of children and families have access to the internet, so they lack the opportunity of understanding what is beyond their villages.
•Over 40% of Guatemalans survive on less than the equivalent of $1 per day.
•In America, the average US household income is now up to $55,775, according to the Census ACS Survey.
•The UN reported between 1990 and 2000, deforestation in Guatemala averaged 1.7 percent annually.
•The United States went through a period of intense deforestation between 1600 and 1900, but the size of its forest areas has been relatively stable for the last hundred years.
Those are just a few of the reasons as to why some people flee certain countries.