Each year, the United States sets aside the 30 days between September 15 and October 15 to celebrate the achievements, history, and tradition of Hispanics. This year, the theme of Hispanic Heritage Month is “All of Us, We Are One.” It is a time to reflect on the diversity within the Hispanic population, which now represents nearly 19 percent of the U.S. population, while emphasizing the power of unity as a community.
At Eagan Immigration, we see confirmation every day of the exceptional contributions that immigrants from across the Americas have made to the United States. Our clients are workers, business owners, students, and parents. Often, they have overcome great odds to reach the United States in the first place. Once here, they give back to their communities in big and small ways. So, while September 15 to October 15 marks the “official” Hispanic Heritage Month in the United States, it is safe to say that we celebrate year-round at Eagan.
At Eagan Immigration, it is our job to help our clients achieve legal status in the United States, something we have an outstanding track record of doing thanks to our innovative approaches. However, this month we want to take a minute to commemorate Hispanic Heritage Month by celebrating the remarkable achievements of three undocumented individuals in this country.
Karla Cornejo Villavicencio, writer/lawyer
This 34-year-old Ecuadorian woman was brought to the United States by her parents when she was just a small child. She grew up mainly in New York, and after completing high school she was admitted to Harvard University. In 2010, she bravely wrote an essay about her experience as an undocumented immigrant at the prestigious university, which sparked a national conversation. At the time of her Harvard graduation in 2011, she was believed to be among the first undocumented people to achieve this. Cornejo's 2020 book, The Undocumented Americans, narrates her own immigration history and describes the stories of undocumented people from all walks of life in the United States. The book was ultimately shortlisted for the National Book Award for Nonfiction. This nomination marked the first time an undocumented writer was nominated for this award. In a interview in the New York Times about why he wrote his book, Cornejo said:
“I believe the meaning of my life is to make other people hurt less. Now I know that I can’t fix my parents. I can’t fix my parents. I can’t take away my parents” trauma. But I can influence younger people who look up to me, and I can make them hurt less.”.
Cesar Millan, dog trainer / television star / philanthropist
This 54-year-old native of Mexico is now known worldwide as “The Dog Whisperer,” thanks to his television show and multimillion-dollar pet training empire. He entered the United States without inspection when he was 21 years old, with only $ 100 in his pocket. Following his arrival, he leveraged his natural talent with dogs to eventually start a pet training academy. His area of expertise became the rehabilitation of aggressive dogs at his Dog Psychology Center. He gained fame after developing the reality show “The Dog Whisperer,” which chronicled his work with dogs, in 2004. In the 15 years that followed, he made a number of other television shows with similar themes and wrote 11 books on dog training. Mr. Millan is also a philanthropist, having started the Cesar Millan PACK Project, a foundation established to provide financial support to animal shelters and other pet rescue organizations. In his 2007 book, Cesar Millan wrote:
“It has been published elsewhere, and I am not ashamed to say it: I came to the United States illegally. Now I have my green card, I have paid a large fine for crossing illegally, and I am applying for full citizenship status. There is no country in which I would rather live than the United States. I truly believe it is the greatest country in the world. I feel blessed to live and raise my children here. However, for the poor and the working class of Mexico, there is no other way to come to America except illegally. It is impossible. The Mexican government is all about who you know and how much money you have. You have to pay huge amounts to officials to get a legal visa. My family had no way to get that amount of money. So, with only a hundred dollars in my pocket, I headed to Tijuana to figure out how to cross the border.
Dan-El Padilla Peralta, author/professor
Described as “one of the finest classicists to emerge from his generation,” this 38-year-old came to the United States from the Dominican Republic when he was only 4 years old. He endured a difficult childhood in New York City, including a period of homelessness, but his exceptional mind and strong academic drive led to his early admission to Princeton University in 2001, despite lacking legal status in the United States.
At Princeton, he quickly became known for his excellent scholarship, which led to an offer to pursue his master's degree at the University of Oxford in 2006. However, Mr. Padilla’s immigration status appeared to prevent him from doing so, because leaving the country meant he would be barred from returning. His case caught the attention of figures as high-ranking as former President Bill Clinton, who personally appealed to USCIS to allow Padilla to pursue his scholarship abroad without jeopardizing his ability to return.
Since then, Padilla, who was ultimately able to obtain a master’s degree from Oxford and a Ph.D. from Stanford University, has extensively lobbied for immigration reform in the United States. His book, Undocumented: A Dominican Boy’s Odyssey from a Homeless Shelter to the Ivy League, was published in 2015.
He is currently a professor of classics at Princeton University, whose work often focuses on dismantling myths and propaganda about Ancient Rome. A 2021 New York Times article describes him as a man who “wants to save the classics from whiteness.” In a 2020 article discussing his Latino identity and his approach to classics, he describes his studies as “tools of resistance.” He writes:
“In the circumstances that defined my childhood and adolescence, it became vital to find some way to liberate myself, and the study of language provided a means to do so. The historical and cultural questions that closely followed in the wake of classroom exposure to Latin and Ancient Greek were also, for me, important stepping stones toward reconceptualizing my place in the world. For me, the study of Latin and Ancient Greek was never, nor could it ever be, an end in itself. It was always connected to the idea that there were other states of being and other ways of being in the world that were worth cultivating and embracing.
Undocumented? Eagan wants to help
Each of these three individuals has made notable contributions to their fields, despite the overwhelming challenges of being undocumented. However, for every one of them, millions more are forced to hide their status out of fear of being separated from their families and livelihoods by deportation. For many, that means losing opportunities for work, higher education, homeownership, or travel. It prevents these individuals from living the lives they deserve.
At Eagan Immigration, our goal is to help immigrants to the United States navigate the complex immigration system so they can obtain status and achieve their dreams. Eagan is known for our “out of the box” thinking when it comes to various types of petitions, especially VAWA self-petitions, available to victims of abuse perpetrated by their U.S. citizen or qualified LPR family members, and T and U visas, for victims of trafficking or those who have been victims of a serious crime. On average, Eagan clients were turned away by two other attorneys before coming here. Where other firms see insurmountable obstacles, our Eagan attorneys see challenges to be tackled.
If you are eager to explore your options for obtaining status in the United States, Eagan Immigration wants to help you. Speak with an immigration specialist today at 202-709-6439.
Why is Hispanic Heritage Month celebrated from September 15 to October 15?
It turns out there are too many important moments to limit them to just one month! September 15 is the start of Hispanic Heritage Month because it is Independence Day for five Latin American countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Mexico and Chile are not far behind, celebrating their independence days on September 16 and 18, respectively. Finally, October 12 marks “Día de la Raza,” a celebration honoring indigenous populations in many Latin American countries. Hispanic Heritage Month was originally established as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon B. Johnson, but was expanded to 30 days in 1988 under the direction of President Ronald Reagan.
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