Becoming American: Why Immigration Is Good for Our Nation's Future by Fariborz Ghadar Page B

they could stay awhile, and he responded in the affirmative, under the condition that they not smoke.
    The group was stranded here for three days, taking turns each day to walk the five miles to a small grocery store run by a local Chicano woman. They politely asked to use the phone, and it wasn’t until the third day, when the woman told them they could no longer use her phone for free, that they told her of their plight. She told them not to worry, as she had seen this happen many times before. The next morning, she showed up with some food and clean clothes for them, and it wasn’t long until the man taking them to Houston showed up and relocated the group to a nearby barn.
    One morning, around 3 a.m., three men with guns woke the group members and took them through the countryside, ensuring through whistle commands that they hid in bushes from the roving helicopter lights above. They were passed off to two women driving a green Chevy van, where they sat huddled for an hour, hoping to eventually make it to Houston. They finally arrived safely to a small, basementless house, which provided living conditions that were only a little better than the original pickup truck. Salomon and his fellow group members, now totaling sixty-four residents, had to take turns sleeping sitting up against the walls. Now stuck in Houston, Salomon was forced to pay an additional $400 to arrange for transportation to D.C. and into the safety of his older sister’s apartment.
    Soon he was given a false Social Security number to use so that he could apply for jobs, and he quickly and easily found work in construction. As long as he worked hard and did a good job, nobody looked too closely at his documentation. Early the following year, his sister received her U.S. citizenship, and she took him to apply for his own Social Security number. Even though the office personnel noticed he did not have a visa to be in the country, they were lenient and allowed him to apply, and within four weeks, he was working legally and paying taxes.
    Eight years after arriving in this country, Salomon started his own house painting business, while also doing a few related small jobs as needed. In the beginning, he employed solely family members and friends, but he soon found that consistently getting good work out of family members was tricky. Now, he only hires family members whom he trusts will be able to competently complete the job. A perfectionist, Salomon values strong customer service and thorough work. While serving clients, he not only paints their houses but also completes minor maintenance work that he feels needs to be done. As one of his clients, I can attest to the superb job Salomon does with every task. For example, one time, when he was painting a room in my house, the wood of a doorframe was loose and broke off. Even though it was not stipulated in his contract, he took it upon himself to fix the doorframe. This occurrence is just one example of the numerous times Salomon has gone above and beyond the call of duty. Through his hard work and ambitious nature, he truly exemplifies the common characteristics of many successful immigrants.
     
    Of the ten immigrant groups in the United States with the largest number of new business owners per month from 2007 to 2011, five of them were from Central America. With the highest number of new business owners per month first, the countries were Guatemala, Cuba, El Salvador, Dominican Republic, and Honduras. (Mexico had the highest number of new business owners who were immigrants, but the country is located in North America.)  1
    In 2005, he finally became a U.S. citizen, and while today he has to turn down work, he recognizes it is not so easy for new immigrants. In fact, a number of his friends back in El Salvador have asked for his advice and assistance in coming to the United States. They often relay stories of the daily lines, full by 7 a.m., for a visa at the U.S. Embassy. Even with the $125 application