There are approximately 12 million undocumented immigrants living in the United States today. Most are unable to see family and other loved ones across borders or overseas. They are, in many ways, trapped. A painful sacrifice made in the hopes of a better life.
I used to be undocumented. Visiting from the United Kingdom in my early twenties, I had no intention of living permanently in the U.S. but was offered a job and accepted it.
The first few years went relatively smoothly. I was living in San Luis Obispo, and the company I worked for began the process of sponsoring a Green Card, also known as a Permanent Resident Card, which is a key to a pathway to citizenship. Then things got complicated. The owners of the business divorced, closed the company, and moved out of state.