He remembers something very clearly. He was around 8 years old, and he and his friends played a game called ‘here comes the immigration officers.’ He recalls then saying to each other, “Run and hide, I didn’t even know what that was,” says Lou Correa, with origins in Zacatecas and now a federal congressman for the 46th District of California.
“I know the immigration issue firsthand,” says Correa, in a firm, direct voice. “Immigration policy is hypocrisy. The United States needs Mexico and Mexico needs the United States. What is our great weapon? Our economy, but we need to offer the best working conditions in both countries,” he says.
Correa is a longtime Orange County resident, with deep local roots. To this day, he lives only three miles from his childhood neighborhood in Anaheim. He is the son of working-class parents whose hard work gave him a chance at success. Lou has spent his career fighting to protect the American Dream and ensure anyone can reach middle class status, just as he did.
When Lou was young, his mother cleaned hotel rooms across from Disneyland, and his father held a manufacturing job at a paper mill. Through hard work, Lou’s parents gave him access to a better education than they had, and a path to the middle class. “When I took office, sadly my mom had passed away, but my dad proudly showed up in his 30-year old worker’s jacket,” he says.
For this congressman, respect for the worker and the need for Mexico and the United States to establish an immigration agreement are essential. “There are about a million ‘pochitos’ in Mexico. It feels bad to arrive there and be looked at badly, doesn’t it? I suffered it,” he says.
He affectionately calls them “pochitos,” (to the victims of the deportation process) demonstrating his stance on immigration policy. “There is great hypocrisy in both countries. In states like Texas or Florida, they want to deny migrants, but we need them. Mexico also needs to create conditions that help these communities; it will have to be a joint project for both countries, we can’t do it alone,” he says.
Correa is the leader of a high density Latino area where gentrification has taken hold. “Unfortunately, it’s part of the economic readjustment. We must, I insist, ensure that everything is equitable and recognize that we all need each other,” he insists.
Correa’s story is one of success. “I barely got into college, I wasn’t an ‘A’ student. But my dad taught me a lesson, he said, don’t stop studying and building your dreams. Yes, I was tempted to join gangs, but I left that behind and focused on building a career to help the community. The greatest pleasure I have is when I go to the market and people see me as one of them, they say, ‘Are you a congressman?’ We have some carnitas tacos and I ask them, ‘How can I help you?'”
For this congressman, the need for immigration reform is urgent. “I don’t ask Mexico to concede everything, but that both countries recognize that we are involved in the same issue. We need each other; let’s create the appropriate conditions for both countries. A fair agreement with benefits for workers, and that these ‘pochitos’ receive the recognition they deserve,” he says emphatically.
Immigration: “This is not a U.S.-Mexico border problem. This is now a worldwide issue.”
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