Stories of young immigrants to Minnesota, told in their own words

In "Green Card Youth Voices" a new book published by a Minneapolis-based nonprofit, young immigrants tell the stories of how they came to the United States. Here are some excerpts in their own words:

From Douala, Cameroon

I can remember 19 years of my life in my country. I cried every day because it was not easy, because I didn't get to accomplish my dream. It was very difficult to live in my country. Sometimes there was poverty. In my country people don't care about women. They don't care if you want to go to school. But I say, "I am a woman, God didn't create me like a man. I want a good education."

I believed and I believed and I believed that one day I would have a visa for this country, and one day, by the grace of God, I had a visa. My life changed and now I want to have an impact with my life. ...

From San Salvador, El Salvador

I was born in San Salvador, the capital city of El Salvador. My life has been really tough since I was a child. ... Since I was four years old, I was bullied because of my sexual orientation. ...

I got to a point when I was thirteen years old that I tried to commit suicide. ... You know, people were just throwing hate and hate on me. I was like, "I don't know what to do. I need something to really get out of this." I was telling my mom that I needed help because I was getting crazy in those thoughts and thinking, "I wanna die, I wanna die, I don't wanna be here anymore." ...

Now I am working and going to school. I see things differently than I saw them at the beginning. I feel that somehow, now that I am well adapted here, I don't want to leave.

From Jilib, Somalia

My life in Somalia was so-so. First it was good, and then Somalia started fighting. Life was changing and becoming bad. Then we moved from Somalia and Kenya. ...

In Kenya, at orientation, I learned about how America is and its behaviors. It was good. We watched videos. I saw houses. I saw how to clean the bed and the house after breakfast. We learned that Americans don't like animals in the house, like mice and little animals touching the plates.

I moved from Kenya to Pennsylvania, and then we moved from Pennsylvania to Minnesota. ...

Outside, in Minneapolis, it is safe. But one day I was on the bus — a black woman on the bus said to me, "What are you doing? This is not your country. Go back to your country." I was so angry. I did nothing but be quiet. I do not like the bus. ...

From Quetzaltenango, Guatemala

When I was in Cajola some gangs tried to recruit me to be part of them but I did not want that. ... So I decided to come here to the United States to find a better life for all my family.

One day, I took a bus from my city to the border of Guatemala and Mexico. I was there one night, and I found someone to help me to pass the border. We walked for like five hours in the mountains. I took many buses through Mexico, and also I took the train, the Beast. They called it the Beast because when immigrants are coming to the USA, they have to take this very dangerous train, and hundreds of people die because the extortionists would throw you off or shoot you. …

Finally, I went to the border. It's like a river between the United States and Mexico. I was there for one week, with no food and no drinks. I ate leaves of trees every day. When I was there, I found someone to help me; it was like my guía [guide] to take me from Mexico to the United States. I walked many miles during the night. In the morning, the immigration was around me. The first time, I escaped. I walked alone for two days. It was the same thing — no food, no drinks.

They contacted a woman to help me to bring me to my destiny, and she said okay. She took me, and she sent me to a city. In that city, the immigration took me, and they sent me to a center, or a jail. It was called the Cooler because it was so cold, and I had no sweater and no shoes. I was there like 48 hours. Finally, the immigration sent me to juvenile detention. I was there one month or two.