I Lobbied Congress for my Family’s Future

By VOW member Lili Hernandez

I went to Washington, DC, with Family Values @ Work to urge our national legislators to support the FAMILY Act and the Healthy Families Act. I told them how families suffer without it, especially if they are immigrant families like mine. 

Because my husband didn’t have access to paid leave, our family has been thrown into a financial tailspin. When I shared my story to Congress people in Washington, DC, I hopeed they understood how vital it is for workers to continue being able to support their families, even when they temporarily cannot work.

My husband works hard, driving a truck. He was working for a cement company. The dust from the cement would float back into his truck, filling his nose and lungs with cement dust. He started having nosebleeds and other health problems from the dust. His doctor told him that he needed surgery on his nose. My husband, who had never missed work and was loyal to the company, asked for time off to attend to his health. His requests for time off were denied. He finally had to leave his job.

The job loss was financially devastating for our family. We suddenly couldn’t afford the basics. Our monthly rent was $1,800 for a second story two-bedroom apartment and was going up to $2,100. We lost our apartment and had to move in with my mother.

This financial devastation not only affected my husband and me. It also had an impact on our children. My daughter, who is 10, couldn’t understand why we couldn’t just get another apartment. She grew afraid that we would lose everything and become homeless. She became anxious and her school grades suffered.

In the meantime, I was working in the cafeteria at my child’s school. I provided all the documentation and identification they requested. I have a current Social Security card, my driver’s license and an official government letter saying my green card, the card that allows me to legally live and work in the United States, was valid for the next 10 years. I was approved for the card a year ago, but I haven’t received the actual card yet. 

The letter was intended to let me know that I was approved and to let employers know that I can work here. I have been checking time and time again over the past year on my card. I am repeatedly told to be patient. But my patience is wearing thin. My supervisor would not accept the letter and fired me from my job. This sets my family back even further financially. It is disheartening that I have done all that is required for me to be a legal immigrant to the United States and my husband did all he was asked to do at his job with the cement company. Yet it is still not enough to allow us to adequately support our family.

My husband has found another job, but never had the surgery his doctor recommended. He doesn’t have insurance and the surgery is more than we can afford. The complex and slow immigration system further complicates our lives and I am not working. My daughter still suffers from anxiety, worrying about things children should not have to worry over. We want to live in dignity. We want our children to have the opportunity to be children, healthy and happy,  and not afraid of becoming homeless.