My Father’s Journey

Please read & share. This story is about my uncle. Thanks.

My Father’s Journey

2 months ago Notes: 3 | aajcyouth.tumblr.com

My Father’s Journey. My father spent most of his childhood running through the jungles of Laos, which made him very strong.  He is still very strong, but like many Hmong refugees, his story is full of untold horrors and hardships. As a young child, my father lost his own father; my grandpa was shot during a dispute over food. My grandma has passed away long before the Secret War, when the Hmong were recruited by the CIA to fight against the Lao Communists. After the Vietnam War the Americans returned home and the Hmong forced to flee their homeland to escape persecution by the victorious Lao Communists. My father and Uncle hid in the jungle with their first cousins, always running. The only food they had to eat was what they could find. Times were rough and food was scarce. One day, they reached a village and one of my dad’s first cousins made a decision that would forever impact the family. In order to receive a bag of rice, he traded my uncle for it.

First, my dad lost his mom, then his father, and now he had lost his brother. His immediate family had been torn apart. My father came to the United States in 1984 as a refugee. He ended up living a fairly modest life. He got married, had six children, became a citizen and because of his strong work ethic helped our family realize the American Dream. Over the years, my father never forgot his brother. When I was younger, I remember picking up the phone on occasion when it rang late at night. There was always a stranger on the other end, someone who wanted to talk to my father. I only knew him as “uncle” and did not realize until later that he was my only uncle. My father works hard to support the family he has here in America, but he also wants to support the only brother he has, who was left behind many years ago. Of course, it’s hard for my father to sponsor his sibling.

Knowing from past experience that the average wait time would be over 10 years, my father sees no other options to be reunited with his brother. When and if my uncle is sponsored, there is still his family to consider. They must be sponsored as well, which means the long wait times begin again. How many more years will my family have to wait to be reunited? Current immigration reform proposals threaten to eliminate the ability of U.S. citizens to sponsor their siblings. This will impact thousands of American families who remain separated from loved ones, in many cases, like my father, this loved one is the only family they have left. They are waiting to be reunited and build a better life together. Join me and tell your U.S. Representative to protect the ability of U.S. citizens to sponsor siblings as part of immigration reform. Call 202-224-3121 and ask to speak to your Representative today. Gao Thao. 2012-2013 Youth Council.

The opinions expressed in this post are that of the author and do not necessary reflect the opinion of Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC or its affiliates.