Conversations Across Our America: Talking About Immigration and the Latinoization of the United States

Guillermo Sánchez Vasa

Guillermo Sánchez Vasa was introduced to me when a friend of mine in New York City was looking for a new apartment and met him as a possible landlord. He lives in Queens and owns a foreign auto repair shop, among other enterprises . Now sixty, Guillermo is originally from Bogotá, Colombia. Like many other immigrants, he spoke of full acclimation to life in the U.S. Despite having a special place in his heart for his homeland, he no longer feels like that is his home. guillermo: I was born in Colombia. I went to a special technical school in Colombia. I chose the automobile mechanical. I stayed there for three years. After that I go three years for accounting. I am an accountant and a professional mechanic. I have some businesses in Colombia. I make special furniture for accountants. But the business there is too tough. So in 1975 I have twenty-five years, and I said to myself, “In this year, whatever happens, I marry.” I marry my wife, but the first year is very hard. I tell my wife, “Let me go to United States.” Before coming I had a little restaurant, but I tell my wife, “Sell the restaurant because as soon as I go there I will send for you to come here.” My wife give the restaurant to somebody else to sell. A friend had come here three times. He go back to Colombia and tell me, “You want to go with me? Come today.” So I said, “Why not?” So we go to buy the ticket because in these days we go to Panama and from Panama to Mexico. From Mexico I take the bus from D.F. [Mexico City] to Tijuana, three days in the bus and across the border. But after cross the border, three hours later the police catch me. I stayed fifteen days in jail. From San Diego they sent me to Los Angeles. I talked to some different people inside and asked, “What do I do?” They say I have to have $2,000 for the bail. I have to have guillermo sánchez vasa 23 leaving money for the lawyer. I called my brother here in New York, never talked to the wife of my brother. My sister-in-law said, “I don’t know who you is.” I tried three days, called Colombia to check the number, call again here, but don’t tell them what happened to me. Some officer tell me, “You don’t have money for your bail, don’t have a lawyer, you’ll have to wait for deportation, or you decide go by yourself and you pay your tickets and no have problem.” So I return to Colombia. I tell my wife, “Don’t ask me what’s happened to me.” After four months, I decide to come here again. This time I go to embassy and make my application for my visa and I come direct to New York. I work for the BMW shop, as a mechanic. I stayed there three years. During this three years I send money to my wife for making a different business. My wife make the application, but they don’t give visa to her. So she stay. She working there, but I don’t have money, don’t have property, don’t have nothing, so she don’t get visa. After that I went back to Colombia because I lose my visa and I miss my wife, my family. Nine months later, I tell my wife, “I go back to United States.” She tell me, “You bring me my visa, I go with you.” So I make the application the first day for me, and this weekend I wait on the Monday, back to Immigration I talk to some people. Immigration give me the passport for my wife, and my wife’s working one block from the embassy. So I go and say, “Honey, here’s the visa.” So we come here. Guillermo Vasa at his home in Queens, New York. Photo by Louis Mendoza. 24 conversations across our america I am about twenty-eight at this time. I come here, and I start working again with BMW. Three years later I decide to become independent. So I open my mechanic shop. I work only on foreign cars, no American cars. I don’t have papers, so...