A Tale of 2 Applicants: Wide Disparity Among Aliens

Two undocumented immigrant workers came to the offices of Catholic Community Services in San Diego on Tuesday to test the waters of the amnesty program.

The difference in their appearances and backgrounds was stark: One was 60 years old, the other 21. The older man came in with an assortment of documents; the other didn’t have any.

Both men, who live in Fallbrook, were described as excellent workers, but their applications for amnesty varied as much as their ages. Their respective predicaments reflect the wide disparity among undocumented immigrants seeking legal status under various provisions of the new immigration law.

The older man seemed to have an excellent chance of qualifying for legal status in the United States under a relatively obscure provision of the new law.

But the younger applicant, who said that he arrived in the United States in 1982, appeared to be one year short of qualifying under the legalization, or amnesty, provisions of the law. Moreover, the younger man, Antonio Mancia, said he lacked documentation to prove his residence in the United States.

“I have been here but I don’t have any proof,” Mancia told Maria Becerra-Reyes, a volunteer counselor with Catholic Community Services. “I have always lived with another person and I have never had any bills. I have five years here and I have never gone back to Mexico.”

Becerra-Reyes then began to question Mancia.

“You have to prove that you have been here since 1981,” Becerra-Reyes told Mancia. To qualify for amnesty, most illegal aliens will have to demonstrate that they have lived in the United States since Jan. 1, 1982.

“I’ll try to get the check receipts, but I don’t know what to do,” Mancia responded.

“Don’t lie,” Becerra-Reyes emphasized, “because they will put you in jail.”

Afterward, Mancia, appearing teary-eyed, said, “I’m going to Mexico. No, I don’t know what to do.”

For Jose Guadalupe Ramirez Flores, 60, the chances of qualifying through another section of the immigration law appear much better. Under the so-called “registry” provisions of the law, illegal aliens who can show that they have lived in the United States continuously since 1972 may qualify for permanent legal residence 18 months earlier than amnesty applicants. Ramirez Flores and his employer, who declined to be identified, came prepared with an assortment of documents dating to 1971.

“He was so much in demand,” Ramirez Flores’ employer said. “On a scale from one to 10, he’s 10. . . . He is the best.”

The only problem Ramirez Flores encountered was difficulty in recalling the birthdates of his 13 children.

Ramirez Flores sat quietly throughout his interview. Afterward, he said quietly, “I like working here. I just wanted to be able to get this out of the way so I can continue on.”

Crush Didn’t Materialize

The two men are among the thousands of illegal aliens seeking counseling on amnesty from Catholic Community Services and other agencies. With more than 12,000 illegal aliens pre-registered for legalization in San Diego and Imperial counties, the Catholic organization is by far the largest of the many agencies working with amnesty-seekers here. The agencies are playing a crucial role as a buffer between applicants and the INS.

On Tuesday, the expected onslaught of amnesty applicants never materialized at Catholic Community Services’ immigration and refugee office on Mission Gorge Place. Officials were not surprised, as they had stressed the fact that the application period will last for an entire year, beginning Tuesday.

“We’re going to have to ease into it,” said Robert J. Moser, program manager of the agency. “It’s going to take some time. The law is the whole year, and people tend to forget that.”