YURINA GUZMAN
“I HAD TO LEAVE MEXICO ANYWAY I COULD AND I CROSSED THE BORDER WITH MY CHILDREN. I JUST WANTED TO SAVE MY LIFE. AFTER STEPPING ON UNITED STATES SOIL, I REALIZED, WHAT HAVE I DONE?”
BIO
Yurina crossed the Mexico/U.S. border with her children and dozens of others in 2004 to escape a violent situation. She hoped for safety, but quickly realized that the United States offered them limited opportunities and resources. Once serving as a hospital nurse in Mexico, Yurina was now left with limited options for work beyond picking grapes in the fields of Paso Robles, CA.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Yurina speaks about her experience of crossing the border with her children, as well as her first thoughts upon their arrival to the U.S. Yurina explains that, before living in the United States, she had never known ‘what it is to be poor’. She describes her challenges and concerns of financial (in)security, housing (in)stability, limited career options, and the future and well- being of her children.
