SPOTSYLVANIA, Va.
Fernando Guadarrama was 12 when he decided he couldn’t stay in America illegally any longer.
Now, after returning to Mexico without his parents and waiting for three years, he is back with a document declaring his legal permanent residency and attending high school.
Years earlier, his father, Gustavo, had emigrated from Mexico and became an American citizen. His father filed papers to bring his wife, Margarita, and son, Fernando, into the country. Because of an error on his application, only the mother was granted permission.
So, Fernando, now 15, came to the U.S. with his mother anyway. He became one of at least 12 million immigrants in the United States without legal status, according to the Pew Hispanic Center.
Even as a child, the Spotsylvania County student recognized the stigma of his status and had begun to worry about his future and his dream of going to college and becoming a dentist.
