How do illegal immigrants live in New York?

For a year of studying in New York, Kanat Beisekeev, a photographer from Kazakhstan, met many of his fellow countrymen, who by hook or by crook decided to stay, and if possible, stay forever in the United States. Every year Kazakhstani migrants become more and more, and their youth, on average 25-30 years, is striking. There is certainly no exact statistics, because this is a special kind of emigration, when people leak through borders and laws like sand through fingers, they are invisible, having no individual identification numbers, addresses, credit history and tax deductions. The reasons for emigration are different. About life Kazakh immigrants in New York Kanat Beisekeev told Esquire Kazakhstan.

Photo facebook.com/beisekeyev

Most people told me that they could not realize themselves at home, despite the fact that at the very least they worked in the office, and in New York they delivered pizza.

The matter is in the difference, Marat, a former customs officer at the Almaty airport, explained to me: at home he received a salary of 40 thousand tenge, barely making ends meet and could not even go to the movies, and on an illegal situation in New York earns from two to four Thousands of dollars a month, this is enough for a comfortable, rich life with periodic travels across America.

But how do they all remain in the US, because you know how difficult it is?

There are two ways to get closer to the American dream - semi-legal and completely illegal. Among our émigrés there are many former students who, having learned from abroad, having become accustomed to life there, could not return. They extend the study visa as much as possible, enroll in more and more new courses. Another way is the 3's one-month student program. Work and Travel or a temporary employment visa: the guys come to work for months or a couple of years as waiters, basboys, dishwashers, pedicaries and, also not wanting to leave a cosmopolitan paradise, find the cheapest, for example, language training courses, where they are given the necessary documents.

But all this is valid for a maximum of a year, two. Then you have to either leave or go into the illegal situation. Although it is loudly said - “illegal situation” does not mean that people are hiding in basements, no, they live like everyone else, walk along the streets, work. Nobody will demand documents from you unless you break public order and get into the police. In this case, you are deported, and that is not a fact, good police can let go.

A large number of illegal Kazakhstani people in New York became a discovery for me. They live for years on the same day, in such a suspended position. It is amazing. America needs illegal immigrants - otherwise who will do the dirty work?

But over time, people begin to look for different opportunities to legitimize their status, since the whole infrastructure has been created over the years of post-Soviet emigration. First of all, you need a lawyer - without a lawyer in America, nowhere. Our people turn to Russian-speaking specialists in Brighton, it’s not a problem to find them, word of mouth works. The whole process of legalization costs about ten, thirty thousand dollars. A common practice is a fictitious marriage with a US citizen or a green card holder, here for the price as agreed with the "husband" or "wife." My acquaintance met a fictitious bride at two thousand a month for a year. But the stakes are different: a marriage with white Americans costs at least twenty thousand dollars, with African Americans cheaper, you can agree on ten. It's not about racism, it's just that among the latter there are more low-income people. Also, our guys agree with the brothers in the CIS who have already received a green card or citizenship. A Kazakh girlfriend, for example, “came together” with an Uzbek who was about to apply for political asylum. In return, she took over all the costs of a lawyer and paperwork.

Photo facebook.com/beisekeyev

Not only Uzbeks and other oppressed peoples of the former Soviet Union are asking for political asylum. There are among them and Kazakhstan. This is the second most frequent case, and the cheapest one: political asylum in Manhattan costs an average of six thousand dollars. You complain about the country, you complain that your rights are curtailed, they are not allowed to live, develop, be free. Racial, religious, nationality, political views, participation in a special social group, torture - these are the grounds for discrimination that receive asylum in the United States. I most often met two groups of “political” from Kazakhstan: “sexual orientation” and “national identity”.

Gays and lesbians complain of discrimination and harassment, provide documents confirming their unconventional: from joint photos to the evil comments homophobes on social networks. Because of the global trend and the fact that they are in fact not easy at home, they are almost certainly successfully passing a commission, so some for the sake of permanent residence in the USA are transformed into homosexuals.

I found it funny that people who deliberately go for asylum collect all the documents in advance, back in Kazakhstan, knowing that in the USA each piece of paper from a lawyer costs a lot of money. But no less a role than money and paperwork in “politics” is played by the human factor - how you will show yourself in court. After all, the judge, a person who has never been or heard of Kazakhstan, needs to be convinced that you are really being oppressed. It is especially difficult to prove and convince that you are being oppressed in Kazakhstan because of your nationality. Therefore, the applicants themselves admitted to me that they show great ingenuity in their stories. It is interesting that among the “political” I did not meet a single Kazakh. They would rather prefer a fictitious marriage with a lesbian. Maybe this is a type of patriotism, or maybe they are just too lazy to fly home via Bishkek later.

Most of the guys I met in America can hardly be called purposeful individuals. The only time in their lives, they showed integrity and perseverance when they decided to stay in a foreign land - illegally, at their own peril and risk. Such a life requires either absolute pofigism, or hard character. What is more in our guys, I haven’t understood in a year of close communication with them. They are lost and lonely.

But to be a nobody in New York is better than to be a nobody in Karaganda.

Kazakhstani illegal immigrants are not like Mexican laborers storming the American border - their position in their homeland was not so hopeless, and they all are an order of magnitude better educated, if only because not everyone in Kazakhstan knows English and receives a study or temporary work visa in the US .

At first I was surprised that all these “pizza delivery men” had a higher education and a decent job behind them, but if you think about it, everything is correct - after all, getting from Kazakhstan to the USA is difficult; to do this, you already need to have a certain social status and knowledge. A worker from a construction site in Astana will not be able to get to New York, and he will not want to - he will be afraid; and Mexican or Chinese - easily. Hence the difference in the quality of our illegal immigrants. Therefore, the wealthy Jewish community of New York, especially immigrants from the former Soviet Union, like to hire them. Orthodox Jews often host various family celebrations, religious ceremonies and initiations – where Kazakh illegal immigrants are invited to work as waiters. They are competent guys, neat, and much cheaper.

Photo facebook.com/beisekeyev

This is how Saken explained to me, who every Friday serves Hasidic Jews in Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan and the suburb of Riverdale. Orders are stable, for three years of illegal life no idle! In Almaty, Saken worked as a sales manager in an insurance company: from morning till evening he ran around the city with presentations, traveled to the office in a crowded bus for 50 tenge, brought lunches from home, but still did not reach his salary. He arrived in New York on a temporary work visa, which is long overdue, cannot get a permanent job without documents, but even one blessed Friday a week can feed him for a month. More and remains a bit on remittances to parents.

Therefore, the life of Saken is typical for Kazakhstani illegal immigrants - apart from Fridays, he watches films all day, surfs the Internet, walks around the city and takes pictures.

There are a lot of such stories - different and somewhat similar - in my kaleidoscope of Kazakh-American acquaintances.

Alexander is seven years of illegal life in New York. Works as a room filler in the region of Little Italy in New York. His duty is to stand on the street three days a week from early morning until late evening and invite guests to the restaurant. Seven years on the same intersection. It is clear that the intersection in New York is not that intersection in Astana, but still ...

At home, Alexander studied law, came to America by chance: he applied for a program with a friend work and travel and suddenly passed. In the free four days of the week, Alexander rides a bicycle and watches football. With parents calls up on Skype.

Islam - five years of illegal life in the United States. He came here for the first time for the summer holidays, returned to Almaty, where he graduated from the university after a year and a half, but could not find work. (Claims that he was asked $ 15000 for employment in law enforcement agencies.) The second time I went to the USA with the firm intention to stay. He lived in different cities almost on the street, rented a sofa in the garage, slept in shelters. Tried to commit suicide. But gradually things went uphill, now Islam has settled in Chicago, working as a truck driver - a rare success for an illegal.

Anwar (name requested to change) - five years of illegal status. In his case, I am sure: return home, would become a famous, sought-after actor. He is very talented. But back to Almaty, Anwar does not want anything - he dreams of Hollywood. In the meantime, working as a waiter in a Japanese restaurant in Manhattan.

Serik - four years of life in the US without documents. In Almaty, he worked at a nightclub; in New York, he did about the same thing - a bartender at a bar ...

And, as they say, so on ...

Our women feel much more confident and successful in America.

I am writing this with a reservation on personal, perhaps subjective impressions. The reason is probably in character: our women are generally distinguished by social mobility and good fitness. And besides, a young girl with a pleasant appearance and good English in America will not remain on the street, that's for sure. The place of the waitress or bargirl is guaranteed. But ours are not content with this - they are ambitious and can even get a job in some bright, clean office even without a residence permit. My friend Alia, being an illegal, managed to enter the preparatory courses at the university. In the evenings and weekends, she earns additionally as a waitress in a Thai restaurant on 42 St. New York. The most amazing thing is that in Astana, Aliya left her husband and child, in a year she plans to transport them to her and enroll in the magistracy.

I think it will be so, for someone else, but Alia will succeed.

Read also on ForumDaily:

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Our in New York: how a Kazakh works as a policeman and builds a boxer career

An immigrant from Kazakhstan gave birth in the United States at home and now cannot receive documents for a child

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