We’ve heard a lot of immigration talk, but we usually hear about undocumented immigrants. This game for change is the story of an international student whose decisions in life became a burden, not necessarily because he chose wrong but because the policies imposed by the government became burdensome.
International students are not necessarily immigrants, they are under an F-1visa, which means they are non-immigrants pursuing an education in the United States. Although most F-1 students have the intention of going back to their countries after their finish their studies , some of them fall in love with the ‘American dream’ and decide they don’t have a reason to go back to their countries.
What inspired this story was the true story of a good friend of mine, who after getting married lost his visa and had to go back to his country without his wife. Some other elements of the story come from experiences of people who lived similar situations, even to the point of trying to cross illegally in order to go back to their families.
Another source of inspiration comes from a song by Conor Oberst called Coyote Song in which he tells the story of two lovers separated by the border and immigration policy. This song came out in 2010 when Arizona SB 1070 immigration law was being passed, this law criminalized all undocumented immigrants.
As explained on the USCIS website (https://www.uscis.gov/working-united-states/students-and-exchange-visitors/students-and-employment), F-1 students have certain limitations, and when they enter the country they do it agreeing to those rules, that is the law. What I wanted to address with the game is not necessary a criticism to the law, but a the story of someone who wanted to obey the law and ended up breaking it for something that seemed to be more important.
The most ignored thing about this issue is the fact that the reasons behind immigration are never considered, why people want to come to the U.S? They are not crossing the border to become criminals, they are escaping crime and violence. Some others are only pursuing an academic endeavor and find in the U.S some opportunities that they would never find in their country
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