Little Mexico, Big Dream: An Immigration Success Story
For many a Wabash student, the cuisine and fine dining that Crawfordsville offers is, at times, truly monotonous. When it comes time to take the family, or in rare cases the girlfriend, out to dinner, one is stuck with either Applebee’s or McDonald’s. However, there are a few establishments that offer hope for breaking this dilemma. Little Mexico is one such establishment. Not only will you find the perfect place for a night out, but if one looks beyond the festive décor and eager servers, there is an underlying story of hope and victory in the American Dream.
Upon entering Little Mexico one hour before opening, the feeling of pride that every employee shared was evident. From those who were cleaning the floor to those preparing food, it was clear that everyone knew their place. After sitting down with the owner of Little Mexico, Señor Ignacio Bravo, it was apparent where this sense of pride and purpose originated. “It’s true, I run a tight ship,” said Sr. Bravo as he finished making preparations from behind the bar, “I feel like it helps remind everyone how far we have come.” And they have come a long way. For Sr. Bravo, his journey started at the age of sixteen when his family moved from the Mexican state of Jalisco to southern California. When his family decided to immigrate to the United States, Sr. Bravo admits that, at sixteen, he had “big dreams.” His pursuit of those dreams started out slowly, however, and his journey was not devoid of difficulty.
He left southern California at the age of twenty-three when the factory he was working for asked him to transfer to Chicago. He remained here until 1991 when, once again, his employer had him transfer to a new factory. As fate would have it, this new assignment led him to Crawfordsville. Sr. Bravo said the move was easier for him because “Crawfordsville was like my hometown outside Guadalajara.” It seemed as though he had finally found a place where he could settle down. However, in 1993 Sr. Bravo lost his job when the factory closed. After his employment with the company had led him across the country, he suddenly found himself without direction. It was the relationships with his co-workers that initially sparked the next idea for Sr. Bravo. While still employed, Sr. Bravo’s lunches were filled with his native cuisine that he had prepared. One day, according to Sr. Bravo, “my co-worker was over for lunch talking about work, and he said I should just sell my lunches.” With this advice, Sr. Bravo opened Little Mexico in 1993, and he now has upwards of fifteen employees working for him. “I never thought it would be like this,” he says, “I had gotten used to always working for someone and now I’m the boss.”
What makes this story amazing is that not only did Sr. Bravo overcome the obstacles of moving to follow his work, but he became an American citizen legally. To complete the American naturalization process is quite an accomplishment in itself. For many, the more than ten year process of naturalization proves to be too much. For Sr. Bravo, “It wasn’t a matter what is faster; it was a matter of the right thing to do. I wanted to show my kids that we should be grateful for this opportunity.” He believes that the hard process of working and moving while trying to earn citizenship has given him a “respect for everything that I accomplish.” When asked if he was happy with the outcome of his journey he laughed and said, “Is it not obvious? I have good business and my family is happy. My American Dream came true.” So what about someone else who wants to live the American Dream? Well, Sr. Bravo recommends the food industry, “Restaurants are top business. Do it right, and you can become very successful.”
Little Mexico employees
However, there is another, less than legal way to try and obtain this dream. According to the Bureau of Transportation, statistics show that, on average, there are over 1,000,000 illegal border crossings from Mexico each year, and data from the Bureau also show that there are approximately 22,000,000 illegal aliens who live in the United States today. Not only do they live here illegally, but they send almost $20 billion in remittances to Mexico. This is an obvious problem, and the arguments for and against a concentrated effort to end such practices have littered political debates. But how does a legal immigrant feel about this topic? Sr. Bravo admits that, “it [illegal immigration] is a problem and it’s upsetting. Taking advantage of a welcoming system is wrong.” But when asked what he would do to change it, Sr. Bravo smiles, “I make money owning a restaurant. I can’t say what would solve the problem, but I think that better security at the border would help. The dream is there for everyone, but you have to do it right.”
Sr. Bravo couldn’t be more correct; the American Dream is for everyone who will respect it enough to gain citizenship legally. He chose legal immigration and now is just as much an American citizen as those reading this article. We, as Americans, tend to get caught up in the practice of making blanket statements and this discussion on immigration is no different. Some suggest that we should “kick all of the immigrants out” or “shut down the border altogether.” However, we should not forget our own history as Americans. Our ancestors were immigrants themselves with the same dreams and aspirations of a better life. Sometimes, we don’t understand the full process that legal immigrants take to earn their citizenship. It is through this process that they become patriotic citizens searching for their own American Dream. In a way, the old saying is proven wrong; the grass just might be greener on the other side of the fence, no pun intended. The 173,753 people from Mexico who were granted legal residency in 2006 share in the same pride and respect of their American citizenship that we see in Sr. Ignacio Bravo. While there are many different paths to reach it, Sr. Bravo would agree that the American Dream is not only found in the destination but also in the journey.
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