I was 12 years old when my parents went to the United States in search of a better life, leaving me behind in Mexico, in the care of my grandma. I didn't know then that my dad was ashamed of me and my mom simply couldn't understand why I acted like a girl. All I knew was that they lived in the land of opportunity and I wanted to be there with them.
As a young person struggling with my gender identity in Mexico, I was harassed mercilessly and the victim of violence. The town police laughed at me after I was physically assaulted and they did nothing to persecute my aggressor. Despite the violence and constant harassment, I started taking hormones and grew my hair out. I knew who I was deep down, and I realized I had to live in a more inclusive society if I was ever to move forward.
At the age of 17, I used my savings to pay someone to transport me across the Arizona border. I quietly established a life in Arizona, meeting new people, securing a job and saving enough money for the breast augmentation surgery I had when I turned 19. As I grew to accept myself, I felt increasingly liberated and ready to take on the world.
After a few years happily living and working in Arizona, immigration officials showed up at my workplace one day and placed me in a detention facility. Even though I had established my feminine identity through breast augmentation, they still put me on the men's side. The 45 days I spent there were awful. I was sexually harassed, propositioned, and bullied constantly. Every night I slept next to the guard room because that was the only place I felt safe. Finally, I was deported back to Mexico where I lived and worked for three years.
Eventually, I decided to cross the border again. This time, I went to San Francisco because it seemed like a welcoming, inclusive city. I was right. At a street fair, I met people from the National Center for Lesbian Rights who agreed to help me apply for political asylum. I was granted asylum due to the persecution I faced in Mexico, and now I am applying to become a United States resident.
I know how fortunate I was to meet the folks from NCLR who put me on the path to citizenship. But there are 11 million men, women, and children living in this country �" including at least 267,000 LGBTQ undocumented immigrants �" who deserve that same opportunity. That's why I'm fighting for comprehensive, compassionate immigration reform.
The Senate recently passed an immigration bill that includes a path to citizenship that would give all aspiring Americans the same opportunity I had. In addition, the bill includes many provisions that would particularly benefit LGBTQ immigrants, including an elimination of the one-year bar on applying for asylum; improved conditions for people held in detention facilities; limited use of solitary confinement and a prohibition of its use based solely on a detainee's sexual orientation or gender identity. These changes would have made a remarkable difference when I was detained.
The time is now for a real solution: reform with citizenship. We want nothing less than an inclusive path to initial immigration status and an achievable path to citizenship for our nation's aspiring Americans. The Senate has done its job, it's time for the House of Representatives to step up to the plate when it returns next week from summer recess. No more posturing, no more piecemeal provisions, and no more extremist amendments. The House needs to introduce serious legislation that reflects the will of the country: to give undocumented immigrants the chance to come out of the shadows and have a clear and direct path to citizenship.
As a transgender woman who experienced many dark times in Mexico, I can empathize with why people want to come to the United States. It is the land of the free and full of opportunities for those who work hard. It's up to the House of Representatives to take the next step toward ensuring people who work hard here also have a chance to succeed here.
Victoria Ruiz is a transgender writer for the Spanish-language magazine Adelante. She lives in Los Angeles, California and spends her time working with various organizations and nonprofits that advocate for social justice and equality.