For Gilroy’s Vaquerano brothers, living in the United States as
citizens was a dream they had to achieve. And after years of hard
work, they did.
In Cristian and Pyher Vaquerano’s home country of El Salvador, going out for dinner to Pizza Hut is a luxury. The majority of the people can’t afford it, and even if they can, the money is better spent saving up for rent or basic necessities. Neither do most people know what it’s like to drive a car, talk on a cell phone or earn enough to provide their families with what they’d like.
The Vaquerano brothers – fraternal twins – now live in Gilroy, thousands of miles from the small city where they were born, grew up and always will call home. To them, El Salvador is a place where culture is strong and family is invaluable.
But growing up, as the brothers witnessed poverty and apparent dead ends surrounding them, they knew they wanted something more for themselves, their family and their futures. And a few weeks ago – after four years of paperwork, fees, interviews and six years in America, Cristian and Pyher’s dream materialized as they became citizens of the United States.
“(U.S.) citizenship was one of our first goals in life,” Cristian said. “There are so many things you can do here, so many opportunities we didn’t have back home. Citizenship, to us, really means a lot.”
Cristian and Pyher, 28, live in a northwest Gilroy home with their wives and Maria, their 68-year-old mother, who immigrated to the United States about seven years ago.
A little more than 25 years ago, one of the Vaquerano’s sisters, Rosa, immigrated to San Jose, and over the past several years, their three other brothers followed. Cristian and Pyher’s other sister, Flor, still lives in El Salvador, and their father, who left the family when the brothers were about 13, died unexpectedly two years ago.
In this country, the brothers earn enough to live comfortably. Cristian is a member services representative for a credit union in San Jose, and Pyher is an estimator and a drafter with Architectural Façades in Gilroy. Both eventually want to become architects and are enrolled in community colleges in San Jose to earn their degrees.
In El Salvador, the brothers would be considered wealthy. Located southeast of Guatemala and southwest of Honduras, El Salvador is the most densely populated country in Central America, with about 6.7 million people in an area slightly smaller than Massachusetts. The highest-paying jobs provide somewhere between $36,000 and $72,000 a year, while the annual salary of more commonplace jobs, such as teaching, is around $6,000.
Throughout the Vaquerano’s childhood, their mother ran a bakery from the family’s home in Berlin, a city of about 10,000 that lies roughly 60 miles from San Salvador, the country’s capital. Although their mother’s earnings barely stretched to provide for herself and her seven children, the family was considered middle class in their country and was able to travel to the United States every few years.
Cristian and Pyher first ventured to America 20 years ago, when they were 8 years old. Even as children, the brothers dreamed of someday owning a business – a dream they knew would be difficult to achieve in El Salvador, but one they felt was possible in the United States.
“We definitely loved our country, but living was hard. It was tough to find good work and make good money,” Pyher said.
From the time they were toddlers until they were about 15, El Salvador was a mess of destruction, the result of a 12-year civil war that killed 75,000. Stemming from societal inequalities, a poor economy and repressive dictatorship, the war branded images of violence and death in the brothers’ minds. Like thousands of other families, the Vaqueranos were left without electricity or water in their home for several months at a time as guerilla forces cut off supplies.
“I remember asking myself, ‘Why don’t we leave this place and go somewhere else?'” Pyher said. “We loved the town. We loved the people. But we wondered if there was something better.”
When the war ended in 1992, the people of El Salvador saw improved living conditions and more opportunities to work. But Cristian and Pyher still were determined to follow their dream of emigrating to the United States. They graduated from high school and university in El Salvador, and in 1999, Pyher obtained a permit to work in the United States, moved to San Jose and began working for the United Parcel Service. Cristian followed a year later, getting hired with the retailer Nordstrom.
Initially, one of the hardest parts of living in America was not knowing the language, the brothers said. For about two years they took English classes in San Jose, where Pyher met his wife. A year after he was married, he applied for a green card, and Cristian – who also had married – did the same.
The process of applying for a green card requires producing and completing a series of documentation and paperwork, such as birth certificates and, if applicable, marriage licenses. It also requires patience.
“I remember getting up at 2am to wait in line (to apply for a green card),” Pyher said. “The office opened at 7am.”
A green card is an identification card for a permanent resident of the United States who does not have U.S. citizenship. With a green card, the holder has permission to reside and work permanently in the United States.
In the United States, the difference between holding a green card and being a citizen is that citizens have more rights. For example, only American citizens can obtain U.S. passports, and many countries waive visa requirements for those with U.S. passports. Only citizens can vote in the United States, and only citizens can apply for state and federal jobs.
The process of obtaining both a green card and citizenship is time consuming and expensive. The Vaqueranos, for instance, each paid about $400 to file for a green card. Hiring a lawyer who specializes in immigration can make the process less burdensome, but also more expensive – fees can reach up to $4,000 per case.
After getting their green cards, the brothers continued to work – both getting jobs in their desired fields – and the next step was to apply for citizenship. Because both brothers were married, they could apply immediately. Unmarried applicants have to live in the country as permanent residents for five years before applying.
Like getting a green card, applying for citizenship involves a lengthy series of forms, documents, background checks and interviews with U.S. government personnel. It also requires passing a citizenship test. To study for the test, applicants are given a 100-question guide and, during the final interview, are verbally asked some of the questions at random. The test also includes a written component.
Cristian and Pyher passed their tests on June 7 and June 22, respectively. Later this month, they’ll take oaths of citizenship in a ceremony in San Jose.
One of the best parts of being citizens of this country, they said, is being able to experience firsthand the number of opportunities, choices and rights – especially the right to vote.
“You know your voice is heard,” Pyher said. “You know that your vote matters and that it affects you and your life. … I came here to be someone. We want to contribute to this country.”
One of the biggest adjustments the brothers have had to make is the comparatively fast-paced way of life and the number of hours spent working. The pile of bills that arrive in the mailbox on a regular basis came as a surprise, as well.
“In El Salvador, it was basically just food and rent. Here, there’s car insurance, cell phone bills …” Pyher said, laughing.
After they finish community college and advance in their careers, the brothers plan to buy houses of their own and start families. When they do, they want their children to experience the freedom America offers but also appreciate the culture of El Salvador. And while they might take their kids to Pizza Hut every now and then, dinner most likely will be Salvadorian cuisine – one of Pyher’s wife’s specialties.
