Facing Time, Part Two

Saviors
Without the loved ones that brought you into this challenging life or the loved ones you meet along the way, your survival skills will not be at ease. Everyone at one point in time has been helped by someone else, whether it was a stranger from that 7 eleven store who jump started your car because it ran out of battery, to your own beloved wife or girlfriend who has helped you get to live that normal life you were hoping to have once you've been released from prison 15 years later. My father, Jose Oliva, continues to live with so much stress and weight put on his shoulders because of his past mistakes being an ex-felon, but luckily his family and his long term girlfriend has helped him unconditionally through out all his pain and the struggles he faces everyday.

Background
Jose was born in La Havana Cuba, a place where shoe's didn't have to be worn, rules weren't taken as seriously, and everyday was just another journey into seeking ways to live for tomorrow. Havana is the capital city of Cuba and presently has a population of slightly over two million. The city was founded by the Spanish in the 1500's and has a long and fascinating history. Privately owned companies were nationalized in Cuba and many rich and middle class Cubans fled to Florida and other countries in order to escape Castro and his communist government(knowaboutcuba.com). My dad entered into Miami, Florida as a non-citizen at the age of fourteen with his mother, father, and younger brother. He didn't start off well by hanging out with the wrong type of people, and ended up gang-banging and selling drugs which later brought his new long life in prison starting at 21 years of age. Being a non-citizen of the U.S. alone isn't good but when you add being a criminal caught in a country that your not from makes it worse. At this moment my dad is deporting on papers, he was arrested as a non-citizen, and in this country if you become a felon who wasn't born here, the slightest error you make is a huge thing. According to the Asian Law Caucus, if you have two or more crimes involving moral turpitude at anytime, a drug related crime, or a crime considered an "aggravated felony," which includes things like murder, rape, drug trafficking, fraud (over 10,000), and crimes involving theft or violence, it can conclude into being removed from the area completely or "deported". He now is waiting for the United States to have a treaty with Cuba to find out the decisions that are going to be made about whether he will be deported or not.

EAD Card
The first time my dad was released from a 15 year sentence was a tough one for him. In the United States you have to have an Employment Authorization Document (EAD) also known as a work permit, to be able to hold a job. Since he was fresh out of prison it was his best option, to receive an EAD card. Now, in the process of receiving a work permit it can take up to three to five months for it to go through successfully and only lasts about two years(Avvo staff). It is also required to pay 380 dollars yearly for a work permit. Within those three to five months how can he be expected to live without no steady income, bad credit or no credit, and no transportation? How can he even be able to pay for a work permit if he cannot find a job without having one? The court expects him to find a way somehow, and finding that way becomes very stressful if you have no one who has been by your side. He has been very thankful to have his girlfriend of many years and his grandfather there to help him out, and as they continued to show their care for him, they offered to pay for him to be able to get that work permit which he did receive, and which led him to find his job as a personal trainer.

Starting Over
His hope began to arise when he knew he was progressing and everything seemed to be going a little better. For him to have become a personal trainer, he needed to take a college course, which he spent a year studying for and passed when he took the test that was required. Without his grandfathers help to pay for this course, he would have been stopped once again in trying to get hired for a better job because he wouldn't have been able to find the money in a legal way, unless someone was there to help him. Unfortunately, when my dad was sent back to prison the second time for failing to meet up with his probation officer, it was also around the time that he needed to renew his work permit. Because of the fact that he was once again in prison, he lost his current job and had to restart his work permit process all over again.

 Moving Forward
In order to obtain a drivers license in Florida, you must first meet the identification requirements. You must show proof of your birth date and social security number (if issued). Immigrants and non-immigrants have different identification requirements. Once the state of Florida verifies identity and legal status, a drivers license or identification card will be issued within 30 days from Tallahassee and mailed to the address on the driver record(DMV Florida). He had achieved in getting his license and found a car but as you might think, how is he paying for the car, gas, and the insurance? Well his girlfriend again was there to help out with that along with his grandfather giving him a place to stay and food to eat. " Even though I dislike the fact of being taken care of I very much appreciate it, and I am happy to have these people still in my presence, " my dad explained. On a daily basis he has been living similar to a teenage boy, having everything being paid for him and working to use that small amount of money to help pay his own debts. Now his main focuses are to keep a steady job, stay out of trouble, obey the rules he has to follow with his probation, and to take little steps into reaching a higher goal. He also still attends backyard fights and even participates in some battles to maybe one day finding a name for himself in something he loves to do, MMA fighting. MMA and the UFC originated from the full contact sport of Vale tudo in Brazil, the UFC was created in the United States with minimal rules, and was promoted as a competition to determine the most effective martial art for unarmed combat situations. UFC fighters began to morph into well-rounded, balanced fighters that could fight standing or on the floor. This blend of fighting styles and skills became known as mixed martial arts (MMA) (UFC Zuffa, LLC.).

Having Strength
Imagine coming out of a hole after many years with no one to go to and no where to stay, how rough would that be? My father has been blessed but also faced with many challenges throughout his time which has made him as strong as he is today, but even with his strength he still has many weaknesses. As I talked with him over the phone earlier he said, "Beautiful, If I had the chance to go back and change my ways when I was younger I would, If I had the chance to be able to give you everything I lacked on giving you all these years I would, and if I had the power to help those who have helped me along the way I guarantee you I would." It's difficult trying to dig yourself out of a deep hole that has been built with time and effort, but by using that same effort and with time, that hole will soon be empty. He is constantly reminded day by day that he still has to be taken care of, being the grown man he is, and he doesn't like that at all but without that help he's had, the chances of him overcoming his situation would've been slim. It's hard trying to do things to survive the right way instead of the easier way, but as for Jose the right way was his way.


Work Cited

Article on "An Overview Of Havana, Cuba" http://knowaboutcuba.com/2012/04/an-overview-of-havana-cuba/

"Basic Facts About Removal (Deportation) Because of a Criminal Record" by Asian Law Caucus 1999' http://www.oac.cdlib.org/view?docId=hb2j49n7f1&doc.view=entire_text

"How to Acquire a Non-Citizen Work Permit" by Avvo staff c2013 Avvo, Inc. http://www.avvo.com/legal-guides/ugc/non-citizen-work-permit

"Non-United Citizens How to get your Florida's Drivers License" Florida DMV Online Guide http://www.dmvflorida.org/drivers-license-nc.shtml

Discover UFC "What is MMA and the UFC" http://www.ufc.com/discover/sport