Brazilians Giving Up Their American Dream pt 1

12/5/2007 2:33:54 PM	Brazilians Giving Up Their American Dream pt 1
chinatown_girl Oyster Bay, NY age: 18	December 4, 2007 Brazilians Giving Up Their American Dream By NINA BERNSTEIN and ELIZABETH DWOSKIN Like hundreds of thousands of middle-class Brazilians who moved to the United States over the last two decades, Jose Osvandir Borges and his wife, Elisabeth, came on tourist visas and stayed as illegal immigrants, putting down roots in ways they never expected. After packing up their plasma-screen TV, scholastic trophies and other fruits of 12 prosperous years in the Ironbound in Newark, the couple and their American-born daughter, Marianna, 10, were scheduled to fly back to Brazil for good this morning. They expect their son, Thiago, 21, to follow in a year or two, despite his reluctance to leave the only land that feels like home. “You can’t spend your entire life waiting to be legal,” said Mr. Borges, 42, reflecting on a hard decision born of lost hopes, new fears and changing economies in both countries since he arrived in 1996. By law, the couple faces a 10-year bar on re-entering the United States, even as visitors. That decision — to give up on life in the United States — is being made by more and more Brazilians across the country, according to consular officials, travel agencies swamped by one-way ticket bookings, and community leaders in the neighborhoods that Brazilian immigrants have transformed, from Boston to Pompano Beach, Fla. No one can say how many are leaving. But in the last half year, the reverse migration has become unmistakable among Brazilians in the United States, a population estimated at 1.1 million by Brazil’s government — four to five times the official census figures. To explain an often wrenching decision to pull up stakes, homeward-bound Brazilians point to a rising fear of deportation and a slumping American economy. Many cite the expiration of driver’s licenses that can no longer be renewed under tougher rules, coupled with the steep drop in the value of the dollar against the currency of Brazil, where the economy has improved. “You put it all together, and why should you stay in an environment like that if you have a place like Brazil, where there’s hope, a light at the end of the tunnel and it’s not a train to run you over?” said Pedro Coelho, a businessman in Mount Vernon, N.Y., who is known as the mayor of Brazilians in Westchester County. “Are they leaving? Yes, by the hundreds.” In Massachusetts, says Fausto da Rocha, the founder of the Boston-area Brazilian Immigrant Center, his compatriots — many here illegally — are leaving by the thousands, some after losing homes in the subprime mortgage crisis. In New York and New Jersey, travel agents and others who sell airline seats say that one-way bookings to Brazil have more than doubled since last year, to about 150 daily from Kennedy International Airport, and that flights are sold out through February. And at Brazil’s consulate in Miami, which serves Brazilians in five Southeastern states, officials said a recent survey of moving companies and travel agencies confirmed what they had already surmised from their foot traffic: More Brazilians are leaving the region than arriving — the reversal of an upward curve that seemed unstoppable as recently as 2005, when Brazilians unable to meet tightened visa requirements were sneaking across the United States-Mexico border in record numbers. It is too soon to say whether the reverse migration of Brazilians puts them in the vanguard of a larger trend among immigrants, or underscores their distinctiveness. Like Mr. Borges, who said he was poorly paid as a university teacher of religious studies in his native city of Curitiba, they generally come from more urban and educated classes than other major groups of illegal immigrants from Latin America, studies show. Many returning now have been investing their American earnings in Brazilian property. But their own explanation for the surge back to Brazil contradicts conventional wisdom on both sides of the immigration debate. For years, advocates of giving people like the Borgeses a chance to earn legal status have argued that illegal immigrants will only be driven further underground by enforcement measures like raids or denying them driver’s licenses. Advocates of harsher restrictions and penalties have argued that illegal immigration is now growing independently of the ebb and flow of the American economy. Returning Brazilians defy both contentions. Faced with diminishing rewards and rising expenses in the United States, long separated from aging relatives in Brazil, “people say, ‘Is this worth it, being illegal, being scared?’“ said Maxine L. Margolis, a professor of anthropology at the University of Florida in Gainesville who has written extensively on Brazilians in the United States. There are regional variations, but the pattern is consistent. In South Florida, the expiration of a driver’s license is often a turning point for families already caught short by the slump in housing construction, said Sister Judi Clemens, a pastoral assistant with Our Lady Aparecida Mission, which serves five different Brazilian communities in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Miami. She noted that until seven years ago, Brazilians with tourist visas could get Florida licenses valid for eight years, but they are all expiring now and cannot be renewed. “There’s no public transportation here in Florida, so people drive to work in fear and trembling,” worried that a traffic stop could mean months in immigration detention, she said. “A lot of people have just simply said, ‘I’ve had enough.’“ In Massachusetts, where there is more public transportation, a spate of high-profile immigration raids, coupled with home foreclosures, have played a key role in the exodus, said community leaders like Mr. da Rocha, a legal resident who came in 1989. “I believe we lost 5,000 Brazilians only this year,” he said. “The landlords are going to face a crisis soon.”
12/8/2007 8:23:51 AM	Brazilians Giving Up Their American Dream pt 1
wildgypsy Bellevue, WA age: 45	First time in a long time I have heard any good news on this immigration issue. At least there are some illegals who are tired of being criminals and just giving it up and going home (did notice the part about how so many are sneaking through the southern border, another reason to secure it). I got the impression that this article was supposed to make people feel sorry for Brazilians, but just made me think that at least they had some common sense. Wish they would get the rest of the illegals to do the same.
12/8/2007 11:40:00 AM	Brazilians Giving Up Their American Dream pt 1
soulcitywalker Lexington, KY age: 48	wildgip: Wish they would get the rest of the illegals to do the same. SCW: Does that include the ones who came in 1492, 1619, and the 1920s...all from Europe?
12/8/2007 12:04:12 PM	Brazilians Giving Up Their American Dream pt 1
cabby37 Elkhart, IN age: 48 online now!	“There’s no public transportation here in Florida, so people drive to work in fear and trembling,” worried that a traffic stop could mean months in immigration detention, she said. “A lot of people have just simply said, ‘I’ve had enough.’“ Well this article is not real trust worthy Miami transit link http://www.miamidade.gov/transit/ Tampa transit http://www.hartline.org/ Orlando Transit http://golynx.com/ Jacksonville Transit http://www.jtaonthemove.com/globals/partners.aspx I used to live in Miami and Jacksonville and Tampa So we now know that this is a false statement Also Hollywood FL is served by the Miami transit and others in the area.. The transit in Florida is Huge not small From downtown Jacksonville you could go all the way to the beaches which is a 22 mile trip So my question is since this was in The famed NY TIMES and they did not check the facts as usual I am glad to see the people leave that are not legal But as well I knew someone that was from Mexico he is really a nice guy and worked and got a green card so it can be done [Edited 12/8/2007 12:06:43 PM]
12/8/2007 12:07:01 PM	Brazilians Giving Up Their American Dream pt 1
professer2 Saint Petersburg, FL age: 52	Got that right Cabby the bus system in my part of Florida is excellent, but, I will admit, there aint much in the rural areas
12/8/2007 12:07:38 PM	Brazilians Giving Up Their American Dream pt 1
cabby37 Elkhart, IN age: 48 online now!	Yup that is with most rural areas no matter where ya live
12/8/2007 12:35:15 PM	Brazilians Giving Up Their American Dream pt 1
soulcitywalker Lexington, KY age: 48	cabby: used to live in Miami and Jacksonville and Tampa So we now know that this is a false statement SCW: That's not the author of the article's words.
12/8/2007 1:03:51 PM	Brazilians Giving Up Their American Dream pt 1
cabby37 Elkhart, IN age: 48 online now!	SCW DUH I know that but as a reporter and the code of ethics you are suppose to find out if what a person tells you is the truth and if it is not you are not suppose to print it
12/8/2007 1:14:59 PM	Brazilians Giving Up Their American Dream pt 1
soulcitywalker Lexington, KY age: 48	cabby: DUH I know that but as a reporter and the code of ethics you are suppose to find out if what a person tells you is the truth and if it is not you are not suppose to print it SCW: The reporter might have been illustrating the person's distorted or inaccurate perceptions. I see examples like this all the time.
12/8/2007 2:33:51 PM	Brazilians Giving Up Their American Dream pt 1
knightnyte2 Spring, TX age: 55	SCW: The reporter might have been illustrating the person's distorted or inaccurate perceptions. I see examples like this all the time. yeah, if we say it like this, instead of the truth, we'll sell more papers and can keep it rocking along for a month! Go boys and girls... keep twisting the truth to suit us so we can get the lead and exclusive story and sell papers. yup... gotta love it. peace... don't be hatin'
12/8/2007 11:06:35 PM	Brazilians Giving Up Their American Dream pt 1
chinatown_girl Oyster Bay, NY age: 18	forward: Let's put it this way, Metrorail is only 20% useful. The part that gets the most riders is that which goes from Dadeland to downtown. The remaining line goes through a "no man's land" of crime and decay. Years ago I gave it a try. Let's say you live in Kendall, it will take longer to drive to the Metrorail station that the ride downtown. Unlike the past they charge plenty to park in the Metroral garage, while the surrounding area has always been free. Parking used to be free on weekends, but greedy Miami-Dade county made sure that ended. As for safety, it seems to be OK, you have some unsavory characters riding Metro-Dade transit, but most are just mentally ill and not a serious threat. If you have to transfer from bus/rail you will spend longer in traffic than driving. Estimate 2 minutes of bus time for 1 minute of drive time. Buses run on Miami time so if they come late, it's normal. Early? That's very rare. If you live in an affluent bus route expect a fast ride, in a poor area- they stop every time there is a bus stop. So add the wait time to bus time. If you will live in Miami, live close to your job. Unless you will be earning over 100,000 a year, better to stay where you are. Don't even THINK about Tri-Rail..LOL!
12/8/2007 11:07:47 PM	Brazilians Giving Up Their American Dream pt 1
crowdog3 Ponca City, OK age: 33	Ok now I am confused here, first china wants me, then she doesn't....
12/9/2007 10:07:19 AM	Brazilians Giving Up Their American Dream pt 1
chinatown_girl Oyster Bay, NY age: 18	YOU'RE BACK!!! hey thats so cool. i was going to make send out the search squad for u and joe, lol.
12/9/2007 10:30:43 AM	Brazilians Giving Up Their American Dream pt 1
cabby37 Elkhart, IN age: 48 online now!	Let's put it this way, Metrorail is only 20% useful. The part that gets the most riders is that which goes from Dadeland to downtown. The remaining line goes through a "no man's land" of crime and decay. Years ago I gave it a try. Let's say you live in Kendall, it will take longer to drive to the Metrorail station that the ride downtown. Unlike the past they charge plenty to park in the Metroral garage, while the surrounding area has always been free. Parking used to be free on weekends, but greedy Miami-Dade county made sure that ended. As for safety, it seems to be OK, you have some unsavory characters riding Metro-Dade transit, but most are just mentally ill and not a serious threat. If you have to transfer from bus/rail you will spend longer in traffic than driving. Estimate 2 minutes of bus time for 1 minute of drive time. Buses run on Miami time so if they come late, it's normal. Early? That's very rare. If you live in an affluent bus route expect a fast ride, in a poor area- they stop every time there is a bus stop. So add the wait time to bus time. If you will live in Miami, live close to your job. Unless you will be earning over 100,000 a year, better to stay where you are. China you really have no clue do you how it all works Go back to school i am sure they are missing a student
12/9/2007 12:09:47 PM	Brazilians Giving Up Their American Dream pt 1
photographerny Camp Pendleton, CA age: 25 online now!	china didnt you say you cant speak for the rest of the country only the parts youve been to?

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