{"id":49,"date":"2018-07-31T14:37:07","date_gmt":"2018-07-31T14:37:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/temp35512659.wordpress.com\/2018\/07\/31\/jimena-martinez\/"},"modified":"2025-10-09T11:19:06","modified_gmt":"2025-10-09T16:19:06","slug":"jimena-martinez","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/es\/2018\/07\/31\/jimena-martinez\/","title":{"rendered":"Una defensora de la salud habla de su infancia en Little Village y de sus recuerdos de cuando cruzaba la frontera de ni\u00f1a."},"content":{"rendered":"
Above: Illustration by Natalie\u00a0Gonzalez<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Jimena Martinez migrated to the United States with her parents and two siblings when she was five years old. For a long time, she tried to suppress her memory of crossing the border. It wasn\u2019t until she was a lot older that she was able say that it wasn\u2019t a dream.<\/em><\/p>\n

Today, Jimena lives in <\/em>Little Village<\/em><\/a> with her husband and is a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, recipient. She works in health care for a major institution in Chicago. We have changed her name to protect her privacy. Borderless sat down with Jimena to talk about growing up in Little Village and her memories of crossing the border in 1989.<\/em><\/p>\n

I remember running, holding on to my parents and being scared and being with a group of people. We knew two other people in the group who were family friends. They were helping my parents so there was an adult per child so we wouldn\u2019t get lost.<\/p>\n

I also remember one part being really fun. When we crossed into the United States there was a car waiting for us and we had to roll down a hill to get to it. I remember thinking, this is awesome. Everyone was rolling, both the kids and adults. We were all rolling into this truck.<\/p>\n

After living in California for one year, we ended up in Chicago in Little Village. We lived with my uncle for the first five years until my parents were able to save some money. Then we moved to an apartment of our own that was a block away.<\/p>\n

My parents were always straightforward with us about our status. I always knew I wasn\u2019t from here. Whether it was experiences at school about not knowing English or people saying, \u201cWhy are you dressed this way?\u201d Even though I was just a little kid, the immigrant experience was very real.<\/p>\n

It was hard for my parents to find good paying work as undocumented people. In the nineties, it was very common for work raids to happen. My mom would work in different factories and talk about how there was a raid at work or that she was worried one would happen during her shift.<\/p>\n

For my family, being undocumented meant not being able to be employed in regular jobs. It meant not having health insurance and being afraid at work. For me, it meant asking, what are my goals and dreams? And what are my limitations based on my status?<\/p>\n

I wasn\u2019t always sure if I would be able to go to college. My teachers in Little Village told me that yes, I could. But they didn\u2019t know how. Sometimes there was someone who said, I don\u2019t think that\u2019s an option for you. So I went and asked someone else.<\/p>\n

I was really grateful that my sister went to [the University of Illinois at Chicago]. She showed me that there was a way and told me how to speak to the faculty and admin and figure out what to put on the application forms.<\/p>\n

The other piece was funding. I was very lucky that I got a full tuition leadership scholarship. That really took away the financial burden of going to college. But then when I got to college I was responsible for paying for room and board and books.<\/p>\n

Being undocumented was a limitation but also a drive. I wanted to go to college. I knew there was a way to do this. So for me it was a big driving force. I was determined to find a way.<\/p>\n

In college, I was really involved in a group for immigrants. We did some of the work about informing people about the Dream Act and what it meant to be an undocumented student. I was really hesitant about applying to DACA. It seemed too good to be true. It\u2019s like a Band-Aid. It would give you a social security number, the ability to drive, the ability to have a driver\u2019s license. But at the end of the day, it\u2019s only good for two years. How do you plan your life on a two-year timeline? It takes a toll.<\/p>\n

My brother applied for it first. When DACA was announced, he applied. I waited until he got his work permit and then I was like, OK, I can apply.<\/p>\n

At that point, I had been working for a while and had completed all of this paperwork before stating that my status was different. And I was really worried about messing up the DACA application or thinking about all of the work applications I had filled out before not being entirely truthful. So I opted to work with an attorney to apply.<\/p>\n

You have to prove that you\u2019ve been here continuously. So from high school through college, it was very easy to do that through report cards or transcripts. But I didn\u2019t have transcripts from grade school. Thankfully, my mom kept all of my school certificates and all of my report cards starting back in first grade or kindergarten. It was like perfect attendance awards.<\/p>\n

Years before DACA, I had told her to throw away all of that stuff. But she was like, no, I want them. So because she kept them all, I could submit them to the first DACA application. Whatever she had left over, we donated to the Smithsonian for a new exhibition about growing up as a girl in the United States.<\/p>\n

My sister\u2019s a citizen now. She became a citizen the same year my brother and I applied for DACA. My brother and I still have DACA. My two youngest brothers were born here so they are citizens. My parents are now permanent residents.<\/p>\n

My dream is to get citizenship, but the only option for me now would be through employer-sponsorship. And that doesn\u2019t seem to be an option with the employers I\u2019ve been working for. It\u2019s not going to happen through marriage, and it\u2019s not going to happen through my parents because I\u2019m too old.<\/p>\n

For me, DACA has meant that I can work on a career I want, getting my master\u2019s and a job in public health. It has also changed my life in little ways. I didn\u2019t have an ID until five years ago. I was twenty-seven when I got an ID and driver\u2019s license and was able to drive. I always think about that when I have to show my ID at buildings for work. I\u2019m no longer scared of this question because I now have an ID that I can show!<\/p>\n

People have this idea of what an undocumented person is. For DACA recipients, we\u2019ve been raised here and our experiences are very similar to our colleagues. So that blows people\u2019s minds. You did some of the same things I did? Talking about it disrupts this narrative people have that undocumented immigrants are not professionals or health advocates. You can be both an undocumented immigrant and a leader!<\/p>\n

I\u2019m really passionate about health care as a social justice issue, and that really stems from my experience of being an immigrant and being undocumented and watching my aunt take care of her son, who had cerebral palsy. When I was in high school, my aunt came to live in my parents\u2019 apartment building and my mom was like, you can help her navigate the health system. I had been interpreting and trying to figure out health care things for my parents that I shouldn\u2019t have. But my mom was like, you\u2019ve done a good job with us. Now you can do that with your aunt and cousin.<\/p>\n

Up to that point, I hadn\u2019t visited hospitals or health systems outside of Little Village. My family got their care in free or federally qualified health care centers. Because of my cousin\u2019s condition, he ended up going to Northwestern to see many specialists and needing speech therapy, physical therapy, and occupational therapy. And I remember thinking our health care system in Little Village looks really different than what I experienced with my aunt at Northwestern, from the physical buildings to the quality of care, like long wait times during appointments and interactions with the doctors.<\/p>\n

My cousin\u2019s name was Danny and he had Medicaid. He was four years old and in a wheelchair.<\/p>\n

I interpreted for my aunt during his doctor visits so that he could get a doctor and get all of the services and so he could go to school. I grew very close to him.<\/p>\n

One day after school I came home and asked my mom, \u201cWhere\u2019s Danny and my aunt?\u201d And she said they were in the hospital. And I said, \u201cWhy? They weren\u2019t supposed to be in the hospital today.\u201d He was in the hospital routinely.<\/p>\n

My mom said something happened and they called your aunt to pick him up from school and to take him to the doctor. So I was like, this is bizarre.<\/p>\n

He got sick at the school and the school couldn\u2019t figure out what he had. As opposed to calling the ambulance, they called my aunt to pick him up. She wanted to take him to the nearest hospital, but she was afraid she wouldn\u2019t be seen without her medical card. So she stopped home and picked up the card and took him to the hospital. But he was just too sick. He ended up dying that day.<\/p>\n

That story makes me so sad and angry because my aunt made that decision to come home first based on her past experiences and interactions with the health care system. I imagine an alternate ending where she didn\u2019t come home and went to the hospital first and they said, we can\u2019t see you, go home and get your insurance card. So either way the story\u2019s ending is not a happy one.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t think Danny\u2019s story is unique to someone who\u2019s undocumented. Low income or uninsured people die because they lack access to medical services or get care when it\u2019s too late. That experience made me want to go into health care and help other immigrants in neighborhoods like Little Village.<\/p>\n

Sometimes I wonder what it would look like if Little Village was adequately resourced in terms of schools, employment, and health care. I think it would be a much better place in terms of dealing with violence and poverty.<\/p>\n

But the people in Little Village are really welcoming as neighbors. You can\u2019t really buy that neighborly feeling.<\/p>\n

Most days, I think it\u2019s a good thing to be in Little Village. In college, I once shared with people that I was undocumented and I was ostracized. A student group wrote an article about me and asked other students to report me to immigration services to deport me. That was never my experience in Little Village because there was a huge percentage of people who were undocumented. You are not an outsider if you\u2019re undocumented or a DACA recipient. But now, given the political climate, it does feel like our community is a target.<\/p>\n

As an immigrant community we\u2019re inherently resilient and strong. It\u2019s been an identity and a sense of pride. But at the same time, with the current political climate, it makes me wonder if maybe we shouldn\u2019t have been so vocal about it.<\/p>\n

As told to Nissa Rhee<\/p>\n

\n

Jimena Martinez<\/h3>\n

Una defensora de salud nos habla sobre c\u00f3mo fue crecer en La Villita y sobre sus memorias de cuando cruz\u00f3 la frontera como una\u00a0ni\u00f1a<\/em><\/h4>\n
\"\"
Ilustraci\u00f3n de Natalie\u00a0Gonzalez<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Jimena migr\u00f3 a los Estados Unidos con sus padres y sus dos hermanos cuando ella ten\u00eda s\u00f3lo cinco a\u00f1os de edad. Por mucho tiempo, ella trat\u00f3 de reprimir sus memorias de cuando cruz\u00f3 la frontera. No fue hasta que creci\u00f3 que ella pudo reconocer que no fue un sue\u00f1o.<\/em><\/p>\n

Hoy Jimena vive en La Villita con su marido. Es beneficiaria del programa de la Acci\u00f3n Diferida para los Llegados en la Infancia (DACA, por sus siglas en ingl\u00e9s). Ella trabaja en el sector de salud para una instituci\u00f3n importante en Chicago. Hemos cambiado su nombre para proteger su privacidad. <\/em>Borderless se sent\u00f3 para platicar con Jimena y hablar sobre c\u00f3mo fue crecer en La Villita y para que nos platicara de sus recuerdos cruzando la frontera en 1989.<\/em><\/p>\n

Recuerdo estar corriendo, agarr\u00e1ndome de mis padres, estando asustada. Estaba con un grupo de gente. Dos personas en el grupo eran amigos de la familia. Estaban ah\u00ed con nosotros para ayudar a mis padres para que cada ni\u00f1o estuviera acompa\u00f1ado por un adulto y as\u00ed evitar que alguien se perdiera.<\/p>\n

Tambi\u00e9n recuerdo que una parte en todo esto fue muy divertido. Cuando cruzamos a los Estados Unidos, hab\u00eda un autom\u00f3vil esper\u00e1ndonos y tuvimos que bajar por una colina para llegar hasta all\u00ed. Recuerdo pensar que eso era incre\u00edble. Todos est\u00e1bamos rodando, tanto ni\u00f1os como adultos. \u00cdbamos todos rodando hacia la camioneta.<\/p>\n

Despu\u00e9s de vivir en California por un a\u00f1o, termin\u00e9 en Chicago. En La Villita. Ah\u00ed vivimos con mi t\u00edo durante cinco a\u00f1os hasta que mis padres pudieron ahorrar una lana. Despu\u00e9s nos mudamos a un departamento propio a una cuadra de donde hab\u00edamos estado viviendo antes.<\/p>\n

Mis padres siempre fueron muy claros sobre nuestro estatus migratorio. Siempre supe que yo no era de aqu\u00ed. Pod\u00eda ser porque en la escuela yo no hablaba ingl\u00e9s, o porque la gente me dec\u00eda \u201c\u00bfPor qu\u00e9 est\u00e1s vestida as\u00ed?\u201d Aunque yo era una ni\u00f1a muy peque\u00f1a, la experiencia como migrante que yo viv\u00eda era muy real.<\/p>\n

Era dif\u00edcil para mis padres conseguir un trabajo que pagara bien como migrante indocumentado. En los a\u00f1os noventa era muy com\u00fan que se llevaran a cabo redadas en el trabajo. Mi madre trabajaba en en varias f\u00e1bricas y hablaba sobre c\u00f3mo hab\u00eda una redada en el trabajo o de c\u00f3mo estaba preocupada de que hicieran un operativo mientras ella estaba en turno.<\/p>\n

Para mi familia, ser indocumentado signific\u00f3 no poder tener un trabajo regular. Signific\u00f3 no tener acceso a un seguro m\u00e9dico. Signific\u00f3 tener miedo durante el trabajo. Para m\u00ed, implic\u00f3 preguntarme cu\u00e1les eran mis sue\u00f1os y mis objetivos. Y tambi\u00e9n c\u00f3mo es que mi estatus me limitaba.<\/p>\n

Yo no estaba segura de que tendr\u00eda la oportunidad de ir a la universidad. Mis maestros en La Villita me dec\u00edan que s\u00ed, que s\u00ed pod\u00eda. Pero no sab\u00edan c\u00f3mo pod\u00eda lograrlo. A veces hab\u00eda gente que me dec\u00eda que para mi no era una opci\u00f3n. Comenc\u00e9 a preguntarles a otras personas.<\/p>\n

Le agradezco mucho a mi hermana que fue a la UIC. Ella me ense\u00f1\u00f3 un camino y me explic\u00f3 c\u00f3mo deb\u00eda hablarles en la facultad y a la administraci\u00f3n para entrar y c\u00f3mo pod\u00eda hacer el papeleo.<\/p>\n

La otra parte que hab\u00eda que resolver era la cuesti\u00f3n del dinero. Fui muy afortunada porque consegu\u00ed una beca de liderazgo completa. Eso fue lo que me quit\u00f3 la presi\u00f3n y el peso econ\u00f3mico de ir a la universidad. Pero despu\u00e9s, cuando entr\u00e9 a la carrera, yo era responsable de pagarme mi habitaci\u00f3n, los materiales y mis libros.<\/p>\n

Ser indocumentada fue una limitaci\u00f3n, pero tambi\u00e9n una gu\u00eda que me impulsaba. Quer\u00eda estudiar en la universidad. Estaba determinada a encontrar el camino.<\/p>\n

En la universidad me involucr\u00e9 mucho con un grupo para migrantes. Trabajamos en informar a la gente de lo que era el Dream Act<\/em> y de lo que significaba ser un estudiante indocumentado. Fui muy reticente con DACA. No sab\u00eda si aplicar o no. Era demasiado bueno para ser verdad. Como ponerme una curita. Te daba un n\u00famero de seguro social, te permit\u00eda manejar, tener una licencia para conducir. Pero al final del d\u00eda, s\u00f3lo duraba dos a\u00f1os. \u00bfC\u00f3mo puedes vivir si s\u00f3lo puedes planear durante dos a\u00f1os? Eso tiene un costo.<\/p>\n

Mi hermano fue el primero en aplicar. Cuando DACA fue anunciado, \u00e9l se apunt\u00f3. Yo me esper\u00e9 hasta que \u00e9l consigui\u00f3 su permiso de trabajo. Despu\u00e9s de eso, dije \u201cOk,\u201d aplicar\u00e9.<\/p>\n

A esas alturas, yo llevaba un rato trabajando y ya hab\u00eda completado casi todo mi papeleo antes de se\u00f1alar que ten\u00eda un estatus migratorio distinto. Me preocupaba much\u00edsimo perder mi oportunidad con la aplicaci\u00f3n de DACA. O pensaba tambi\u00e9n en todas las aplicaciones de trabajo que hab\u00eda mandado sin ser plenamente sincera. As\u00ed que escog\u00ed trabajar con un abogado para hacer mi aplicaci\u00f3n.<\/p>\n

Tienes que probar que has estado en este pa\u00eds ininterrumpidamente. As\u00ed que desde high school<\/em> hasta la universidad, fue muy f\u00e1cil probarlo a trav\u00e9s de boletas o transcripciones. Por suerte, mi madre hab\u00eda guardado todos mis certificados escolares y todas mis boletas desde mi primer a\u00f1o en la escuela, o desde el k\u00ednder. Eran como premios por asistencia perfecta a clase.<\/p>\n

A\u00f1os antes de DACA, yo le hab\u00eda pedido a mi madre que tirara todos esos papeles. Pero ella no quiso deshacerse de ellos. Y gracias a que los guard\u00f3 todos, pude meterlos con mi primera aplicaci\u00f3n a DACA. Todo lo que qued\u00f3, fue donado al Smithsonian para una exposici\u00f3n sobre c\u00f3mo es crecer en Estados Unidos como una ni\u00f1a.<\/p>\n

Mi hermana hoy es una ciudadana. Ella adquiri\u00f3 la ciudadan\u00eda el mismo a\u00f1o que mi hermano aplic\u00f3 para DACA. Mi hermano y yo seguimos siendo beneficiarios de DACA. Mis dos hermanos m\u00e1s j\u00f3venes nacieron aqu\u00ed, as\u00ed que ellos son ciudadanos. Mis padres son residentes permanentes.<\/p>\n

Mi sue\u00f1o es tener la ciudadan\u00eda, pero la \u00fanica forma de hacerlo es a trav\u00e9s del patrocinio de un empleador. Y eso no parece ser una opci\u00f3n por medio de los empleadores con los que estoy trabajando. No va a pasar tampoco por medio del matrimonio y no suceder\u00e1 por la v\u00eda de mis padres porque estoy ya muy grande.<\/p>\n

Para mi, DACA significa que puedo trabajar en la carrera que yo escoja, que pueda obtener mi master\u2019s<\/em> y un trabajo en el sector p\u00fablico de salud. Pero tambi\u00e9n ha cambiado peque\u00f1as cosas en mi vida. Hasta hace cinco a\u00f1os yo no ten\u00eda una identificaci\u00f3n. Fue hasta los 27 a\u00f1os de edad que me dieron una identificaci\u00f3n, una licencia para conducir y pude manejar. Siempre pienso en eso cuando tengo que mostrar mi credencial en el edificio donde trabajo. Ya no tengo miedo de esta cuesti\u00f3n porque ahora tengo una identificaci\u00f3n para mostrar.<\/p>\n

La gente tiene esta idea de lo que es ser una persona indocumentada. Para beneficiarios de DACA, hemos crecido aqu\u00ed y nuestras experiencias son muy similares a las de nuestros colegas. Eso le impresiona mucho a la gente \u201c\u00bfT\u00fa hiciste algunas de las cosas que yo tambi\u00e9n hice?\u201d Hablar de eso es muy disruptivo para la gente con la narrativa de que los migrantes indocumentados no tienen educaci\u00f3n, que no son profesionales o que no puedes abogar por la salud. \u00a1Puedes ser un migrante indocumentado y un l\u00edder!<\/p>\n

Una pasi\u00f3n muy grande que tengo es sobre la salud como un tema de justicia social. Esto viene mucho de mi experiencia como migrante y el hecho de ser indocumentada y ver a mi t\u00eda tener que cuidar a su hijo, que ten\u00eda par\u00e1lisis cerebral. Cuando estaba en high school<\/em> mi t\u00eda vino a vivir en el departamento de mis padres y mi madre estaba como de \u201cpuedes ayudarla a entender el sistema de salud.\u201d Yo hab\u00eda estado intentando entender y traducir el tema de salud para mis padres sin que fuera mi obligaci\u00f3n. Mi madre me dijo que yo hab\u00eda hecho un buen trabajo con ellos. Que era hora de hacer lo mismo con mi t\u00eda y mi primo.<\/p>\n

En ese punto, yo no hab\u00eda visitado los hospitales o centros del sistema de salud fuera de La Villita. Mi familia recib\u00eda atenci\u00f3n m\u00e9dica a trav\u00e9s de centros de salud gratuitos o federales. Pero dada la condici\u00f3n de mi primo, termin\u00f3 yendo a Northwestern para ser tratado por varios especialistas, y recibiendo terapia para hablar, f\u00edsica y ocupacional. Y yo recuerdo pensar en que nuestro sistema de salud en La Villita era muy diferente a lo que yo estaba viviendo con mi t\u00eda en Northwestern. Desde la parte f\u00edsica del edificio hasta la calidad en el cuidado m\u00e9dico, as\u00ed como las esperas largas durante las citas y las interacciones con los doctores.<\/p>\n

Mi primo se llamaba Danny y \u00e9l ten\u00eda Medicaid. Ten\u00eda cuatro a\u00f1os de edad y estaba en silla de ruedas. Traduc\u00eda para mi t\u00eda durante las visitas al doctor para que \u00e9l tuviera acceso a un m\u00e9dico, a los servicios y para que \u00e9l pudiera ir a la escuela. Nos hicimos muy cercanos.<\/p>\n

Un d\u00eda, cuando llegu\u00e9 de la escuela le pregunt\u00e9 a mi mam\u00e1 \u201c\u00bfD\u00f3nde est\u00e1n Danny y mi t\u00eda?\u201d Y ella me dijo que se hab\u00edan ido al hospital. Yo dije \u201c\u00bfPor qu\u00e9? Hoy no se supon\u00eda que ten\u00edan que ir al hospital.\u201d \u00c9l ten\u00eda que ir de manera rutinaria.<\/p>\n

Mi madre me explic\u00f3 que algo hab\u00eda pasado y que le hab\u00edan llamado a mi t\u00eda para que lo recogiera en la escuela y lo llevara al doctor. Fue muy bizarro.<\/p>\n

Danny se enferm\u00f3 en la escuela y ellos no supieron qu\u00e9 era lo que ten\u00eda. En vez de llamar a la ambulancia, le llamaron a mi t\u00eda para que lo recogiera. Ella lo quer\u00eda llevar al hospital m\u00e1s cercano, pero ten\u00eda miedo de que no lo recibieran sin su tarjeta de salud. As\u00ed que pas\u00f3 a la casa para recogerla y lo llev\u00f3 al hospital. Pero Danny estaba ya muy enfermo. Muri\u00f3 ese mismo d\u00eda.<\/p>\n

Esa historia me enoja y entristece tanto porque mi t\u00eda tom\u00f3 la decisi\u00f3n de pasar a la casa primero bas\u00e1ndose en experiencias e interacciones previas con el sistema de salud. Me imagino otro escenario donde en vez de pasar a la casa, ella hubiera ido directo al hospital, pero ah\u00ed la hubieran rechazado por no tener su tarjeta e igual hubiera tenido que ir a casa. As\u00ed que no importa la historia, el final nunca puede ser uno feliz.<\/p>\n

Yo no creo que la historia de Danny sea \u00fanica para alguien indocumentado. Personas sin seguro o con pocos ingresos muere porque no tiene acceso a servicios de salud o atenci\u00f3n m\u00e9dica cuando ya es demasiado tarde. La experiencia por la que yo viv\u00ed me hace querer trabajar en el sector de salud y ayudar a otros migrantes en barrios como La Villita.<\/p>\n

A veces me pregunto c\u00f3mo ser\u00eda La Villita si tuviera los recursos adecuados en t\u00e9rminos de escuelas, empleo y servicios de salud. Yo creo que ser\u00eda mucho mejor para tratar con temas como la violencia y la pobreza.<\/p>\n

La gente en La Villita es muy c\u00e1lida como vecinos. Esa calidez en el vecindario no se puede comprar.<\/p>\n

Muchos d\u00edas pienso en que es algo bueno vivir en La Villita. Una vez en la universidad, le dije a un par de personas que yo era indocumentada y fui condenada y marginada. Un grupo estudiantil escribi\u00f3 un art\u00edculo sobre mi y le ped\u00edan a otros alumnos que me reportaran con las autoridades migratorias para que yo fuera deportada. Esa nunca fue mi experiencia viviendo en La Villita porque ah\u00ed una gran parte de la gente tambi\u00e9n es indocumentada. No eres un extranjero si no tienes papeles o si no eres beneficiario de DACA. Pero ahora, por la situaci\u00f3n pol\u00edtica, se siente como si nuestra comunidad fuera perseguida.<\/p>\n

Inherentemente resistimos y somos fuerte como una comunidad migrante. Ha sido una identidad y da una sensaci\u00f3n de orgullo. Pero al mismo tiempo, con la situaci\u00f3n pol\u00edtica actual, me hace preguntarme si debimos haber sido tan vocales al respecto.<\/p>\n

Como fue contado a Nissa Rhee; Traducci\u00f3n de Sebasti\u00e1n Gonz\u00e1lez de Le\u00f3n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Jimena Mart\u00ednez emigr\u00f3 a Estados Unidos con sus padres y dos hermanos cuando ten\u00eda cinco a\u00f1os.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":965,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[28,325],"tags":[],"coauthors":[213],"class_list":{"0":"post-49","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-as-told-to","8":"category-environmentandhealth"},"yoast_head":"\nA health advocate talks about growing up in Little Village and her memories of crossing the border as a\u00a0child – Borderless Magazine NFP<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A health advocate talks about growing up in Little Village and her memories of crossing the border as a\u00a0child – Borderless Magazine NFP\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/es\/2018\/07\/31\/jimena-martinez\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"es_MX\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A health advocate talks about growing up in Little Village and her memories of crossing the border as a\u00a0child – Borderless Magazine NFP\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A health advocate talks about growing up in Little Village and her memories of crossing the border as a\u00a0child – Borderless Magazine NFP\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/es\/2018\/07\/31\/jimena-martinez\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Borderless Magazine NFP\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/BorderlessMagazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-07-31T14:37:07+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-10-09T16:19:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/1_cQ1_SpBWJ1xrN5-EZXqvqA.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Nissa Rhee\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Escrito por\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Nissa Rhee\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Tiempo de lectura\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"21 minutos\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label3\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data3\" content=\"Nissa Rhee\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/borderlessmag.org\\\/2018\\\/07\\\/31\\\/jimena-martinez\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/borderlessmag.org\\\/2018\\\/07\\\/31\\\/jimena-martinez\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Nissa Rhee\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/borderlessmag.org\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/9e1f6ef1d1399b3c22a3df50fa970740\"},\"headline\":\"A health advocate talks about growing up in Little Village and her memories of crossing the border as a\u00a0child\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-07-31T14:37:07+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-10-09T16:19:06+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/borderlessmag.org\\\/2018\\\/07\\\/31\\\/jimena-martinez\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":4172,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/borderlessmag.org\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/borderlessmag.org\\\/2018\\\/07\\\/31\\\/jimena-martinez\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/borderlessmag.org\\\/wordpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2018\\\/07\\\/1_cQ1_SpBWJ1xrN5-EZXqvqA.png\",\"articleSection\":[\"As Told To\",\"Environment and Health\"],\"inLanguage\":\"es\",\"copyrightYear\":\"2018\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/borderlessmag.org\\\/es\\\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/borderlessmag.org\\\/2018\\\/07\\\/31\\\/jimena-martinez\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/borderlessmag.org\\\/2018\\\/07\\\/31\\\/jimena-martinez\\\/\",\"name\":\"A health advocate talks about growing up in Little Village and her memories of crossing the border as a\u00a0child – Borderless Magazine NFP\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/borderlessmag.org\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/borderlessmag.org\\\/2018\\\/07\\\/31\\\/jimena-martinez\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/borderlessmag.org\\\/2018\\\/07\\\/31\\\/jimena-martinez\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/borderlessmag.org\\\/wordpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2018\\\/07\\\/1_cQ1_SpBWJ1xrN5-EZXqvqA.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-07-31T14:37:07+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-10-09T16:19:06+00:00\",\"description\":\"A health advocate talks about growing up in Little Village and her memories of crossing the border as a\u00a0child – Borderless Magazine NFP\",\"inLanguage\":\"es\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/borderlessmag.org\\\/2018\\\/07\\\/31\\\/jimena-martinez\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"es\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/borderlessmag.org\\\/2018\\\/07\\\/31\\\/jimena-martinez\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/borderlessmag.org\\\/wordpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2018\\\/07\\\/1_cQ1_SpBWJ1xrN5-EZXqvqA.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/borderlessmag.org\\\/wordpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2018\\\/07\\\/1_cQ1_SpBWJ1xrN5-EZXqvqA.png\"},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/borderlessmag.org\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/borderlessmag.org\\\/\",\"name\":\"Borderless Magazine NFP\",\"description\":\"Stories about immigration and immigrants\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/borderlessmag.org\\\/#organization\"},\"alternateName\":\"Borderless\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/borderlessmag.org\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"es\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/borderlessmag.org\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Borderless Magazine NFP\",\"alternateName\":\"Borderless Mag\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/borderlessmag.org\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"es\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/borderlessmag.org\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/borderlessmag.org\\\/wordpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/BorderlessLogo_main_square.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/borderlessmag.org\\\/wordpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/BorderlessLogo_main_square.jpg\",\"width\":696,\"height\":696,\"caption\":\"Borderless Magazine NFP\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/borderlessmag.org\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/BorderlessMagazine\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/borderless_mag\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.tiktok.com\\\/@borderless_mag\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/borderlessmag.org\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/9e1f6ef1d1399b3c22a3df50fa970740\",\"name\":\"Nissa Rhee\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"es\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/343701f977b46053f6602c06aae6fe8224c8310bb9e2931b66e3a2a9041f4306?s=96&d=mm&r=ga78406e3af194ed17f6d178b0e1e9952\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/343701f977b46053f6602c06aae6fe8224c8310bb9e2931b66e3a2a9041f4306?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/343701f977b46053f6602c06aae6fe8224c8310bb9e2931b66e3a2a9041f4306?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Nissa Rhee\"},\"description\":\"Nissa is a Peabody-award nominated journalist whose work has appeared in The Christian Science Monitor and Chicago magazine, among others. In her 15-year career, she has covered global issues as a producer at Chicago Public Radio, served as a foreign correspondent in South Korea and Vietnam, and reported on police abuse and gun violence in Chicago. In 2019, she received the Chicago Headline Club award for best online feature story. Previously, she served as a reporting fellow at the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma and a juvenile justice reporting fellow at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. She holds a bachelor\u2019s degree from the University of Chicago and a Master\u2019s degree in International Studies from the University of Queensland\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/borderlessmag.org\\\/es\\\/author\\\/nissa-rhee\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Una defensora de la salud habla de su infancia en Little Village y de sus recuerdos al cruzar la frontera de ni\u00f1a - Borderless Magazine NFP","description":"Una defensora de la salud habla de su infancia en Little Village y de sus recuerdos al cruzar la frontera de ni\u00f1a - Borderless Magazine NFP","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/es\/2018\/07\/31\/jimena-martinez\/","og_locale":"es_MX","og_type":"article","og_title":"A health advocate talks about growing up in Little Village and her memories of crossing the border as a\u00a0child – Borderless Magazine NFP","og_description":"A health advocate talks about growing up in Little Village and her memories of crossing the border as a\u00a0child – Borderless Magazine NFP","og_url":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/es\/2018\/07\/31\/jimena-martinez\/","og_site_name":"Borderless Magazine NFP","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/BorderlessMagazine","article_published_time":"2018-07-31T14:37:07+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-10-09T16:19:06+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/1_cQ1_SpBWJ1xrN5-EZXqvqA.png","width":1,"height":1,"type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Nissa Rhee","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Escrito por":"Nissa Rhee","Tiempo de lectura":"21 minutos","Written by":"Nissa Rhee"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/2018\/07\/31\/jimena-martinez\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/2018\/07\/31\/jimena-martinez\/"},"author":{"name":"Nissa Rhee","@id":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/#\/schema\/person\/9e1f6ef1d1399b3c22a3df50fa970740"},"headline":"A health advocate talks about growing up in Little Village and her memories of crossing the border as a\u00a0child","datePublished":"2018-07-31T14:37:07+00:00","dateModified":"2025-10-09T16:19:06+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/2018\/07\/31\/jimena-martinez\/"},"wordCount":4172,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/2018\/07\/31\/jimena-martinez\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/1_cQ1_SpBWJ1xrN5-EZXqvqA.png","articleSection":["As Told To","Environment and Health"],"inLanguage":"es","copyrightYear":"2018","copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/es\/#organization"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/2018\/07\/31\/jimena-martinez\/","url":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/2018\/07\/31\/jimena-martinez\/","name":"Una defensora de la salud habla de su infancia en Little Village y de sus recuerdos al cruzar la frontera de ni\u00f1a - Borderless Magazine NFP","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/2018\/07\/31\/jimena-martinez\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/2018\/07\/31\/jimena-martinez\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/1_cQ1_SpBWJ1xrN5-EZXqvqA.png","datePublished":"2018-07-31T14:37:07+00:00","dateModified":"2025-10-09T16:19:06+00:00","description":"Una defensora de la salud habla de su infancia en Little Village y de sus recuerdos al cruzar la frontera de ni\u00f1a - Borderless Magazine NFP","inLanguage":"es","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/2018\/07\/31\/jimena-martinez\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"es","@id":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/2018\/07\/31\/jimena-martinez\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/1_cQ1_SpBWJ1xrN5-EZXqvqA.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/1_cQ1_SpBWJ1xrN5-EZXqvqA.png"},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/","name":"Revista Borderless NFP","description":"Historias sobre inmigraci\u00f3n e inmigrantes","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/#organization"},"alternateName":"Borderless","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"es"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/#organization","name":"Revista Borderless NFP","alternateName":"Borderless Mag","url":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"es","@id":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/BorderlessLogo_main_square.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/BorderlessLogo_main_square.jpg","width":696,"height":696,"caption":"Borderless Magazine NFP"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/BorderlessMagazine","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/borderless_mag\/","https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@borderless_mag"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/#\/schema\/person\/9e1f6ef1d1399b3c22a3df50fa970740","name":"Nissa Rhee","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"es","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/343701f977b46053f6602c06aae6fe8224c8310bb9e2931b66e3a2a9041f4306?s=96&d=mm&r=ga78406e3af194ed17f6d178b0e1e9952","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/343701f977b46053f6602c06aae6fe8224c8310bb9e2931b66e3a2a9041f4306?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/343701f977b46053f6602c06aae6fe8224c8310bb9e2931b66e3a2a9041f4306?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Nissa Rhee"},"description":"Nissa es una periodista nominada al premio Peabody cuyo trabajo ha aparecido en The Christian Science Monitor y la revista Chicago, entre otros. En sus 15 a\u00f1os de carrera, ha cubierto temas globales como productora en Chicago Public Radio, ha sido corresponsal extranjera en Corea del Sur y Vietnam, y ha informado sobre abusos policiales y violencia armada en Chicago. En 2019, recibi\u00f3 el premio Chicago Headline Club al mejor reportaje en l\u00ednea. Anteriormente, fue becaria de reportaje en el Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma y becaria de reportaje sobre justicia juvenil en el John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Es licenciada por la Universidad de Chicago y tiene un m\u00e1ster en Estudios Internacionales por la Universidad de Queensland.","url":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/es\/author\/nissa-rhee\/"}]}},"cc_featured_image_caption":{"caption_text":false,"source_text":false,"source_url":false},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29689,"href":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49\/revisions\/29689"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/965"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=49"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}