Natalia Mendez, 45, owns La Morada Restaurant along with her family in the Mott Haven section of the South Bronx. She moved to New York City in the early 1990’s from Oxaca, Mexico and has been living over two decades without documents.
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Natalia Mendez, 45, owns La Morada Restaurant along with her family in Mott Haven. The restaurant is known for its authentic oxacan Mexican food, which includes the following ingredients: TK, TK and TK. Her family opened the restaurant in 2009 and has been covered by numerous publications, praising them for their menu. They have also been open about their status of living in the United States as undocumented immigrants. Unlike many who would be afraid to talk about it, they’re pretty proud of it.
Transcript
It’s very difficult for me. It’s like this pain in my heart.
When New York had its economic downturn in 2008, many locations were closing and we saw an opportunity. It wasn’t a great moment but it was the opportunity to put our own place.
Our hearts were set on opening a restaurant even if it were small like this one but we wanted to have something of our own. On April 5, 2009, we were finally able to open La Morada Restaurant
I am from Ahuehuetitlán, from the state of Oxaca, Mexico.
When this news about DAPA [Deferred Action for Parents] came out, I had a lot of hope, a lot of illusions but it was not possible.
You’re leaving everything for a hope, for a better future without knowing that perhaps 15, 20 years down the line, perhaps we’ve gotten food, a place to live, clothes but not the privilege, happiness like all American citizens have to go to visit other places or go on vacations or go wherever they feel like it. We sadly can’t return to our home country. That is the reality.
I had these grand illusions to visit my two grandmothers that were still there and sadly, recently, my maternal grandmother passed away. We have to hold ourselves back, we have to swallow our tears, our pain.
I wait to see if there’s a reform and if DAPA becomes a reality, I hope it’s soon because I want to see my parents-my dad and my mom. I would love to give them a hug and I don’t want it to happen like it happened to my grandmother.
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