The Untold: The Life of Undocumented Illegal Immigrants Based on Their True Story

By K. R. Niez

Being a foreign worker, they come to the country empty-handed, hoping for the best not only for them but also for their family, but sometimes, life overseas turns sour and not as they expected it to be. But should they be mistreated?

This book, their story, shows love, courage, motivation on how being an undocumented foreign worker has changed their lives for the better, for the change, for new beginnings not only for themselves but also to the people that they encounter in their life, showing and proving that despite everything that happens in life, there is always hope.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris AU
• Release date: Sep 10, 2015
• ISBN: 9781503508026

K. R. Niez

Growing up on my own makes me believe that I am different, I know that I am meant for something, My life has always been a question mark for me, like I am doing something but I know that I meant to do something else. I love to write, I am passionate about it maybe because there is nothing much I can do, not having that great education like everyone does, I am a very determined person, working here and there and at the same time write something and then throw it out until one day I was sitting in the restaurant and across the street was a lady crying, what am I doing eating here while she is crying over there, and I realize that she have that story behind those tears, one thing about me is that I love to ask people anything about everything, one habit that no matter how much I ignored I just can't helped it, and hoping that they will answer me, I have been always confidence about myself, never been shy, I never care on what people say about me especially when they pull me down. The lady across the street tells me a story that got my writing in action as I didn't thought that such story exist, so for my first book i dedicate this to all the foreign workers across the globe, Undocumented or Not.

Book preview

Save a Life,

I was 15 years of age when I left Lwak it is a small village in Kenya, well my mother was sick and my twin sister is taking care of her, from where I come from money is not easy to get, you need to work 10x harder to a small amount of dollar and it is not enough to pay for my mother’s medicine, One day I meet Kula he is like the ‘Mr. know it all’ in the village when people need to know something they come to him, you know like a newspaper guy, you want some info he give you the info, I ask him directly where can I get money because my mother is sick, he said to me ‘look at my face boka is there a dollar sign that pops in my eyeball?’ I said NO, but people say you know where I can get some, He told me that all I need is a passport and nothing else, well, I am not going to lie I am un educated and my English before is horrible I have this friend who can speak and read English so whenever a person ask me or say something I would give them a pen and ask them to write it down for me so when I have time to see my friend he would translate for me and make me understand the words or sentences.

When I have the passport I ask him what is this for? He told me this is your tools to go away and find the money that you are looking for, for you mother, I was so happy that day, when I got home that night I tell my twin sister and the same time she also have news for me my mother needs to be admitted to the hospital because of Malaria, plenty of people in Africa dies because of Malaria, the next day I go to see Kula and ask him where can I go and find money he told me I need to wait, but he lend me a bit of money, we manage to put my mother in the hospital to get treated but the medical bills becomes impossible to pay.

I keep doing extra works until the day Kula came and told me that I am ready to go, he came along with me as he is a business man and travels many times to many places, no one really knows what he does but he does it anyway, I settled my sister and my mother and told them that I will be back before they know it with plenty of money to not only pay the bills but to also make sure to give them a better life.

We reach Germany with no problem, we come out in the airport we take the Taxi give him the address of where we want to go, I am new to the whole thing but ‘Mr. Know it all’ seems to got it all figured out, our destination was Reeperbahn streets where everything you need and want is there and even the ones that you don’t need either, Kula applied me for a job and got me a proper working Visa (as he say it) which is valid for a year, what is a job? Cleaners… but that was enough for me, paid is higher than what I used to earn in Kenya, way much higher, First month was not a good month Kula take almost 3quarter of my salary, payment of what I have owed him back in Kenya, Second month is the same thing for the Air Thickets and the money that he spent travelling and the Third month as well for the rent and almost everything, every month he got different reason to take my money, the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth and Seventh month is better for me I manage to send most of my salary back home for my mother and sister, I am working 2 jobs, Cleaner in the morning and dishwasher at night, times are good and I manage to take care of myself and look more appropriate even I know Germans, they hated me, I can see it from the way they look at me, I am not sure why but I guess this is the price I get for being black in a white country, on the Eight months the truth hit me my mother pass away and I wanted to go back home, Kula told me that there is no way I can’t go home unless I surrendered and be put in jailed, I didn’t quite understand what that means and so I ask him what it means and one of the guys that I stayed in a flat with says ‘your visa is fake brother’ then that is when the dark hits me, I punch Kula, tried to bit him up to date because I trusted him and I paid him with my hard earn money and for what? For cheating me. I face the true fact, I called my twin sister told her that I can’t come home for the funeral, send her money to settle it and make sure everything is okay and being paid properly and accordingly.

3 months after the death of my mother my sister got Malaria, the only connection we have was through by phone and so I move her to the city so she can have internet connection and we can see each other’s faces, when she told me she have a Malaria I know that she needed me, but at the same time I was being kicked out of job because of having a fake working visa, I was lucky that my manager didn’t reported me to the Police, I didn’t come out from the apartment for so many days, my house mate told me that is okay to walk around just to remember be cool and not to get caught but I find it hard to move around town until one day I tried it out, I walked around the corner and nothing happens to me, I acted cool like I own the streets and I got used to it, I learn the streets and the corner, the easiest, the fastest and the longest way to reach my apartment.

I couldn’t find any decent job I have tried looking for a job for weeks but no one would accept me, until I meet Serono, he is a Mexican man who owns a club on a street he said ‘I give you a good cut to sell some dope’ I will think about it…. I said

He look at me in the eye and said, ‘why don’t you wait for your sister to die, before you agree maybe that way you can still help her’

How did you know about my sister? I ask

This is my street… he said… people talk…

So I took the offer, I sell some dope in the corner and when I saw a cop’s car I run as fast as I can

When I earn the money my sister pass away, just like my mother I didn’t manage to see her, I didn’t even know how she got buried or if she ever get buried at that moment I see no point of earning money, I just sell drugs, hide and when I wake up the next day or night do the same thing again, until I meet this girl, we meet in accidents, I was walking on my way to the ghetto and this car clash in front my eyes and this girl was on the opposite road standing, she was frozen she couldn’t move, she was shocked, there was a child in the car, I run not sure where to heed, run to the girl or to the child but I have no choice but to run to the child first, I got him out and his father but unfortunately his mother is already dead, I run to the girl and she is still frozen so I keep shake her shoulders until she wakes up, and when she was back to normal she ask me what happen but unfortunately I couldn’t stay because the I am sure the cops is on their way so I walk and run away from her, all I could hear is her yelling…. Saying… Hey!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I waited for the cops to leave and hoping that she will be waiting there for me but when I reach the area she was not there, oh well…. What was I thinking, but the next morning I go back there again and there she was on the same place she was standing yesterday.

Hey…. she said,

Hey… I said

Why did you run away yesterday? She ask

I have too… I said

But why? She ask again

Because I don’t think I was still needed…

You we’re… she said

The boy’s father was looking for you

But why? I ask

To give thanks I guess…. She said

I have to go… I said

Why do you always run away… she ask… if you run, I will follow… she said

And so she followed me and what comes along with that is her none stop questioning.

I am Amanda, what is your name?

Boka, short for Amboka

We meet each other almost every day, I have change my life and manage to work in dry cleaning owned by African lady Ms Kruchiya who is married to a German man, my salary is just enough to pay for the room that I leave in and take Amanda out for dinner sometimes because we can’t go for a movie, it upset it that I don’t want to go to the malls but it will upset her if she can’t see me no more because I got caught and got deported so I’d rather stay in door, I never told her that I am illegal, after she and I has been in a relationship for 2 years something happen at the end of the block of where I was staying, there was a Police all over the place and I didn’t realize that, they caught me and they took me to the Police station all I have is my passport with me with a fake working Visa on it which was 2-3 years ago, they started questioning me on how I got it, I didn’t say anything all I could say is that I want to call someone and I call Ms Kruchiva for help and she came to the Police station with Amanda and from the moment that Amanda know that I was illegal in her country she change, I could see it from her eyes, Ms Kruchiva did the best that she could to help but the Police just won’t give in because of the fake working Visa that was on my passport, Amanda walk off from the Police station and didn’t even looked back and that was the last I saw her, Ms Kruchiva just surrender me to the Police and told me to accept the punishment as it was my fault and so I did, the Police visited the place that I lived in and some of my house mate who is also illegal has been captured and jailed, Ms Kruchiva comes and visit me in Prison until the day they deported me to my country in Aftrica which was after 53 days in prison, I never heard anything about Amanda but despite of all, I wish her the best, I have reach my country and started a new life and Ms Kruchiva help me out in rebuilding my life and now I own a small business in Kenya and travels as a tourist 1 in a year for 3 days exploring new country.

Amboka

African

Save a life

Because your life is the life of the others.

Marriage,

My husband and I meet in the Online Dating Site, and just like any other we fell in love, as time passes everything went well, he came into my country in the Philippines, visited me and my family after knowing 3 months Online, He was all good, everything happen too fast for me and the next thing I know after 1 year we are arranging our marriage in his country Malaysia, truth been told his parents and family doesn’t really like me, perhaps because I am 10 years younger than him or maybe because they are thinking of something different, I really can’t tell what it was all about, it was difficult for us to be married in his country but at the end we pulled it through which his parents and 1 sister didn’t attend the wedding but it was okay for us, his parents wasn’t happy that my husband is the one to pay for my parents thicket to come over for a month to help and support me on our wedding, it was not a big wedding it was just a simple judge wedding, the important part for us is just for us to be married and be happy…well that was what I wanted but after a year of being married everything seems different, he wanted me to look for a job so I won’t feel bored at home doing nothing and so I did, I work in one of the Insurance company as receptionist, I am home at 6:30pm to prepare for dinner for us, we rented a studio apartment and we seems happy about it, we shared almost every bills and payment like most married couple will do. But the change of us become extremely distance, he doesn’t come home at 6 or 7pm anymore but instead he come home at 11pm or 12am and often go to overseas all the time, there is no communication between us anymore, as if we we’re not married and I don’t understand why, I ask myself where did I go wrong but I couldn’t find any answer so I ask him when he was back and his answer was ‘enough with this drama’.

I told him that I want a baby, and he said okay fine and who is going to take care of the baby when we are both working? His voice is very different from the way that he was more than a year ago, his tone change, he is talking to me like I am not his wife, that morning I called my mother and she told me to come back home to my country first, I told my husband about it and he said that in fact it was a very good idea so I applied for a week off work to go back to my country, I told my parents that I am okay although I don’t know what makes me and my husband this way, I thought that the week off will get me off worrying but it didn’t because he only calls once in 3 days so I change my ticket 2 days earlier to go back home to my husband and when I arrive home it looks like he has never been home, some of his working clothes that I prepared for him for a week has not been touch, so I give him a call and ask him where he is, he said he is at work so I called his office and his office said that he is on leave, I waited for him for 2 days at home and when he finally return I ask him if he is having an affair and his answer was ‘I have to many work to do so please do not disturb me’ I told him that I come back 2 days ago and he couldn’t be bothered same time I went to the Dr. and found out that I am 2 month pregnant and he was not so happy about that, to make the story shorter our marriage carry on like this for the next 7 years, he’s temper change, his anger got worst so I ask him if he wanted a divorce, he looked at me looking confuse, I told him he can always answer yes, but he didn’t.

It comes to the point that I only have to cooked for me and for my son alone because we can only see him once or twice in 2 weeks and after 7 years of being married he refuse to renew my dependent Visa (married visa) which is to ne renew every year and I become and illegal immigrants of the country but my son is Malaysian, 1 day he come home and just take all of his clothes, I send him a message I really don’t know when, where or how did our relationship end up this way, and he replied me ‘our relationship went too fast I choose the wrong girl’ so I ask him why did he marry me and he’s reply was ‘sorry wrong choice’ the next day when I was sleeping he took my son and leave me a letter and he change his number, and his letter says,

‘please move out from this condo as soon as possible because the owner want to take it back unless you can pay it, I took Jaden(my son)with me because I don’t think he have future in your hands, I am sorry for everything, I can’t help any further….. Sam’

That is all what he wrote in his letter, I took a cab and went to his parents’ house to look for my son but he was not there, on the way back there was a road block and all I have is my passport with my expired visa stamp, my visa expired for the past 2 months because he refuse to renew it, I explained everything to the Police they didn’t believe me and I could understand why because I look and sounded desperate that night, confuse to where I will look for my son and have no idea what will happen to me, the Police took me to the police station of which they ask me to call my husband, I call her sister and after 4 hours My husband and his sister came, I thought that they will come and bail me out but instead they bring clothes for me, I saw them talking to the Police and I heard my husband said she and I has not been together for many years now it is best if you send her back to her country.

When I heard that my heart is shuttered in pieces, I have been through a lot and I didn’t think that my husband would say those things, I thought that he will bail me out for the sake of my son, my tears never stop dropping, I call my mother and ash her to fly the next day but when she arrive she also cannot do anything, so I have to stay in jail for 2months before they deport me back to Philippines.

The way that my husband treated me is despicable, I have reported him and after 6 months of battle I took my son away from him, I didn’t break the law by choice but I was given with nothing to choose from, if my husband had informed me that he is no longer going renew my visa I would have taken my son back to the Philippines before my visa expired.

Being a single mother makes me happier now than being with a useless and brainless husband who know nothing about raising a family, thanks to him I learn a great lesson in life and because of that lesson I manage to put my son and myself in a great and comfortable pace in life.

Jasmin

Filipina

As the time travel

Be alert and don’t crumble

My Father,

At the age of 25 shit happens, I was involve in a gang fight in my country and my parents had no choice but to send me away and they sent me to Australia and as the month goes by I am running out of cash, I make zero in a month and spend like a boss, will that’s because my parents send me money until one day they said, we don’t have money anymore for you son so now you on your own, I didn’t know what to do, I am going to be illegal soon, I have no choice but to ask around and they told me to go far away from the city and find a place where I can hide and work at the same time, Australia they have a very apple plantation every where

So I followed a person who is also a Malaysian and illegal in Australia picking apples and that is how I earn my living, I pick apples when its season and party and get drunk when I get paid, my head got straighten up when one of my friends of whom I meet in Australia dies because of drug overdose and it reminded me of what happen in Malaysia, it has been quite sometimes that I have not spoken to my family, I was angry because the last time I ask money they refuse to give so I cut them off, but then my parents did the best thing they can by sending me away because I could be jailed in my country for life.

After 3 years I speak to my mother for the first time and she told me that my father has been going through chemotherapy for a cancer, and she added that he doesn’t really look like he can make it any longer and my dad couldn’t even remember certain things because he had been given so much medication, the next day I surrendered to the Authority in Australia hoping that they will deport me the same day but as we all know the system doesn’t really work that way, they deported me after 30 days, and when I reach Malaysia my father already died the night of the last day I spoke to my mother right before I surrendered myself, I didn’t even manage to see his face for the last time. I regretted everything, I regret being involve with a gang, being associated with drugs, being away.

Kian

Malaysian

Parents – Raise us up

Love us with all their heart

Give us all they’ve got

Time, Love & Care is what we can all give back

My Family, My Life,

Singapore is a lovely place to live in but not to get caught, you see back in my country there is really no hope, if I want to give a better future to my children I need to be somewhere, someplace where I can earn more than I deserve or at least more than what I use to earn back at home, and being a singer is not really as easy as what everyone thinks, I have been singing all over and to many countries from Japan, to Korea, to America, to Dubai but I become illegal in Singapore as our agent cheated us, you can be illegal in any country but just not in Singapore, they are a very strict country, the whole country is like 24/7 plus 30min extra under surveillance by the government, they take care of their country that good and that tight, One day I went to the mall with my group and we all doesn’t have a visa yet as our agent said that it is processing, we go to the mall and one of the cops in Civilian clothing ask us where are we heeded and we say we are going to the mall, the cops ask where are working we told him that we are not working yet, we are about to work though once our Visa is approve, he ask us to show him our passports of which we all have 2 days left, so he ask why our visa is still processing when we only have 2 days left to stay, which was a very good question and we as well is asking ourselves the same question, he told us 2 things, A is to call our agent B. Is to go back and pack up tomorrow buy our thicket and leave the country the day after that, so what we did was we call our agent who is not picking up his phone and while doing that the cops waited for us to get a hold of our agent but he is not really answering his phone so the cops ask where is the hotel that we are supposed to play so we told him the hotel the cops call his back up and put us in his car while another 2 cops come over and took us to the hotel, when we arrive there the hotel said they have no such agent and they already have singers and they still have 1 more month to go, so the cops now really think that we are all lying, they send us all to our apartment and we started packing all of our stuff and started buying ticket online, I don’t have budget for ticket all I have is a friend in Singapore of whom I thought can help me anytime I needed help, all the cops we’re sitting in our place waiting for us to finished up packing but I really have no money to buy ticket and I ask all of my team and I don’t know if they really have no money or just doesn’t want to help me, I told one of the cops that I needed to go down and get some money from my friend, 1 of the cop follows me I start running as fast as I can because I really have no idea what to do, I have kids back home in my country and I needed to find money for them and my wife left me for a white man and I want to prove to her that I can take care of our kids without her.

I got away from the cops and manage to reach my friend’s house without being caught, I was so scared I left my passport and my clothes and everything in that place and my friend’s advice is to surrender because there is really nothing much they can do for me and they don’t want to get involve, they let me borrow some clothes and SGD200 to buy the ticket back home to my country but I really doesn’t want to go back yet, so I used the money go far away from the city, where I begun working as a masseuse in a high class massage center where mostly of our client is a middle age women from all over the world, the money was good and I am always in a hiding, I have to ask my boss to send my money back to my kids in my country in the Philippines for them to pay schools and medicine, whatever my kid’s needs, my life goes on like this for several months, when I come to think about surrendering myself that’s when a huge typhoon hits my country and kids are affected our house was buried to the depth of the water, and all I could hear was the scream of my children and cries of my mother, trying to save 2 children, my girls are my world and my mother is my savior, I have no choice but to stay and continue working, different day, different women, I live by salary and tips and sometimes my clients are the ones who buy some food for me, all I know is that I needed to do these, all of these that I am doing for the girls, to fix our house, to send them to school and to pay for my mother’s medication.

After the hiding and working like these I finally come through, my house is fix and all paid including the land, I got the girls’ schools fees settle for at least until they graduated Elementary now they are still in Grade 2 and my mother’s heath is all better, I feel like what I have done to help my family is all worth it, no matter what it is, as long as what I did is all for them, I will go all the way for them and if these happens again in the future I would still do the same thing to help and raise them, this is all for them, not for me but for them.

The painful part was when I was on my way to surrender I got caught eventually in the road but at least this time I am prepared to go home, they deported me after few months, what I went through was not a good thing but it was all my fault, the Police still needs to do their duty as police officer.

When I reached my country seeing my children all grown up, and my mom healthy and happy, I feel like it was all worth it, I feel a change and the new beginning I never went back to Singapore ever again, I continue with my singing Gig until I build a foundation that is really worthy to be proud of…

Jason L

Filipino

No one will believe that you can do it

But do it anyway, believe for family

Human Traficking,

I meet Jacob in Thailand I was working in one of the restaurant in Siam Paragon,

One day there was a food testing and he come over and tested our food but that was not the first time that I have seen him, I have seen him pass by many times, and we become friends, friends become relationship and relationship leads to a next level in our life but then he can’t be in Thailand anymore, he say he needed to go back to Denmark, my love for him force to apply a Visa to follow him and search for him in Denmark and the only he give to me is that he lives in Copenhagen, I remember shouting at the airport ‘Copenhagen here I come!!!’ I have to fly so many airplane just to see him, but when I reach Copenhagen it is very big, I have no idea where to begin, I don’t think my savings can even afford for a month, the next day I started looking for a job, I end up meeting one of Thai girl as well, she has been in and out Denmark for many many times in so many years and so I ask her if she is working and she said she is.

She showed me around the place where she work as a dancer and so I applied as a waitress, she told me that my body very good why apply as a waitress only, I told her my purpose of coming, I am hoping that one day Jacob will come and see me as I have message him the address of where I am located, hoping that 1 day he will come over and just ask me to be with him if not marry him.

2 – 3 months have pass he still didn’t show up, I showed have known from the First month that passes by that he is not going to show up ever, I am running out of days as my Visa is about to expired, 2 weeks to go and I sent him a message saying that I will go back in Thailand after 2 weeks and the next day he showed up, I was so happy to just even see him only, I feel like my whole world just come alive, he told me how much he missis me and if he could take me out for dinner and so I agree, my heart jump upside down, we talk about us, the past we have in Thailand and so he ask me not to go back to Thailand and again I agree because of I love him,

But he used me, he promised me that he will settle everything for me and we will stay together but none of his promise happens, instead he uses me for a different purpose, he uses my body to send drugs to different places, he makes me eat a lot of packed drugs cover my eyes, put me in van and when we get to the destination he would ask me to poop it out, he instructed me what to do, what to eat, how to move, how to walk so I wont damage the product inside my stomach, different promise, different delivery, different location, my eyes is closed but I know we are just dealing with some person because the same voice, and I did it all because of the stupid love I felt for him.

Aton my dancer friend wakes me up from the reality that he is just using me, so I told Jacob that I have to stop and that I can’t do it anymore but he said I have to continue doing it or he will report me to the police and I told him I don’t care, I told him that I won’t say anything to the police I just want to go back to Thailand I told him that I miss my family so much, but he doesn’t want so I ask Aton to help me runaway and we run directly to the embassy and that is where and how I got out, the embassy helped me to go back to Thailand and the nightmare of my life is finally over, I cried the hardest when I reach back Bangkok because I know that this is my land and no one will dare to harm me here, I let the embassy handle the issue for me back in Denmark, but I never heard anything from them so I guess they remain quiet and so did I, I hope that Jacob wont have any other victim and I hope and pray that he will get caught, what he did to me is inhuman and no one should experience the way that I did, I never told anyone except my mother but she is too old to understand what I am talking about, I tried to explain to her to many times but I guess she is also too old to listen to this story over and over again,

2006 to 2007 was the horror year of my life and I am lucky to get out of it, being illegal in another country is not as bad as you think it is, but the people who are willing to put you in trouble is the worst thing that you can imagine and experience ever. Be careful who you love and who you trust. ALWAYS

Nep

Thai

Love but not too much

The Malaysian Superwoman,

I am already an illegal immigrants with nothing but an expired passport in my hand working as a waitress in Soledad restaurant in Milan when I meet Edwardo, he is a grumpy old cripple man, he couldn’t walk, he is on his wheelchair but he still comes often to the restaurant every single day for breakfast with his personal nurse, grumpy and always complaining, he complains about almost everything, when his wife died he got no one aside from his adopted sister who we’re never really there for him, so he hired a personal nurse instead who took care of everything, from his health to his house to his farm… everything, and unfortunately Edwardo never had a child.

One day he come to the restaurant alone, trying to wheel himself in, and so I can’t ask him where is Belinda, who is the name of his personal nurse and he said women you are all alike,

Ya ya ya, I said and help him inside, he order the regular same bacon and eggs with coffee and sugar… Isn’t coffee bad for your health? I ask, he give me an angry look and said just give me the damn coffee and move out from my way, I gave him his coffee without sugar and he spill it out all over my uniform, he called my manager and complain but I didn’t stop there the next day he come over I did the same thing again, give him his coffee without sugar he was furious but just before he leave the restaurant, I told him, if your nurse is not around no one else will going to look after you and you are just going to die in that wheelchair if you are not going to allow me to help in a little bits of way that I can.

He never say a word, he left and he never return after 2 weeks and when he return he look so much different and he look at me in the eye said my nurse is not coming back and he never went to toilet and bathroom or anything like that, he never had his shower since then, his nurse said that she will be back the next day of the day she left but she never did, so I told him that I am only free after my shift and he look at me and said I would like to eat, so I let him in the restaurant and give him some food and same as usual I give him his coffee unsweetened, why do you always do this to me, he ask, I give him a