She and her husband arrived in the U.S. 33 years ago, fleeing the war in El Salvador. They have three U.S.-born children, including one serving in the Navy.
Last week, two adult nieces living in El Salvador called, asking for help to migrate to the U.S.
"I told them not to come," Campos said. One is a lawyer, the other an orthodontist. Business is bad for both. "They're professionals over there, but they're going to throw away their careers. Here they're going to work at McDonald's or washing dishes."
If they do insist on coming, Campos said, she will help them. Why? Because blood is thicker than water -- in El Salvador, in the U.S., everywhere.
Campos told me if her nieces do come, she'll give them some basic advice. It's a lot like the message I hear frequently in e-mails from some of my readers: "If you don't study, if you don't learn the language, you'll never be a part of this country."
Actually, that's a translation. What she really said was: "Si una persona no estudia, si no aprende el idioma, nunca será parte de este país."
Afterward, I thought: It's funny how the same idea can sound so different in two different languages. In Spanish, it's friendly advice from one immigrant to another. In English, it can sometimes sound like a threat.
