Sounding Off:

My little friend Huguito is 10, and old enough to realize that his family is going through painful moments after his dad lost his job because of the economic crisis.

Not having a monthly stable income has been dramatic for his family. But the thought of having his dad leaving the country for legal reasons is much dreaded. Hugo and his family pray it never happens.

Huguito is an American citizen. He was born in the United States, as were his older sister and his younger brother. His extended family, including his grandparents, uncles and aunts, are all naturalized citizens. All arrived before 1984, just in time to regularize their immigration status thanks to the Immigration Reform Act of 1986.

Unfortunately, Huguito’s father came a few months too late, when it was no longer possible to file papers.

I have never known how he got here. He could have taken a plane, or he could have come on a boat like most European immigrants did during the colonial times, or he could have crossed the U.S.-Mexico border on foot, as most Latin American immigrants have during the last two decades.

What I know for sure is that his native country, Mexico, was in the midst of a major economic downturn in the mid-1980s. Outside forces pressured Mexican officials to rid its outdated state-led economic model. Neoliberal economics was introduced as a result. It was a great move for transnational corporations, local economic elites, international financial institutions, such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, and of course U.S.-based businesses.

Thanks to the new economic model, Mexico no longer relies on its own to produce such traditional staples as corn and beans. They now have to import them from other countries.

I could only assume that the new economic changes in Mexico played a role for Huguito’s family to move to the United States.

When his dad got here, he was a young teenager. He enrolled in a local high school in Costa Mesa, mastered the language, adjusted well to the American culture, met his wife and built a family of his own.

Until recently, Huguito’s dad had a steady job. But things began to fall apart when the recession seeped into his house.

Huguito prays for his father to get a new job. He’s afraid of the Costa Mesa police, but never stops dreaming that someday his dad, like himself, will be proudly singing the American anthem.

HUMBERTO CASPA lives in Costa Mesa.