By Linda Lutton
At the end of the counter in the back corner of the store, Gutierrez and his people have squeezed a card table between stacks of Sunny Delight juice drink and a warm display of pork rinds. Staff members surround Gutierrez, who’s casually dressed for a congressman, though he’s probably the only guy in the store with a tie. He appears to be having a good time. “We’ve gotta negotiate better,” he jokes. “You know, not everyone makes it back here. When we go to Jewel they put us right in front.”
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The man whispers a response. “But it’s my mother. She still lives in Michoacan. I want to know how I can bring her over.”
“I think I have a new one,” the congressman announces suddenly, holding up a well-preserved black-and-white photo ID card from 1955. “He’s got his father’s old alien laborer’s card. His father paid social security for years; he wants to see if he can get the money.”
