Now a citizen, he can go home at last

This Thanksgiving, Port Washington resident Rodrigo Santamaria is doing something special to celebrate — he’s heading to Mexico to spend the holiday with his family.

He hasn’t been able to visit them in years — until now. Santamaria became a citizen of the United States in October, and one of the first things he did after subsequently getting a passport was to book a flight home to spend Thanksgiving with his mother Patricia and sister Mili.

“I was going to surprise them but I couldn’t,” Santamaria said. “I feel very lucky I get to see my mother and my sister.

“I feel so blessed. I’m so excited.”

Santamaria wasn’t able to visit his family for all these years because, even though he had a resident green card, the rules don’t allow people holding one to leave the U.S. and re-enter the country. 

“I could live here and work here,” he said. “I just couldn’t travel.”

Santamaria took his oath of citizenship in October in a 30-minute ceremony at the federal courthouse in Milwaukee.

“It was beautiful,” he said. “I’m really proud. It was very moving. I was in tears. There were more than 30 people from different countries, different ethnicities, taking the oath.”

The presiding judge took the oath with the new citizens, he said, and during the ceremony she mentioned everyone’s country of origin.

Afterward, Santamaria and his wife celebrated with family, and the agencies he works for, Balance Inc. and Prime Horizon in Grafton and Port, also held celebrations for him.

“I feel the love of the community,” Santamaria said. “I was already welcome, but now I feel more welcome. I feel the warmth.”  

Santamaria has become a fixture in Ozaukee County. He’s an artist who works with people with disabilities at Balance Inc. and Prime Horizon and has been active in the community, creating murals with residents at Lasata and for the Paint on Port project.

He came to the United States years ago — he’s been a resident of Wisconsin for 11 years, most of them in Port — to visit his half-brothers, but said he didn’t intend to stay.

“It was never my intention to live here forever,” he said. “But this country gave me my greatest gift, my wife.”

He met Bianca while working at Tello’s — he still works at the Port eatery part-time — but she’s not the only thing he’s fallen in love with since coming to America.

“I fell in love with Port Washington,” Santamaria said. “I love Fish Day. I love the lake. I love the people here.

“Since day one, I felt so welcome. I’ve met amazing people here.”

Santamaria’s journey to becoming a citizen was long — seven years, to be precise. 

It was an involved process, he said, including long periods when he didn’t hear anything from immigration services.

“There’s nothing you can do,” he said. “It’s a lot of waiting.”

The process included a series of interviews, both with he and his wife, since he applied through his marriage. He had to submit a significant amount of documentation about his life and work, including providing proof his marriage was a “real marriage,” Santamaria said.

He received his green card — it is literally printed on green paper, he said, — then went through a three-year “trial period” before he could apply for citizenship.

He also had to pass an English test and a citizenship exam that he said is easy for those who study.

He studied to answer 100 questions, Santamaria said, but the actual test was only eight questions.

Then there’s a final and thorough exam, he said.

“Everything was worth it,” he said. “Now I am sure about my situation.”

The wait was difficult, Santamaria said, noting his father died of Covid while he lived in the U.S.

The political division regarding immigration has been unnerving in ways, he said, adding that he tries to separate himself from the politics of the situation.

“I know there’s a lot of hate,” he said, though he hasn’t experienced it. 

“I think my mom was more worried about that than me,” Santamaria said, especially when she saw conflicts and clashes on the news. “I don’t like to live with fear. I didn’t like to think about that.

“What we need is kindness and community. We forget our history, how we were formed by immigrants. The more diverse, I feel, the stronger we are.”

While he’s now an American, Santamaria said, he will always remember and cherish his roots.

“I’m always going to be Mexican,” he said. “I love my traditions.

“Now I’m an American. Life is good.”