Irving Olague and Hannah Arrington Olague

[00:01] IRVING OLAGUE: Hello. My name is Irving Olague I'm 34 years old. Today's date is Monday, September 12, 2022, in Salt Lake City, Utah. The person interviewing me today is my wife, Hannah Olague

[00:17] HANNAH ARRINGTON OLAGUE: My name is Hannah Olague I am 34 years old. Today's date is September 12, 2022. We're in Salt Lake City, Utah, and I am here with Irving Olague who is my husband. I wanted to do this conversation with you to talk about your experience with DACA and coming into the country as an immigrant, as a child immigrant, and how that's shaped your life.

[00:50] IRVING OLAGUE: Yeah, I mean, it's pretty interesting. Pretty incredible, technically. I think I would be the first immigrant generation here in the United States. And I mentioned immigrant because my parents brought us over when I was three years old.

[01:11] HANNAH ARRINGTON OLAGUE: Can you tell a little bit about what you remember coming over at three years old?

[01:16] IRVING OLAGUE: Yeah. I mean, at three years old, it's kind of hard to remember a lot of things, I feel like, especially with everything we've gone through, but I remember very vaguely we were crossing the border down. I would assume it was San Diego, somewhere along that line, and just kind of remembering my who. She wasn't my aunt, but she was my mom's really good friend. From what I've heard is that they were definitely trying to make. Make it a keynote, to say, you know, this is your name. This is your name. Make sure if anyone asks you, this is your name, right. To make sure that the line was covered. As far as, you know, we're kind of. We're gonna be in a situation, we're gonna cross this illegally, but you're gonna pass off as someone who is my son, and I just kind of remember that this is your name. Try not to forget it.

[02:16] HANNAH ARRINGTON OLAGUE: Yeah.

[02:17] IRVING OLAGUE: Yeah.

[02:19] HANNAH ARRINGTON OLAGUE: Did you have any looking back on that time? Were you scared?

[02:26] IRVING OLAGUE: I don't think I was. I think I was too young to know exactly what was going on, and I don't remember anyone asking me anything. Actually, that day, it was fairly simple. We just crossed the border, and then that was it. I know I was with my brother, who is a year older than I am, and I have a sister who is four years older than I am, and she was not present during that time. So it was just me and my brother at that time.

[02:55] HANNAH ARRINGTON OLAGUE: What are your first memories of living here in the US?

[03:02] IRVING OLAGUE: There is a vague memory again, being so young, we lived in a garage, and it was me, my mom, and my brother. And I just remember it was like a mattress with a box spring. We had a dresser and a chair. I didn't know the exact location, but, yeah, it was just kind of like this small little space. And quite honestly, that's as much as I remember.

[03:38] HANNAH ARRINGTON OLAGUE: Do you ever remember a time of feeling different when you were still young and living in California?

[03:47] IRVING OLAGUE: No. I had an interesting experience when we first started school. It was colfax elementary. And so, gosh, I'm really bad with dates, but when you're three years old, what? You're starting first grade, maybe?

[04:04] HANNAH ARRINGTON OLAGUE: Three, yeah. Oh, no. Three. You're not even in preschool.

[04:08] IRVING OLAGUE: Okay, well, then it would have to have been preschool offered at or some sort of daycare program offered up at Colfax. And I remember being kind of taken into a room and to, like, evaluate my english skills or, like, at least to where I might fall within the range of, you know, what I was going to be introduced to. And so it was kind of scary. I remember it almost seemed like it was a storage unit room. Had a whole bunch of those old school, kind of like single seaters with the desktop on it. Right. Already integrated into it. And I remember them going through it was like cards, right. To kind of, you know, what do you see? What image? And that was kind of scary. I do remember my mom was with me that day, so it wasn't as. But, yeah, I'd like to think that was a pretty intense, like, introduction to, you know, what are we doing here and so. And why are we doing this? But it turned out really well. I mean. Yeah.

[05:25] HANNAH ARRINGTON OLAGUE: How old were you when you moved from California to Utah?

[05:30] IRVING OLAGUE: I was 13 at that point.

[05:33] HANNAH ARRINGTON OLAGUE: Do you remember your first impressions of Utah?

[05:36] IRVING OLAGUE: Well, so we would actually come visit Utah a lot. It's a funny story. Like, my dad immigrated down here to the United States with his really good friend, and they kind of did it together. I think three years is from what my father told me, that his friend decided to move to Utah. My father decided to stay here, but they kept a close connection relationship that we would come and visit, like, yearly, and I just would remember the snow, and I didn't know much about it. Right. I just remember that we would always go down to Utah to visit friends and then kind of have fun in the snow. It would always seem to have landed in the winter. It was never something in the summer. So for me, Utah was, like, really cool just because of the snow. It wasn't the same as what California had to offer. But, yeah, when we found out we were moving here, I was kind of excited just because of that factor.

[06:39] HANNAH ARRINGTON OLAGUE: The snow.

[06:40] IRVING OLAGUE: The snow.

[06:45] HANNAH ARRINGTON OLAGUE: Living in Utah, was it? Did you feel, again, at any point, out of place?

[06:53] IRVING OLAGUE: No. No. And so. And that's the funny thing, is that, you know, I think that interview that I had when I was really young was an introduction of to, like, how I feel about where I live. To give you an idea, like, my brother went through the same thing, and him, he was put into, like, a bilingual kind of preschool or first grade kind of program. Right. Dual immersion. And I was just kind of immediately thrown into, like, the english scope of things. So I found myself just alongside, you know, a lot of Americans, a lot of english speaking children. And that's, like, the one thing that I feel a lot of people point out. Like, I would not be able to tell that you were an immigrant. You know, sometimes people have the. In their conversations or they can pick it up in language. And so coming down here just felt pretty normal. I had no idea that we were, like, in a situation that you're an immigrant coming down here. Just. No, not at all. I didn't have any type of weird feeling towards that or out of place. Everything just kind of was going down the line the way it should be.

[08:19] HANNAH ARRINGTON OLAGUE: Do you remember how old you were when you kind of. When you realized the gravity of the situation you were in?

[08:29] IRVING OLAGUE: Yeah. Which actually wasn't too long ago. It would have been when I actually really started dating you. And, I mean, we had small situations where I think I would feel that way. You're an immigrant. You're not really, like, supposed to be here, or you're gonna have a hard time working. But that would have been probably, what, maybe 2010 maybe is when I realized that we graduated in 2006. I mean, during that time, I was doing just fine, getting by just like anyone else who was an immigrant in the United States. I was able to find work as a dietary aide, kind of washing dishes and passing out food to retirement home people. And I've worked at Jiffy Loop for a while, and it was just those things that I didn't really think about because we were utilizing, like, false paperwork. But it just felt so normal to me. Like, that's what we had to do that didn't really think about it. But in 2010, you know, when we really started having the conversation of, like, what are you doing after, you know, college? Or where we going with this? It started to make me open my eyes a little bit more, like, what am I going to do to kind of secure the future? Right? What am I going to be capable of given this wall that I need to hurdle over? And so I would think it was about that time that I started realizing, like, oh, there's actually. This is huge to think about. So, yeah, it would have been about that time.

[10:21] HANNAH ARRINGTON OLAGUE: I remember meeting you in high school and throughout our dating life and everything, just remembering how different you were.

[11:25] IRVING OLAGUE: What do you mean by different?

[11:26] HANNAH ARRINGTON OLAGUE: I know. I remember comparative to all the other boys that I knew, you were very in the moment, so you were nothing. Scared to go after what you wanted. And being in high school, that's huge, because we're always worried about what other people think as high schoolers. But I knew you were different right from the beginning, so that's why I kept you around. I do remember, though, the night before we got married, that my dad took me on a drive and told me that my life would be different than how I grew up because of you and because of your situation and where you came from. And he did it out of good intentions. But in the moment, I was obviously offended. But now looking back on it, it's exactly what I wanted. I wouldn't have wanted something exactly how I grew up, even though I grew up in a great house with a great family. Your perspective that you bring is so interesting to me. And your family's perspective on what's important is really refreshing.

[13:50] IRVING OLAGUE: It was right back at you. Your family did a lot. I mean, I think you remember the day that I dropped out of the University of Utah, right? I think that was the definite day where I said, you know, if I can't be a part of this kind of social gathering that the United States has as far as, like, how to make it in, whether it be corporate America or just the workforce, that was the time that I realized, like, if I'm just wasting my time here, going to school without a security, of having a job offer because of my immigrant status, then for me, it was like, well, then it's kind of like a dog eat dog world, and I have to do whatever it takes no matter what. And I'm pretty sure we both remember that conversation where I had enough and I felt like I was wasting my time. And maybe it's that immigrant mentality where you just gonna do whatever it takes and, you know, put your body on the forefront, you know, do as much as you can to be able to provide, because I just. I remember, you know, you were working at West Elm, and you were, like, the sole income provider, and maybe it was a machismo thing or, you know, something in me that said, you know, it's not for you to do all this. It's for me, I felt like it never really was an option of an us, which is very important now. But in that time, you know, it would have been the second year into the university that just kind of tapped out because this wasn't making sense. And it's really thanks to your family. Your dad was very insightful on the way that we should be thinking about things. A portion of me kind of regrets not finishing school, but at the same time, it kind of is what it is, and we are just as happy now than what could have been. Who knows what could have? It's only what has happened.

[16:00] HANNAH ARRINGTON OLAGUE: Do you remember the day that you got your workers visa? Or was it workers permit?

[16:08] IRVING OLAGUE: It was the work permit authorization. Yeah, it was crazy. It just felt like everything started falling in line that day, but I. You remember the battle that we had even getting to that point, that presidency opened up a lot of doors, not just for me. I'd like to think for a lot of dreamers, right, is kind of what we got captioned as. But, man, I just, you know, all the grind that we were doing prior to and just, like, getting by, making money, it was becoming automatic. Right. Because working for yourself is probably the best bet at this point. But I just remember when I got the work authorization, and this would have been. This would have been, what, 2019? Yeah, right before we moved to Washington, DC.

[17:08] HANNAH ARRINGTON OLAGUE: Well, do you remember why we moved to Washington, DC?

[17:10] IRVING OLAGUE: Yeah, it was solely because of the opportunity to be able to work legally now. And it was kind of intense because it's like, okay, now you have this tool, right, that you can use to be able to kind of accomplish the things that, you know, as a societal person. I don't know if that'd be the correct term, but you can work now legally, pay taxes, even though we were paying taxes prior to. Which is a whole different conversation, but, yeah, certainly remember that. I mean, immediately after. You know what I mean? We got, like, one of the biggest shifts and work opportunities for our lives that just kind of pursued what we are doing now. Like, it just allowed us to be able to grow.

[17:57] HANNAH ARRINGTON OLAGUE: Do you remember what it was like once you got to the Capitol dome?

[18:06] IRVING OLAGUE: Yeah, I mean, I just. Well, and to give backstory, right. When I received the daca, I was. Your family had put me in line with, like, connections and people, and your brother Connor was like, you should really talk to this guy. You know, he's kind of along the lines of what you do for trade and kind of what you're interested in. And so the opportunity arose to be able to go to the US Capitol dome and restore it. Some small company based out of West Jordan, historical arts and castings, they were the ones who won the bid for that. And it just. It all fell into place. Like, what I do now, what I can do with it. But I do remember when I flew out there to kind of fill out my paperwork the very first day. They were like, let's get up on the Capitol, right? And you can see your new workspace for the next two years. And I just remember sending you a picture of the Washington monument from the very peak of the dome. And just thinking, like, this is such a crazy experience. Like, you know, an immigrant coming from Mexico, you know, living in the United States under the shadows forever, now has an opportunity and is, like, at the pinnacle of, like, what the United States is, right? Like, this is where it all happened. This is where people made the choice for me to be able to do this. So it was really wild. It was quite the experience being there the very first day on that dome and thinking, like, just how quickly things had changed and opportunity had to open up.

[19:51] HANNAH ARRINGTON OLAGUE: Yeah, that was amazing. What are your hopes for your children?

[20:02] IRVING OLAGUE: Oh, man, the two rugrats. Well, it's crazy to think about now that they are actually the first Olague Arrington generation. You know, it starts with them to be able to solidify, like, a legality portion of things because they were born here. But really, the goal for me is just to make sure that they're content, that they get an opportunity, that they have all the tools necessary to be able to kind of guide their way through life and to experience, really, this life, for me, is about experience, and it's just to be able to give them as much knowledge as possible and open up their world as much as possible. By all means, no different than I was because it was huge. But there's just so much more out there that I feel like, in a way, you're kind of privileged when you have this status here in the United States. And opportunity, I mean, it's, you know, I think back to the saying, this is a land of opportunity, and it really is. When you think of all the culture and all the heritage and, like, what you're able to kind of do here compared to a lot of other places, it's just so interesting. I mean, don't get me wrong, it's offered up in a lot of different countries and places of the world, but there's just something so unique to every portion of the world and the experience that you live. So for me, for them is just to be able to say, hey, you know, really take a step back and take a look at what's offered and what you can do, how you can do it and be happy. Really, that's the biggest thing. You don't need a lot to be happy. The one thing that my mother always says is, just like, you would have been just as content, as happy if you would have just grown up in Mexico. The only variable is that now you see what that life is like compared to what you have now. But I don't think I, you know, your, your mindset, the way you are would have been any different. I think you've just been content in a small, small, little town. And so that's huge to me because I think that is very true. I mean, some of the happiest people have nothing, right, is what you hear. And for me, it's to make sure to pass that along to the children, to our children, and tell them, like, listen, life is kind of what you make it. Be happy, be content and make the best out of it for yourself and no one else. Right.

[22:53] HANNAH ARRINGTON OLAGUE: Do you, do you feel like. Hold on, let's see. Have you ever imagined your life, or is your life different than what you would have thought you would have done?

[23:12] IRVING OLAGUE: That's a hard one to. I don't know. You know, it kind of is what it is now. I think, looking back retrospect, to really think about, well, if I would have never received my work permit, then that would have never opened the doors for me to become a us citizen. Right. Which would be a hardship, which would be a struggle. And so, yeah, I think if I were to look back and place myself in a situation that I'm not in now, I think we would be content, right. But I think we would have feats in front of us continually. But it's just really hard to say. Cause it's just kind of how our lives have panned out of. Right. But I think if I were to give you an answer, then, yeah, it would be completely different, in my opinion. I don't think I would be where I'm at now to be able to provide the things that I do for a family, maybe wouldn't have got the experience to continue to grow mentally. Right, and career wise. So those are all the what ifs, you know, that is kind of crazy to think about and how important it was to become a work permit holder to a green card residency, to a us citizen.

[24:43] HANNAH ARRINGTON OLAGUE: What did it feel like when you became a us citizen?

[24:47] IRVING OLAGUE: I mean, I think the first thing that came to mind was just like, what a relief. It was a long process. You remember as well, too. I mean, it was almost twelve years in the making, but the very first thing that just came to mind was finally right. And then the other thing, quite honestly, was just like, I don't know if I felt a huge shift, like emotionally, mentally. I think it was just like business as usual because I was always kind of projecting in the right way. So it was, I think more than anything, it was just a huge relief to finally get through the system and finally overcome, like, all the work we had to do to get to where we were. You know, it was this feeling of like, you know, I can, I kind of have some better liberties than I had before, right? I don't have to be so scared about, you know, tippy toeing around or getting in trouble in some sort of way, even getting pulled over Washington. Scary, right? Especially when I just had my work permit or my green card because you just never know what type of experience people go through and, you know, everyone has their own. And so even being in that situation kind of puts you in a way different situation than someone who was just legally born here. So, like that security was finally, like embraced where it's just like, you're good, you don't have to. Not that I was trying to go around and cause trouble, but those small things kind of made a difference. And it's just like, I didn't really think about them, but like every day I kind of get a sense for it, right? And every day I think about the people who don't and who aren't in my position are like, yeah, like, the struggle is kind of real. It's scary, it's uncertain. But knowingly like, that, the person that's living, it can always do something about it, right. And I think it just goes back to the legality of things. Like how far can you push something before, like legally you could get in trouble or legally you don't have the opportunity.

[26:57] HANNAH ARRINGTON OLAGUE: Do you have empathy for people who may not push and are still living, like, under the shadows?

[27:05] IRVING OLAGUE: Yeah, I mean, it's like I want to be able to consult with them about, you know, the things that are out there and the help that they can get. You know, I see in my industry there's a lot of people who could be applying for these things, but maybe they don't have the funds or the time or the aid and someone helping them or they just don't know about those things. So it's huge for me, because, you know, it feels like you can almost just get stuck, you know, just in that cycle and. Or you can kind of do something about it and now you're stuck in the cycle of waiting for something to happen. It's tough. It really is. Because, you know, as much as you want everyone to be fair, as much as we want everyone to have a fair opportunity, you just kind of don't get it. Right. I mean, because there's just these things that you have to do to be able to be a part of the arena in a sort of way. So it sucks, yeah. To see people out there that are struggling with that or have no idea even how to get the process started or, like, in it, but just don't have the money to push through it. Because I think that's one of the biggest feats is the amount of money this process cost is demands. It's huge.

[28:31] HANNAH ARRINGTON OLAGUE: I mean, yeah, well, I've seen such a change in you since obviously we were in high school and this is a kid who was living in his everyday and living day to day because from my point of view, that was your life. You never knew what tomorrow would bring. You kind of never had the opportunity to plan to seeing you now where you've opened doors for yourself and you've looked up a little higher and you've gained confidence and I think we're all better for it. And sharing your skills and your personality with others, I think you also, because of the empathy that you have for people, bring other people up with you. So I think we've all gained a really great human and person in the community. Obviously, I love you a lot. I guess describe one of the happiest places you could be.

[29:50] IRVING OLAGUE: It's now. It's here, sitting in this chair. It's every day in front of me. I feel like a part of me has not let go of that day by day, trying to understand, you know, what to do next. I do agree with you. I mean, I remember when we were graduating and you're like, are you going to go to college? I was just like, I don't. I don't know. I don't think so. I think I'm just going to work and just kind of do my own thing because it wasn't importance for me. Right. But I think that embedded in me, like, you know, over time, especially how important it is to plan for the next thing. And, you know, as I'm 34 now and I'm just, we have kids and trying to think about their future and what we need to be doing next. But a big part of it still is. Day by day, I'm content every day that we get to wake up, kind of live the life we do have another opportunity to do better and to kind of just button up ourselves as to, like, who am I becoming? What can I attain? And that, for me, is the most. It's the best feeling, I think, is because every day you get to do something new that's going to better yourself. And so, yeah, I think it's not something that I look forward to down the road. It's something that I look forward to the next morning. Right.

[31:17] HANNAH ARRINGTON OLAGUE: How would you like to see your heritage being implemented or in our children's lives?

[31:30] IRVING OLAGUE: I mean, I think it's huge to let them know our heritage and our culture and their father's story, because I think, you know, history, family history, the things that the previous family members have gone through is huge to, you know, give. Give them insights, give people insights as to, like, what we went through and, like, what can. What humans can overcome. It's beautiful. I mean, every culture, I don't even have a huge grasp on, like, my culture and, like, where we kind of originated from and. Or immigrated from, you know? And the more I learn about that, the more it makes me feel like, you know, everyone should know about their own culture and history because it's embedded out there. And even though we're stuck in this day by day, it's crazy to think about where you kind of came from. So I think it's just important to put it out there, to learn more about it and to be able to celebrate it. And it doesn't even need to be anything huge as far as a celebration. I think, you know, our family dinners with my family certainly completely different from your family dinners with your family. But those are celebrations that, like, give insights to the different culture and just, like, how. How much of a. How much is out there and how people live their lives, you know? So for me, it's making sure to celebrate even those small, small events, which could be just a dinner or a conversation, and to learn as much as you can if you've got the time to. So.

[33:35] HANNAH ARRINGTON OLAGUE: Okay. I love you.

[33:38] IRVING OLAGUE: I love you, too. Yeah, it's. It's an interesting road we've been down. And times like this where I'm able to kind of share my story makes me realize how much we've actually gone through. You know, I feel like I've brushed a lot off my shoulders, just like business as usual. But the more you kind of dig into it and think about it. Like the experience is. It's nuts, right? And then just makes you realize what each individual person is actually really going through.

[34:19] HANNAH ARRINGTON OLAGUE: Empathy.

[34:21] IRVING OLAGUE: Yeah.