Chapter 6: Privilege

As has been mentioned in previous chapters, I was surprised NOT to hear from most of my interviewees about the benefits the exiles had as immigrants. I was unaware of these privileges until I began my research but upon reading about them, it is clear that Lilia, Jack, and the other exiles and their families benefitted significantly from policies and practices that no other immigrant group at the time, nor since, has been afforded. Ester was the only one to comment on privilege, which she did briefly in our interview but also in her writing previously. Enrique noted that there were some help services but implied that the family did not utilize them. It is unclear to what degree they did, but they obviously did in some fashion. Similarly, Lilia only mentioned HIAS as a source of assistance when they first moved. No one mentioned the immigration policies, the federal, state, and local assistance, nor even the privileges they had and still have as a family.